PSOJ Calls for AI and STEM Training to Future-Proof Jamaica's Workforce Over Next 50 Years

The Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) is pressing for a sharper national focus on artificial intelligence (AI) training and other technical skills, saying the country must ready its labour force for the next 50 years.

In a message marking the umbrella business group's 50th anniversary, PSOJ President Patrick Hylton said planning cannot stop at today's occupations. "It also means preparing our workforce for jobs that do not yet exist, while ensuring that no segment of society is left behind in the transition," he said. "The next 50 years must be bold."

Hylton wants the Government to strengthen the country's 1.3 million-strong workforce by building up numbers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics — the STEM fields. "No country can outgrow the strength of its people," he said.

Research from the University of Technology, Jamaica, titled "Impact of Artificial Intelligence on the Jamaican Job Market: Quantity and Quality," by Paul Golding, points to mounting pressure on existing roles. The study found that roughly 22 per cent of Jamaica's workforce faces high to medium AI automation exposure. Within that group, 56,695 workers, or about 4.0 per cent of the labour force, are at high exposure.

Other researchers contend that most jobs will shift rather than disappear entirely. They point to growing demand in healthcare, education, creative work, and STEM occupations.

"The countries and companies that adapt early will lead. Those that hesitate will struggle to compete," Hylton stated.

The technology drive sits inside a wider 50-year vision from the business lobby, covering export-led growth, education reform, and crime reduction. The call comes as Jamaica continues recovering from Hurricane Melissa, a Category 5 storm that struck last October. Damage and losses from the hurricane have been estimated at US$12.2 billion — more than half of the country's annual economic output.

Hylton acknowledged that Jamaica has spent decades securing macroeconomic stability, including lowering debt, curbing inflation, and strengthening fiscal management. Even so, he argued that stability on its own does not deliver broad prosperity.

"The future will not be built by caution alone," he stated. "The next 50 years cannot simply be about preserving stability. They must be about creating growth."