CIAA selects ex-pat HR boss
(CNS): The Cayman Islands Airport Authority has taken on a new chief human resource manager in order to get to grips with a number of employment issues at Grand Cayman’s airport. However, the decision to take on an ex-pat has created a backlash from local quarters as the new recruit was one of six people shortlisted for interview and the only non-Caymanian. The airport has defended its decision, stating that not only is the new HR boss the best candidate but she has agreed to recruit and mentor a Caymanian understudy to take the post before the end of her two year contract. Airport officials said Janet Peters successfully transitioned a local at the tourism department and they are hoping for the same outcome.
In a statement released on Friday following the circulation of an open letter of complaint, the airport said that Janet E. Peters was interviewed, along with five Caymanian applicants for the position of chief human resources officer, in late July, in accordance with a process undertaken by the Ministry of District Administration, Tourism & Transport (DAT&T) on behalf of the CIAA.
“The Ministry compiled an interview panel comprising its Human Resources Manager, independent Human Resources consultant from the private sector, the Human Resources Management Advisor for the Portfolio of the Civil Service as well as the Acting Chief Executive Officer of the CIAA," the statement from the authority said.
“Mrs Peters was considered the ideal candidate as she possessed the requisite experience andprofessional qualifications required to achieve the strategic aspects of this position. However, she was recruited with the stipulation that within six months, the CIAA will recruit a Caymanian understudy to assume the post at the end of her two-year maximum contract, an arrangement that she also recently completed with another Governmental agency, where she mentored a Caymanian who has since assumed the role of Manager, Human Resources.
“The CIAA is committed to making this exceptional opportunity available to a Caymanian who will be developed to assume this role under the guidance of a qualified and experienced Chief Human Resources Officer,” officials added.
However, a group of Caymanians circulated letter of complaint to the press about the decision, indicating that there was no need to hire a foreign worker to train a local when there were people qualified for the post. They said that the former HR colleague of Peters at the department of tourism should not have been on the interview panel because of the perception of bias. They also said that the local candidates were not informed that they had been unsuccessful until the authority had made an application for a work permit for Peters.
The group of Caymanians, who said they wished to remain anonymous for a number of reasons, said that they are concerned that this recruitment process is part of a wider problem in government where local workers are overlooked, mistreated and discriminated against on a daily basis and where civil service management in general is not prioritising the recruitment or promotion of Caymanians.
“The CIAA's decision to seemingly disregard the opportunity to promote the hiring of qualified Caymanians comes when the Authority is under scrutiny for apparent mismanagement by the past CFO (a permit holder) and former Director,” the authors of the letter state.
Earlier this year a catalogue of issues at the airport were exposed following the leaking of a report by a board member. The report condemned the former airport CEO, Jeremy Jackson, and the finance manager, Shelly Ware, both of whom are understood to be taking legal action against the authority after they were both fired. Soon after the exposure of a number of problems in the management, serious potential conflicts on the board were also highlighted, as well as criticisms that the board was interfering with the day to day management of the airport.
As a result, the airport was at pains to stress that the board was not involved in this latest recruitment process. It is understood that the only post the board should have any involvement with is the recruitment of a new CEO. Currently Jackson’s post is being held by the deputy director, Kerith McCoy. He was put in place by the previous board as acting director when Jackson was sacked. Since the election of the PPM administration in May, however, a new board has been appointed, with former chief fire officer Kirkland Nixon at the helm.
The complainants have rejected the position that Peters is the best candidate for the job, which pays up to CI$104,757 per annum, and that her role training a Caymanian in her last position is justification. They believe that with qualified Caymanians already capable and willing, there was no need to recruit a foreigner to train a Caymanian.
“Everywhere Caymanians turn they are bypassed by a system designed to be more advantageous for foreigners, to the extent that we, the people of these islands have become the true visitors to our own country," the authors stated, as they urged the community to stand up against the decision.
However, the airport made it clear that a Caymanian currently holds the position of human resources manager and that the new chief HR officer will be responsible for the strategic leadership and day-to-day management of the department.
“The CHRO’s responsibilities will include oversight of all programmes, policies, processesand services that support the CIAA’s goal to attract, develop and retain a high-performing and diverse workforce.
“While the CIAA Board of Directors was not involved in the recruitment process, it nevertheless supports the Ministry’s interview panel’s decision to hire Mrs Peters and the CIAA’s submission for a work permit to be considered. The CIAA is proud of its current track record of having achieved a 100% Caymanian staff complement and will only recruit non-Caymanians when no suitably qualified Caymanians are available and the roles are considered essential to the achievement of the Authority’s strategic objectives,” the management stated.
“The CIAA, however, will remain committed to ensuring that Caymanians are given the mentoring necessary to assume those positions,” it said.
According to Peter’s CV she has worked for the DoT since January 2008 as a human resources manager, but has worked in human resources since 1995, prior to which she was a captain in the US Army. The CV shows that as well as professional qualifications she has an MsC in HR.
