Unpaid domestic and care work consists of activities necessary for producing goods and services to sustain daily life and to ensure social reproduction for the future. Throughout the world, women are the primary providers of unpaid domestic and care work, and its provision is still viewed by many people as the natural duty of women.

At the start of the new fiscal year, the Minister of Finance presented the Government’s expenditure and revenue estimates for parliamentary approval.

Due to the complexities of the budgetary document, critical engagement by the public is limited.

Without the critical engagement of a well-informed public, the budget will not reflect the needs of the people who are obligated to fund it. This report breaks down the complexities of the budget and identified three noteworthy shifts. 

The rapid and significant fall in the unemployment rate over the last ten years, to historic lows, without corresponding economic growth, has spurred questions about whether the newly created jobs are good quality jobs which can contribute meaningfully to the economy. There is a need to better understand this phenomenon of “growthless jobs” to inform any effort to rectify this concerning divergence. This report posits evidence-informed recommendations for relevant policymakers regarding what is impeding Jamaica’s economic growth, and how those impediments might be mitigated.

Financial inclusion is a key element of poverty reduction and inclusive development. In seeking to improve citizens’ well-being and increase economic growth, financial inclusion enables individuals and businesses to build resilience and capitalize on economic opportunities. Notwithstanding these benefits, there are barriers to expanding access to and usage of the four functionalities that facilitate inclusion: savings, insurance, credit, and payment services. This report sought to identify these hindrances in the context of Jamaica, with a view to remedying them.

Jamaica is unique for many reasons. Perhaps the most striking among these is that for almost every resident in the
country, there is an individual living in the diaspora abroad. This near one-to-one ratio of nationals to diaspora members
presents a tremendous opportunity for cross-border engagement, among people who share common cultures and
histories.
 
Diasporas can, and in many cases do play an important role in the economic development of their countries of origin or
ancestry. Beyond sending remittances, they can also promote trade and foreign direct investment, create businesses,
spur entrepreneurship and transfer new knowledge and skills. The Jamaican Diaspora, therefore, is believed to represent
a very powerful reservoir of capital, relationships, skills and expertise that remains largely untapped, and, if realised,
can assist in the growth and development of Jamaica. However, beyond remittances, there is little empirical evidence
to support this.