Beckles challenges PM’s ‘15,000 jobs’ claim

Opposition Leader Pennelope Beckles has challenged Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s claim that the Government created 15,000 jobs, pointing to Central Statistical Office (CSO) figures showing employment fell by almost 6,000 in the first quarter of 2026.

Beckles, speaking at the Opposition’s weekly news conference in Port of Spain yesterday, said CSO data showed employment declined by 5,900 between the fourth quarter of 2025 and the first quarter of 2026, while the unemployment rate increased from 4.3% to 5.4%.

She said women bore the brunt of the decline, with female employment falling during the period.

She questioned the Government’s explanation that the decline reflected seasonal employment patterns following the Christmas period, arguing that the losses affected several sectors of the economy.

She cited CSO figures showing job losses between January and March 2026 in areas including petroleum and gas, mining and quarrying, manufacturing, electricity and water, construction, transportation, storage and communication, community services and agriculture.

Beckles said the figures contradicted the Prime Minister’s announcement that the Government had delivered more than 15,000 jobs between April 2025 and April 2026.

She said the Prime Minister indicated that CEPEP and URP had become deeply compromised by inefficiency and corruption.

“I want to ask the Prime Minister whether or not the Prime Minister stands by the figures that they have produced, 15,000 jobs delivered?” Beckles asked.

The Opposition Leader also pointed to the Government’s election promise of creating 50,000 jobs, arguing that the latest employment figures raised questions about whether that target remained achievable.

She said constituency offices were continuing to receive requests from citizens seeking employment assistance.

“They can tell you the category when persons come to their offices. What are people coming for? Books and uniforms, jobs, jobs, jobs. But this Government will have you believe that they have created so much jobs,” Beckles said.

She also criticised comments attributed to Persad-Bissessar that some job losses were linked to the removal of State-funded programmes she described as being affected by “ghost programmes”, criminality and corruption.

Beckles said the comments unfairly characterised thousands of workers who had lost jobs.

“I am only hoping that the women of Trinidad and Tobago, in particular, the ones who are suffering more than anybody else, are listening to what this Prime Minister is calling the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago,” she said.

What about Hilton workers?

Beckles said while there may be instances of individuals unwilling to work, the Government should not generalise about workers who were affected by job cuts.

“We are not saying that there are not some people who are idle and do not want to work. We’re not saying that. But you want to tell the people of Trinidad and Tobago, having fired almost 50,000 people, that you want to tell everybody, all of them involved in drugs, everything was freeness, everything was corruption, and everything was ghosts,” she said.

Beckles also criticised the Government’s handling of employment concerns affecting workers at Hilton Trinidad.

She said the possible closure of the hotel could result in 300 employees losing their jobs and demanded answers from the Government about the status of the hotel’s lease.

“I want to link that to what is happening to Hilton, where it is likely that 300 people will be out of jobs. The Prime Minister must tell us, and the Minister of Trade, what is the status of the renewal of the lease for Hilton?” she said.

The union representing Hilton workers has said the hotel employs more than 250 people.

Beckles said employees had been warned that closure could come within weeks if the lease issue is not resolved.

Trinidad Express