Members of the Technical Working Group for the Health Sector Market Analysis gather at the PAHO/WHO Jamaica Country Office for the initial meeting marking the official launch of efforts to improve the health workforce.
WITH THE leadership of the Ministry of Health and Wellness (MOHW), through its Policy, Planning and Development Division, Jamaica launched its first Health Labour Market Analysis (HLMA), marking a major step forward in efforts to strengthen the workforce of the national health system.
The launch took place during an inaugural meeting of the Technical Working Group (TWG) for the HLMA, which is being carried out with support and collaboration from the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) and the different levels of the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO).
This is the first HLMA of its kind in the Caribbean and Latin America. The initiative aims to provide a comprehensive picture of Jamaica’s health labour market, examining supply and demand, workforce distribution, and the key factors that influence performance and retention. It will explore how health professionals enter and leave the system, where they are deployed, how they are compensated, and the reasons they choose to stay in the country or migrate.
The HLMA will also consider strategies to attract and retain health professionals, ensure sufficient training capacity, and support returning healthcare workers who wish to re-enter the local system.
The Jamaica HLMA is a follow-up to the series of trainings, both virtual and in-person, including a 2024 face-to-face training for the Caribbean subregion, which took place in Trinidad and Tobago.
Like other small island developing states, Jamaica faces significant health workforce challenges. These include the migration of skilled personnel, particularly nurses, midwives, and specialists, as well as migration within the country, which draws professionals toward urban centres, leaving rural clinics and hospitals understaffed.
These trends have increased pressure on the country’s health system and threaten progress towards universal health, the Sustainable Development Goals, and the national objectives outlined in the Vision for Health 2030 Strategy.
Speaking at the launch, Ian Stein, PAHO/WHO representative for Jamaica, said the HLMA will provide Jamaica with the data needed to improve workforce planning. “This analysis provides Jamaica with essential data to better understand its health workforce landscape. With these insights, the country is now better positioned to plan strategically, fill critical gaps, and make informed investments in workforce development that will strengthen the health system for years to come,” Stein said.
Stein also commended the ministry’s decision to undertake the analysis, describing it as a strong signal of commitment to long-term health system strengthening and a critical step towards aligning health worker competencies with population needs, improving retention, and ensuring a more equitable distribution of staff.
This first face-to-face meeting with the members of the TWG for the HLMA included a sensitisation on what the HLMA means for the Jamaican context, and a review of the terms of reference for the TWG, the policy questions guiding the HLMA, and guidance for related support.
During the meeting, PAHO/WHO reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the MOHW, the PIOJ, and other partners in using the HLMA findings to bring about meaningful improvements in healthcare delivery across the island.
The work ahead of the Core Working Group and TWG should result in the alignment of training programmes with required competencies, expanded capacity to produce the requisite number of healthcare workers, identification of key strategies to attract and retain workers, and support for the reintegration of those returning to Jamaica.
Inevitably, the analysis will yield valuable insights and practical recommendations to support more effective workforce planning and implementation, improved education, and investment, with the ultimate goal of improving the quality of care in Jamaica.