In interview notes released on request to CNS by the authority Friday, Peters, who is an American, was given the most points by the panel. However, the first reserve candidate beat Peters on the assessment and has an MBA as well as professional HR qualifications. That candidate has 13 years’ experience in HR but the panel found that the candidate had “limited senior level strategic experience” and gave short answers in interview “with little depth and few examples”.
See details of CV of the successful candidate, interview panel notes and the original advertisement for the job below.
Related articles on CNS:
Category: Local News
Let me start by saying I'm Caymanian……Caymanians need to stop whining and expecting government to solve everything with regulation. if you want a job it's not enough to be Caymanian and "able". Employers will naturally want the best, not just someone who can do the job but who can add value. So go become the best instead of asking for a handout or for employers to do something you never would – ignore a brilliant application in favour of an average one. Take it upon yourself to look at what the market is demanding and put yourself in a position where your skills and experience become desirable. it's not rocket science….
It's nice to know that your employer finds your skills and experience desirable. How would you feel about your employer advertising for someone with your same skills and experience who is willing to do the same job for less?
Do you really believe that there is nobody in say Jamaica or the Phillipines that would not be willing to come here and do your job for less than your are being paid? Think about that for a moment.
How would you feel if you were suddenly told that they found someone better (in this case meaning much cheaper) to do your job? I dare say that you would suddenly be in favour of government regulation in the work place.
How do you explain that a hard working nice young man put himself through ccollege, now has a law degree, but cannot get a job in a Cayman firm?
Yup. No entrance into the glass front door. He works as the liquor inspector. THIS is a waste of young talent.
I'm so tried of the double standard = Work hard to get a chance (unless you are Caymanian)
Keep it up, things will soon change as they did in Bermuda, Bahamas and many countries around us some for the better and others for the worst. I pray that it will not be for the latter but if that's the case I will have to stay and 'tek it' like a true native.
I have a lot of sympathy for the hiring decision made at CIAA but I agree with 'Solet'sjustsee', and this has nothing to do with discrimination – for goodness sakes let's just pray that finally someone can do for CIAA what has not been done before….. The important thing is that CIAA keep their word and ensure that the mentoring of a Caymanian takes place effectively…..and that IF the new encumbent is successful, she ensures her successor has been adequately trained in order to maintain her success.
I don't mind if an Ex-pat was deemed to be the right person for the position over a Caymanian provided it was done fairly – my concern as 'Solet'sjustsee's is that Caymanians being trained into the position are fairly treated and properly trained etc.
As a Caymanian training my 'second in command', (regardless of whether ihe/she was a Caymanian or none Caymanian) my main aim was to make sure that I trained them to the extent that they could take over my job.Some people would say that's stupid but when I move to the next rung of the career ladder, I want it to be clear that I have left my previous position in capable hands – otherwise I have failed and did not deserve my promotion. The same should be the aim of the new CIAA encumbent.
If my understudy was a Caymanian – all the better – because I will say this – I have see many cases of my fellow Caymanians in Senior Positions trying to keep their Countrymen down…..we should take Nationality out of this and just ensure that we are doing what we were hired for – to hold the position and train whoever is to follow us.
Not everything is about discrimination – some of us, as Caymanians are simply looking to ensure that our future is being considered especially when we 'have' or 'are' making the effort to become 'as' qualified (or more) than our Non-Caymanian competitors, so that we can all be treated equally in the Working World..
It is absolutely important to note that the job advertised was for Cheif Human Resources Officer, not HR at CIAA Manager. It seems to me that Ms Peters may have ben the only applicant deemed able to fill the bill. These days, the role of CHRO is not just about payroll, benefits, hiring and moving people along. There is a whole science attached to changing the culture of a failed entity such as that at CIAA and a few other Public Sector Institutions in the Cayman Islands
'OK, for arguments sake – let's say that this Ex-Pat candidate was the most qualified and everything about the hiring was above board.
I will be interested to now see if the 'understudy' position takes place and follows the pattern they promise as far as mentoring /assuming the role after 2 years etc is concerned…….
A Company which I was working for, 'fast-tracked' an Ex-pat (not British,,,but that's beside the point) for a position at the same time as I , (a qualified Caymanian & then current Employee) had applied for the Position. The Ex-Pat was a long time personal friend and 'Countryman' of the Country Manager.
At Interview, I was grilled ( 'angrily' I might add ) because I had dared to apply for the position as an 'exterior' applicant. I suggested that had it been advertised Internally first instead of being directly posted in the Newspaper, then I would have applied Internally.
The truth of the matter was that by my applying as an 'external' applicant, the Country Manager had not had the chance to pull me to one side and put me off from applying and he was as mad as 'hell'' because he had to go through normal channels.….
The Country Manager interviewed me and went on to say that the Post was only for 2 years and 'what would I do after that – was I willing to take the chance of being made redundant?' ….. Even though he made a 'veiled' attempt at offering me the job he made it obvious that he was bent on giving his friend the job (and it turned out that at the Head Office in her home Country, her job had been made redundant but they had nowhere else to slot her into…hence……she was fast tracked to the Cayman Branch)…..
