In the United States, an unemployment rate nearing 9% is serious cause for concern. In Haiti, 40% would be a cause for jubilation. In the Western Hemisphere’s poorest country, employment [as some countries] know it, barely exists. Statistics are difficult to pin down for the Caribbean nation, but some estimates put Haiti’s unemployment rate as high as 70 percent. [i] Notwithstanding, according to the CIA World Fact Book Haiti ranks No. 186 (out of a total of 199 countries) with an unemployment rate of 40% as of 2010. [ii] In any case, an unemployment rate above 30% is a cause for concern and the GB Group wants to help.

The economic wellbeing of any society is intricately linked to its capacity to not only produce domestic quality products and services; but also more so measured by a nation’s capacity to produce jobs. Perhaps when faced with several options to reduce costs and make processes more efficient some might be tempted to adopt business practices which are 100% governed by low human capital, outsourcing and importing; not the GB Group. We have consistently stood behind our local industrial activities for the past 40 years and our growth in Haiti continues despite the fact that protection for local industry in Haiti has been slowly disappearing since THE 1990’s

The GB group is highly invested in Haiti’s long term growth and survival thus it actively looks for opportunities to create jobs and promote its country’s brand. It is time that more Haitian groups invest in manufacturing, factories, production lines, equipment and labor intensive activities. On this note, GBG is proud to announce that it has already identified a couple of key projects in agriculture and infrastructure in which it will invest in to further Haiti’s progress and global positioning.

It is paramount that all begin to truly understand that creating jobs brings higher revenues and higher taxes for the State. Higher income tax further reduces the need for government assistance in the form of social programs and crime rate reduction measures. The International Monetary Fund further asserts that for any given level of unemployment, faster job creation increases a country’s output, and, among other things, raises the ratio of workers to pensioners, thereby lowering the cost of its social safety net.[iii] We believe it is critical for Haiti’s policies to be redirected towards job creation and the protection of national manufacturing activities.

More importantly jobs give people a sense of worth and the chance to become real life examples of independence, value, capacity and skill which can be passed on through to future generations.

Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.[iv] We believe in Haiti’s workforce. You should too.