A large group of Human Resource Officers from the private sector attended the first HR Forum for 2026 organised by the Ministry of Employment and Human Resource Planning. The platform was established in September 2012 to discuss new policies and initiatives by government aimed at improving the capacity of HR Officers to serve their organisation effectively.

The half day forum held at AVANI+ in Barbarons consisted of presentations by senior officials of the ministry on several topics, including programmes and assistance available to jobseekers, 13^th month pay, retirement age, upcoming revisions to the Employment Act, among others.

During her opening address, Minister Idith Alexander stated that the ministry has formulated an ambitious plan for the next 5 years, with focus on:

• Policy development and legislative review to reflect evolving economic needs and align with new government’s strategy.
• Human resource planning to ensure human resource development is aligned with current and future workforce needs.
• Regulations and compliance to strengthen labour relations and ensure fair labour practices.
• Youth employment to reduce unemployment rate through specific programmes.
• Digital transformation to improve service delivery and management of information.
• Stakeholder engagement for enhanced collaboration.
• Staff retention to achieve continuity of service and career growth.

HR Officers actively engaged with senior officers of the ministry by seeking clarifications and offering valuable contributions aimed at fostering a fair working environment. The HR Forum will be held on a quarterly basis.