Had I accepted the job, I knew I was in for a 'warm-time' so obviously, I withdrew my application.
Guess how long that Ex-Pat remained in that Position ? 8 years ….. (only went home for Personal reasons)…….
and guess what happened as far as an 'understudy' was concerned…nothing !!! Another Ex-Pat was hired….
Now this is all water under the bridge and I am neither griping at the fact that an Ex-Pat GOT this job nor am I griping that a Caymanian did NOT get the job ….. I'm just saying as far as the mentoring/understudy part of the deal goes……….
'Solet'sjustsee'
I have almost the exact same story. Amazing.
Thousands of Caymanians have the same story. Amazing!
If the understudy position does not occur then it will be in perfect keeping with a lot of what the private sector does. That is the most pathetic part of our immigration policy putting a law in place and not policing it. Afterall with all the bickering and moaning you hear from expatswith this entittlement mentality and their rights they will surely be giving Caymanians a fair chance.
Your bickering and moaning is noted, as is your enitiilement to do so.
As a Caymanian in Cayman where am I to go to be entitled to get a job that I am qualified to perform? Please tell me is it the USA, Canada, SA, France, Germany, Australia, Bretmuda, Jamaica or the Philipines? I went to the USA and applied for a job that I was qualified to do was told that although I did pass the test and had the required experience I would not get the position as there were citizens/residents that were available to do the job. I would not even mention Bermuda there are job categories (outside of being a politician) that non Bermudians cannot apply for. Now how is that for entitlement? You expats want to be entitled for PR after 7 years residency after coming to seek a job in my country and you have the galls to get on this blog to state that I should not be entitled to a job in my country, not yours yet you demand the ultimate residency and citizenship; rights to my birthright. This is one that feel very entitled to a job in my country that is why I choose to remain here in good and bad times and have never asked government or politicians for a penny instead I demand that they enact policies to benefit Caymanians above all others.
An Entitled One! Not an economic refugee.
The art of a mentoring restriction is to make sure the person being mentored leaves for another job before the renewal of the permit becomes a problem.
Being Caymanian does not entitle anyone to a job or position though. If someone better qualified comes along, then they become the best candidate for the position. At the end of the day we all know that a business' main goal is to make profit & to do so certain things happen, i.e, hiring the best candidate for positions. Why would they intentionally not hire a Caymanian, they aren't out to "get us". It a dog eat dog world, competition is real, Cayman can not survive without Foreigners/ex-pats/whatever you want to call them. When are going to stop the discrimination?
There is a better qualified foreigner, somewhere, for every job. Based on your logic every Caymanian should be unemployed and checking in with social services.
I agree……….. but you seem to have totally missed the point of my post.
In my last paragraph, I quite clearly stated that I was not griping about the Ex-Pat getting the job (although in my case not only did that person have NO academic qualifications other than High School as opposed to my Degree it was proven that I was more qualified for the position as I ended up mentoring them !!!! and incidentally,,,,, we became close friends so the point you made about discriminiation does not even hold water).
No-one's saying that Caymanians have a God-given right to a position but if the Boss is simply just hiring someone because he is a golfing buddy or to fit in with the Company's Headquarters plans … you have to be moronic if you cannot see that that is wrong.
If you re-read the last paragraph of my post I said I am just curious to see if the mentoring aspect takes place as promised, at the end of the term. THAT, was the point of my post.
In my case, it did not but fortunately I got a higher position elsewhere (and still kept in touch with the Ex-Pat even after they went back to their Country….. so 'lay-off' the discrimination thing !! …. it's getting worn-out ! )
I was just making the point about the mentoring aspect.
p.s. I don't see what the hell the argument is for all the 'thumbs down' when I am just stating facts – I guess more people like you – trying to read something more into it than there is !!
Discrimanation will stop when all the expats are kicked off OUR island. Most Caymanians can not survive competition. Thats why we have to kick you all out. Its not personal. Its just bad business. And what our leadership has promised us. This is a test.
Bigot take this BS to the USA and see where you will get and what will happen. OMG only in Cayman since the death of men and politicians with galls. Could not happen if Messrs JMB and OLP was around. Enjoy your moment because a great Caymanian leader will emerge soon. I pray that he/she will be more of a Mandela than a Mugabe.
Why the hell don't you go to the USA if you are not a citizen and apply for a job with the same qualification or better qualification but less experience than a US Citizen and see what happens and report back to us.
Please ! 9/17 21:28 – The post you were commenting on has nothing to do with discrimination – still if you have been here for any length of time, then you MUST be aware that it is not an even 'playing field' out there no matter how hard a Caymanian tries to better his lot …………… but that was not what the poster was discussing.. he/she was obviously referring to the 'Mentoring' aspect.
Having said that – Gone are the days when it could be said (and I would have agreed back then) that there was a sense of entitlement – Caymanians have gotten off their backsides and gone out into the world to get the experience and qualifications which SHOULD make them equal competitors in the work environment.
