Saint Lucia records surge in construction jobs, 9102 employed in 2023

Saint Lucia: In a significant development, Saint Lucia has seen a huge surge in the construction sector with 9102 people gainfully employed in 2023. This is so far the best job numbers for the industry in 14 years. The construction industry is strengthening from footpaths in small communities to multi-story buildings and expanding the real estate development. This shows that the policies of the Pierre-led Administration are working all the way to stimulate job creation on the island. While sharing the development, the Government said that it is not just about the numbers but the administration is working to make the local economy more conducive for hiring and job creation to connect Saint Lucians with good paying and sustainable jobs. Since 2017, the island nation has been witnessing an uptick of jobs in this sector. The data shared by the Central Statistical Office of Saint Lucia showed that in 2017, there were 7254 available jobs in the sector which grew to 9102 last year.The Government-based capital projects are also immensely contributing to the expansion of jobs in the local construction industry. According to the information, several public sector projects also broke ground in 2023, and some of these projects are as follows:

• OECS Tourism Competitiveness Project
• Renewable Energy Sector Development Project
• Disaster Vulnerability and Reduction Project 
• Community Tourism Project 
• St. Jude Hospital Reconstruction Project 
• Custody Suites Project 
• Northern Divisional Police Headquarters Project

In addition to this, Prime Minister Philip J Pierre has declared 2024-2025 the Year of Infrastructure and has committed $484.9 million to the Investment Portfolio of the Government. Meanwhile, the capital expenditures constitute around $299.3 million of the total Investment Portfolio of the Government. Not only this, but eight international companies are also bringing their capital to Saint Lucia in order to finance various development projects. This shows that foreign direct investment in the country is also on the upturn. These international projects are as follows:

• Marriott Hotel 
• Global Ports Holdings Cruise Port Development
• Dreams & Zoetry
• Hyatt Hotel
• Sandals La Toc (Expansion/Upgrade)
• Cabot Residences 
• Cas-en-Bas Beach Resort
• Secrets Resort and Spa Saint Lucia