As Parliament debates the Caribbean Community (Free Movement of Nationals) Bill, two political scientists say that opening Barbados to more regional workers could be critical in reversing demographic decline and spurring economic growth.
Peter Wickham told Barbados TODAY that the move aligns with Barbados’ long-term economic goals and regional commitments.
“The Prime Minister is on record as saying that they want to grow the population significantly. That’s an initiative that I support, and I think it makes sense,” Wickham said. “There’s a direct link between the size of the population and the gross domestic product, so it is in our interest to grow the economy, to grow the GDP, and to grow the population as a way of doing that. This will be one of the ways in which you can do that because you’re essentially bringing in working-age people that can work and contribute to Social Security and other things. It’s the kind of economic activity that’s a win.”
He also challenged Leader of the Opposition Ralph Thorne’s assertion that the bill was unrelated to the creation of a single market.
“One of the points Ralph made yesterday, which was completely erroneous, was the suggestion that they support a single market and freedom of movement in relation to goods but don’t see how free movement is related to that,” Wickham said. “That’s completely wrong because in an economy where services account for a more significant part of the economy than goods, free movement of people is actually more important than free movement of goods.”
He explained that while the free movement of goods has been a feature of CARICOM since its inception, the region’s economies now depend far more on services, which require labour mobility.
“If it is that we are services economies, a unification of our economies in terms of integration means the free movement of labour has to be a hugely important part of that,” Wickham added.
He further noted that the initial four countries advancing the agreement – Barbados, Belize, Dominica, and St Vincent and the Grenadines – share certain advantages, including political stability and underpopulation.
“Governments have to move at different speeds, and the political realities reflect a level of safety in Belize, in Dominica, in the Grenadines, and in Barbados,” he said. “Belize is woefully underpopulated, and the same is true for Dominica and Barbados. So there’s a reason why those four went forward. My hope is that in due course, others will follow.”
Fellow political scientist Deveron Bruce agreed that population growth is essential to economic sustainability, particularly given Barbados’s declining birth rate.
“We’ve long been saying that birth rates within Barbados, and possibly across the region, have been decreasing,” Bruce noted. “We’ve seen concerns regarding the sustainability of NIS, and the number of young people in the school system has declined over the years. That has implications for the economy.”
Bruce argued that population growth is key to sustaining demand and opportunity.
“Barbadians don’t need to be rocket scientists to understand that you need people to buy services, sell services, and contribute to economic growth,” he said. “The more of that you have in a space, the more opportunity it presents for people. If Barbadians are interested in economic growth, prosperity, and opportunity, that reality is in part gained by having more persons here.”
But he cautioned that the policy must address legitimate concerns about wage competition.
“There will be concerns regarding the protection of wages,” Bruce said. “We know that particularly in certain spaces, whether it’s home care, construction, or fields that are more along the lines of minimum or average wage jobs, you would have concerns regarding your ability to maintain those wages if individuals are willing to undercut what you are expecting. Those realities certainly exist.”
Bruce stressed that while migration can help stimulate growth, government must take proactive steps to safeguard workers’ interests.
“I think it’s important that government does indeed address some of these concerns,” he said. (SB)
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