In reality, they come back to Cayman (or complete their studies here) and far too many are passed over. Granted, some do make it and become successful but far too many are passed over. This is not complaint of discrimination – it is fact !
BEFORE you cry out 'Discrimination' again – I am not suggesting that the CIAA decision was incorrect in any way – it may have been perfectly legit and the best decision – ( look at the prior Company Record) !!!
I am a Caymanian who was physically born in another Country to Caymanian Parents but mostly raised here and the stories I could tell you (from BOTH sides…Non-Caymanian AND Caymanian) would make your hair curl…….. When you have an accent, people don't realize you are one Nationality or the other (or you may be both) and they will comment freely & in my experience, not any Nationality comes out tops in terms of Discrimination (or the lack thereof) ……
I support neither side discriminating – I simply rely on my own personal experience as the determiner.
There is also a great danger as in your post of 'Reverse discrimination' – so be very careful ….. don't be 'the pot calling the kettle black'………….
If the government would make the findings and investigations carried out at the CIAA public then many would understand exactly why a person such as Ms Peters is desperately need to put a serious halt to these very serious problems and to dimish or hide the ministries and board's own culpability and inability to stop them from occuring at the CIAA. Her appointment is also a stop gap measure to also allow them to CYA in those very matters. Had a robust HR process been in place in the first place many of the issues to plaguing the CIAA would have probably never occurred and many of these old boy network drunkards and criminals would not have a job at the CIAA!
In all of Cayman there is not one qualified Caymanian to runt he HR departmetn at the Airports Authority.????.Maybe the time has come to find some Expats to run the country too instead of having the Caymanians that lie to us every four years to get our vote.
14:58, if we could do that Cayman would have been fixed a long time ago and we wouldn't have half the problems that are showing their ugly faces now. It should be seriously considered as we clearly are unable to do anything on our own without making it ten times worse. Just look at what Cayman has become over the last 10yrs.
No accountability, no transparency, no checks or balances, the list goes on.
Dat wha ya get.
An expat is running the country. Last time I checked the governor was not Caymanian. Ultimately the buck stops there. Next fallacy please…
classic case of caymanian looking to blame someone else…….
08:42, what are you smoking?
1. The Governor does not, and never has run this country.
2. The PPM is in charge, you know the majority in Government? We just had an election. Did you miss your chance to vote for the new Leaders of this country?
3. The Governor's role, which you clearly do not understand, is to make sure all things run smoothly with regards to how the Government handles Cayman's affairs., from an arm's length. That means they do not get involved with Cayman's affairs unless it is absolutely necessary, i.e. things are completely out of hand, and it usually involves pointing Government in the right direction, nothing more. It's called "letting them get on with it".
You see, because we are a British Overseas Territory, the UK has to have someone here to represent the Queen, it's just the way it is and will be until God forbid we go independent. Being a Governor is a pretty minimalist role in the grand scheme of things. They are a REPRESENTATIVE of the Queen, nothing more. It's a trumped up role.
You will know when the UK runs this place, it will happen if we ever get close to that of Turks & Caicos.
You were saying?
The Governor does not run the country.
The Executive (Premier, Cabinet etc ) runs the country. Although the Governor presides over Cabinet, in normal circumstances they must acquiesce to the advice of Cabinet on all matters except in matters of defence, external affairs, internal security, the police and the civil service.
Ummm…those exceptions are pretty important "…internal security, the police and the civil service". Many things that are wrong with Cayman fall into that list.
While the Governor is the highest ranking official and has the highest level powers, he/she does not run the country. The Governors job is essentially the Uk's overseer.
Yep, it's OUR island. Rule Britannia
Is that what your leadership is telling you?
What a load of entitlement heavy self-pity on this thread. A well run business will hire the best candidate and if some silly law gets in the way of that, the business owes it to its owners to do whatever it can do to get round that law.
Cayman is not for Caymanians any more.
Da wa u get, 2003, over 2,000 status grants now 2013 over 2,000 uemployed Caymanians. First in the history of the Cayman Islands, now go figure?
Forget it, enough already. You cannot still be banging on about 2000 people getting status and allegedly 2000 unemployed Caymanians. If even half that number havn't found work in the intervening 10 years they ain't going to. They are unemployable. Sorry but that's the score.
Many of the unemployed are actually status recipients themselves.
That is because the mass Status was given based on who you knew, or screwed, not merit.
what would jesus say/do?
"It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to the dogs."
Matt. 15:26
" Always look on the bright side of life" Brian. 1979, just before tea time.
Ask why a "Christian" nation basis its economy on a system to keep tax revenue from the poor of the world?
Anon 1050 could you explain?
I mean the UK head said we are not a true tax haven.
Its ab out time someone realised that the Cayman Islands have gone above and beyond the measures set by these countries.
Moreover the coun tries that are driving these complaints are not poor. They need to look within themselves to their own greed to feed their poor.
LOL. Is that what it is – Cayman is keeping tax revenue from the poor of the world?! And there I was thinking it was tax revenue from rich countries who would use it to bail out big banks and wage war in poor countries. The rank hypocrisy of your post is staggering.
Cayman simply acts as a tax-neutral platform to conduct international business which often invests in developing countries.
The department of Immigration has FAILED these islands more than any other government department!!!
But in your eyes the Airport authority has not failed these islands or its people? Is fraud, waste, and corruption really the only way that is excepted here? Wait! that explains everything. So all the many failures were really just good business Cayman style. Now we get it. To each his own.
And thats a lot of failure.
Correct 11.35, its mostly always been for the British. Quite right too.
Welcome to the real world. Accountability and responsibility are knocking at the door. Caymanians won't answer the door. The world will move on. Cayman will be left behind. A small time back woods place where nothing works and nothing gets done. To a certain kind of person it will be heaven.
It never was. Nobody lived here originally.
We is all foreigners.
Turtles were the first settlers…caymanian stands for a mixed breed of expats!
I have been in the Cayman Cadet Corps, does that entitle me to a top job in the US over other qualified Americans?
For those of you that do not know Ms. Peters, please allow me to provide some insight. What the CIAA acquired is an extremely dedicated and driven individual. Her experience and track record speak volumes of what she has accomplished and what she is capable of accomplishing in the future. As an expat, she has embraced the culture and wants nothing more than Cayman to continue to flourish. By mentoring this will guarantee a well trained native will be able to take over as a permanent solution. Ms. Peters is an asset to any organization, CIAA is lucky to have a World Class HR Chief to resolve what has been described as "a number of employment issues." This seems to me that it is a win/win situation, CIAA has an excellent candidate that will set the path for a Caymanian successor to prosper in the future.
I intend no disrespect for Ms. Peters, and I wouldn't know her if she sat next to me. This is not about her, this is about the law and what the law (supposedly?) says.
I always thought that work permits were only issued when there was a case that no Caymanian was able, and willing, to do the job.
The attached report says that four of the other candidates hold a Masters Degree in Human Resource Management, and the fifth was currently studying for one.
Now if a 100% Government-owned Statutory Authority can reject four Caymanians with Masters Degrees as unsuitable for the job, what chance to they stand with the private sector? And more importantly, what message does this send to the private sector?
You've hit the nail on the head. Either Immigration comes down on the CIAA like a ton of bricks for this or it is all over for unemployed Caymanians in the workplace since somewhere in the world there will be someone more qualified or experienced who wants the job.
On the face of it your response appears reasonable, but the problem with your viewpoint is that you define the qualifications required to do the job far too narrowly. Academic qualifications are a starting point, but do not address the experience, nor personal characteristics that may be required.
I suspect that there may well not be a Caymanian able and willing to tackle the problem of moving the Caymanian deadwood out of the CIAA. The personal characteristics required to do this are not taught as part of an MBA program. Perhaps Ms. Peters has been given 2 years to do the dirty work none of the other candidates would want to tackle and to train a Caymanian to take over once it's done.
Sometimes you just need an outsider to get things done.
So let me get this straight, don't every person – past, living and in the future – start their professional career with "only" academic qualifications?
Or maybe the hired applicant was born with years of experience in the field.
To answer your question – no.
Individuals start a career with academic qualifications, personal characteristics, life experience in dealing with others, an aptitiude ( or not ) for the job, drive, enthusiasm, work ethic – a long list of attributes that go towards job performance.
Much as I appreciate the sarcasm in your last sentence, what is your point though, as it relates to my original post?
For those of you who are anti-Caymanian extremists and get bolder by the day with your disgust and hatred for Caymanians. All I have to say to you is the fact the Cayman Islands is the home of the Caymanian People. If you are Anti-Caymanian pack up, leave and return to your country of origin. Attempt to make a life there. If things were so great there why did you leave and bring your racisim and hatred to our shores? Oh I forgot, you will never make the money that you make here there. You will never have the ability to own the assets that you have here there. You are subject to taxes in every possible way there. We Caymanians excepted the fact a long time ago that there insufficient of us to fill all the jobs so we opened our shores with open arms. What we did not expect was the level of nepotism which was being exported. Even so that it is quickly destroying the Caymanian culture of kindness to follow man. Given this, for those of who with your anti-Caymanian attitudes and qualifications and experience abound should recognise that this discrimination will push the Caymanian so far that those same boys currently killing each other will soon get tired of it and turn their attention to you. You know burglary, extortion, kidnapping, etc. I wonder if the Caymanian People will once again stand up for you the same way they did when the Expat Tax was going to be implemented. With my ill-educated and inexperienced Caymanian mindset I guess I am too dumb to forecast any social change. I should rely on your highly intelligent and experienced nepotist foresight. Nevertheless, I can say my CaymanKind is becoming non-existent.
@ 09/17/2013 – 09:35. Oh we brought our business here to employ you. All the business can pack up and leave anytime. Then you wont have any need to complain anymore. Stop complaining and ensure that the next job that will be advertised you are qualified enough to beat any ex-pat. Set a goal for your self and empower your self and your children and encourage young caymanians to get qualified and take back their country from ex-pat. Dont wine. It wont solve nothing if you dont stop to look around you. My best record to you Sir or Mam.
No one said that all expats are Anti-Caymanian and Nepotists. Your response clearly shows who the cap fits…….
a self righteous post Imust say 15:32.
What you have disregarded is that it doesnt matter if Caymanians have degrees anymore, they are still being pushed aside for an expat. This is the real issue. Expats have been throwing around that caymanians should become educated, now a few of us have, and we still can not get jobs. What makes this worst, is that we are now being pushed aside by our own government, even though there are qualified caymanians to do the job.
On the other hand, if CIAA had employed a caymanian, you would have heard expats crying stating that government is a refuge for caymanians, So it seems like you cant win for losing.
In any case, since companies, can pack up and leave, then go a head, most of you all dont employ caymanians anyway, unless you can pay them scraps. So leave, since the tax break isnt that great. lol
If this type of "over looking" of caymanians continues, I fear it will not be a pretty sight in Cayman in the up coming months, especially with the extension of the permits "key"permit holders
You didn't bring your business here to employ Caymanians. You brought it here to make money. It's easier for you to do that by bringing in foreign labour that you can control. Foreign workers have to put up with a lot of crap because you will send them packing if they don't do exactly as you say. There really is no point in businesses being here if Caymanians don't benefit. After all, this is their country, not yours. It's a very poor excuse to judge all Caymanians by the few lazy apples around.
Well, let's give it a go. Let's invite all the businesses to set up in other jurasdictions and see if that jurasdiction benefits in any shape or form.
After all, if there is no benefit to Caymanians then you will not miss them when the plane door hits them on the way out.
If it doesn't work out, a review can be done to see if those businesses want to return.
To be honest, I'm ready for somewhere else. Let's give them a break, open up the hedge fund administrators, legal positions, etc to the locally unemployed.
To be honest, if this saves them from having to take a welfare post in government it will work out just fine.
Why are Caymanians so upset over expats? It's only a matter of time before they find some where else to run to… It happened in Nassau, Bridgetown, Hamilton next they will flock to Tortola and kiss up until they can take control then again it might not be so easy as they know the Cayman story quite well and promise not to make the same mistake. But who knows it just might take longer than Cayman but it is sure to happen.
Dollar talking to a dime. OK maybe a nickle.
Uh, just to set the record straight…
First world coundties have income tax, yuk!.
Cayman has cost of living, yuk!
Income tax and cost of living cancel each other out dollar wise.
The only real benefit for an expat in Cayman is the avoidance of the pain and agony of filing a tax return every year (plus the benefit of living in a tropical paradise, a benefit that the locals take for granted).
lets not talk about that they make more money after everything is said and done in cayman, a point you failed to add to your logical approach
Although they do have a real good point because niether that last CFO or previous CEO both now fired were either qualified nor suited for those positions and from the outcome of a number investigations and audits carried out by the previous board instances of theft out right fraud corruption, criminal conduct at the airport and blatant ineptness incompetence and nepotism which by the way certain very senior officials in government are still desperately trying to cover up would make Miss Peters employment a breath of fresh air.
My goodness, this place is about the weirdest when it comes to the approach to hiring from amongst the pool of its own According to 15.49 the reason the Caymanian applicants were unsuccessful was because they were unable to "top" the successful applicant's service in the U.S. Army. So let's take that a step further using the same rationale, which according to 15.49 would appear to justify the replacement of every single Caymanian employee in the country were they to be deemed to be unable to "top" anyone from anywhere in the world in some area of experience or other. This is insane. No other people in the civilised world would ever adopt this as a hiring criteria – it's totally, utterly crackers!
If you need to clean up and make a business run efficiently then sometimes you need to outsource and find somebody with no agenda or personal relations with employees. It happens all over the world. The board hired the person they thought would get the job done.
I am a successful Caymanian. I worked my way up, and took a promotion from my company to move overseas. 3 years later I moved back to care for my dying mother and was locked out of every interview for my old job every time it came up for a work permit renewal. I wrote to Immigration and nothing happened' it was a specialized poation and I was the better qualified candidate. In the end I hadto change careers. I see this all the time and think the HR application with the better scores and MBA was robbed.
And somewhere along the line did you ever learn English? If your job applications were as scrappy as that comment I'm not surprised nobody wanted you back.
You are rude and out of order
Typos happen, that was an informal posting, not a formal letter. Lighten up you Caymanain hater.
Seems to me that we may be very fortunate to have this lady even consider staying here to help us gain control of our civil service. Surely, she must love us and our country, as her qualifications seem to qualify her for an outstanding career internationally. I understand that the Airport Authority is in very real need of restructuring and her track record indicates that she may be part of the solution. Losers in this process should take a good look at Ms Peters as a future mentor and strive to better theselves , perhaps through her asistance. Would any of you other applicants be prepared to publish your CVs for comparison?? I think not!!
Jesus is the only person that loves with noting in return.
Oh Christ!!
Blooming do gooders!
I applied for a job with an accounting firm. I am a Caymanian with a CPA qualification and 15 years experience with two of the top Accounting firms on islands.. I waited two weeks and did not receive as much as a phone call. I called and enquired as to the status of my application only to be told that my application was not on the shortlist. This despite the ad was still running in the paper.
I changed my name on my resume and used a UK address and sent it in again from a made up email. I also sent a fake cover letter saying that I was an expat on the island for five years and seeking new employment. The very next day I got a call asking me to come in for an interview. I went in for the interview and confronted the HR Manager, who by the way was an expat with the two resumes and she just looked dumbfounded at me. Despite my desire for employment, I could never ever work for a firm that discriminates against my own people in that manner.
This is what Cayman has come to and folks we have to face the reality that being a Caymanian in Cayman means you are a second class citizen and chances for upper mobility will be limited for a long time to come.
This does not ring true in any way 19:23. Proof is necessary.
Proof is not the Cayman way.
All the proof necessary is with the Immigration and Labor Departments…All I received was lip service from both of them. We will look into it and we will correspond with them. Guess what they approved a work permit despite m complaint. By the way for those of you asking, I did nothing wrong, my company downsized and I was let go. They did handle it amicably so I am not complaining. I even received a glowing reference. I have know set up my own home based business and have taken on a few clients to make ends meet.
I have no reason to lie. This happens every day in Cayman. Wait until the same situation happens to you.
No no no no no, 18:18. We need proper proof not hearsay/ I am given to understandproof. Name the company and the HR paerson and give them a chance to respond. Otherwise, we know you are talking bull.
I would be happy to except I don't believe that CNS would allow me to do so…If CNS responds in the affirmative, I would be happy to name and shame..I have nothing to hide but I do know that certain things are blocked as they maybe considered defamatory and could put CNS in an awkward position. If you would like to know privately, post your email address and I will be happy to meet with you confidentially or email you anything you need. The only thing I would ask is that you come back on here and tell the world that you saw proof and you know believe that these things can happen in Cayman..I will await your response.
I have experinced that same scenario as an expat
Wow!! Good for you!!. I hope that you took this to the department of labour/ immigration and straight to the Premier and his Cabinet. There is no surprise that this happen, the surprise is that you had the guts to show up to the interview. This kind of thing happens all the time. Like another poster wrote, we realise that we do not have enough qualified, experienced Caymanians to fill all the jobs on this island, but we do expect that when a job is advertised that we should be given the opportunity and a fair chance at getting it. I am not writing about the HR position in particular but overall there is this scam going on to try to keep those of us who are qualified and able out of work. When will it end. Mr. Miller suggested this morning that we need to ban together and form a cohesive group with some bargaining power. People this might be our only hope. Let us get a proper Labour Union in place before we are obliterated. Every body is speaking up – it is past time that Caymanians do something else.!!
Well done. Hope you find a job soon.
From a person regardless of nationality.
15 years with 2 of the top accounting firms and you can't get a job??How much sick leave did you take? How much bitching in the break room instead of doing your job? How much vilifying your superiors for being expats who were expecting the work your contract required?Do you not feel you have some sort of shortcoming and that your on island references obviously stank to high heaven?
No, sadly we would all like to believe that hard working Caymanians with good references will get a good job, but it is just NOT the case.
I know of many excellent local qualified employees that are passed over for expat permits. It is just the common white collar practice and this CIAA example has brought the obvious to light.
Face it, the government loves the fees to fuel their spending, HR loves the permits so they can manage headcount without long term employees and allowing people senority to move up (and give salary increases after 3,5,7,10 years)
For a business, permits are simply an easier way to manage a business.
Why hire a local college grad and keep them for 20 years when you can swap out talent at a whim without recourse?
As for the typos on here, it happens so don't be so smug.
That story is hard to believe.
Why is that?
Why is it hard to believe. This is reality in Cayman. Read the ads in the newspaper. They would save alot of money
Do you find it hard to believe only because it never happened to you? This is happening everyday where Canadians, Europeans etc are the only ones getting interviews and jobs in the white collar industry. If you are from the Caribbean, don't bother. It is near impossible to get shortlisted. Only if no preferred nationals apply will you have a chance.
Maybe you could get a job as a story teller?
So you sent in a CV saying you had 15 years experience with 2 firms on island, but used a covering letter saying you had been on island for 5 years. And you sid yo were on island but used a UK address? HR manager is either as dumb as a rock or ……
This sounds like the sort of propaganda that is heard on Cayman talk-shit radio in the morning.
This is the rubbish that the naive, unemployed and under educated lap up like it is crack cocaine.
Dangerous, journeyman politics are being played here for nationalistic pleasure and no gain.
Thank you CNS for an objective and fair article. It is obvious from the Panel notes that the qualifications and work related experience (strengths) of the Caymanian applicants are downplayed, while their "apparent" shortcomings are unjustified. It would have been more acceptable for the CIAA to conduct second interviews and address the minor issues they had with the 2 Caymanian applicants, who performed well on the Assessment and had the qualifications sought in the advert. This would have given them more insight into the applicant and the entire process would have been more acceptable. I think it is fair to say that if applicant 5 obtained the same score and applicant 4 achieved a higher score, then this should be correlated to their level of competence. The Assessment was probably structured to gauge knowledge of the applicable Laws, thought process of the applicant and the demonstrated ability to EXCEL in the position. It seems as if two Caymanian applicants are just as good as the successful candidate or the successful candidate is not as great at the CIAA purports, or she would have been far ahead of the other's in the Assessment scoring. The CIAA should have held a second interview with the three candidates with the view to determining if a Caymanian could be selected and if concernscould be addressed through further questioning. It is very obvious that this was a poorly executed recruitment process with a panel member being the former work colleague of the successful candidate XXXX People need to study the facts of what occurred thoroughly and objectively. Anyone with a fair outlook could determine that this was not an impressive recruitment process and Caymanians should be concerned about unfair treatment.
Well said! As someone who conducts interviews for my company, there are always follow-up questions that can be asked of candidates to get more information.
if their were 5 quailifed caymanians for the job, why was an expat even in the running, 5 quailfied caymanians are all that should have been in the interview. Simple.
Hear hear!!! This happens all the time. It is called, Cooking Da Books!!!"
5 Experienced and Qualified Caymanians…..WHY was the expat even interviewed??
I'm soooo tired of being shortlisted for managemet jobs and being qualified – I interview well, present 6 recent letters of great reference (From CEOs, MBEs, VPs) and STILL watch as expats are hired. The NWDA is laughable at best and the Business Staffing Board never even sees my applications?
Dear CNS: This is as HOT as the Expat tax last year, so please give us MORE and interview Ezzard and Tara over this.
It is just mid-boggling that qualified hard working Caymanians that scored BETTER and have MBAs were passed over.
What chance does the Cayman college grad have when our Immigration Laws have no teeth or enforcement?
Back to the bread line……
Why do we need military here? Are we heading towward a Police State?
This lady has been in the US Army. Could any of the 5 Caymanians top this? Persons who have been in the US army are well trained and trust me can do the job beyond you and I. I shall be looking for some of these qualities when I am employing HR. Now this is the kind of Human Resource every company in Cayman need inorder to control the bad working ethics that some of these Caymaians are displaying in the work place. This coming to work twice per week and sick 300/365 days of the year need to stop. All the best Ms Janet.
lol. Yes, that is whta we need in private sector workplaces – people who have been in the army!
If you're trying to make a point then try avoiding gross exaggerations because no one will take you seriously. Your last statement just turned your comment into rubbish.
@09/16/2013 – 18:51.-Seem as if i stepped on your corn. Are you one of them who absent 300/365 days of the year? . LOL
This is a well paid position. How many staff in the authority, and how many in the HR dept? Good luck to the Caymanian chosen as her understudy, even if she or he wasn't in the army! Most Caymanians have a good work ethic.
You are an idiot 15:49. What part of the required qualifications for this position mentioned experience in the US army? These are still the Cayman Islands remember and hate us as you wish but it is still our country, not yours, and we do have a right to fair consideration for jobs in our country. And, don't even begin with the "entitlement" mantra. That is now so tired.
Here's an idea. Let's recruit solely from the US Army. Caymanians, even the most ambitious and qualified, can live off Social Services. How's that grab ya?
I will bet my last Jamaican Dollar then that there is no way I could come to your offices and see a Caymanian there and I am not talking about a "Paper" Caymanian either. As the older generation would very regularly say to us kids, "you can do what you want, but it won't be for as long as you want" – make good use of your profits and tax free living now and make sure you are banking it here. smh
I want a U.S. Army here in Cayman…maybe then I can join and top up my résumé and get free education and experience. Why don't we have an army…we have CNN. Lets be like America!
Maybe Caymanians can strive to be the best candidate for the job.
Gee, I would have thought that a dozen years of experience, great references, and an MBA *Ahem, DID make the local candidates qualified??? What else do we need to do? Get a blessing from the Pope?
Really, I know of sooooo many hard working Caymanians that are passed over for management jobs.
If you think that work ethics is important (I do!) then ask the last employer if the candidate had too many sick days….just like in the USA (Army included) a good reference and work reviews stick with you.
Sorry, the 5 shortlisted candidates were passed over in a blatent offence of the law and I hope Mr. Wong and Linda Evens wake up and tackle this misuse of the Immigration LAW.
I would really like a reporter (any reporter) to get Mr Wong and Ms Evans view on this. And for them to comment how do they determine if any qualified Caymanian or PR holder has applied for a job before a work permit is issued. And what do they suggest Caymanians and PR holders do if they believe this is happening to them. Really curious. This is quite a hot topic
…and in the meantime remained unemployed in their own country. This is absolutely wrong.
I am not a Caymanian, but I have lived on this Island for almost 15 years now and worked in a few postion where as part of my job it was/is to sit in on interviews. It strikes me as odd that so many people on this blog automatically conclude that all Caymanian candidates do not have the respective qualifications and/or experience for this job without even knowing any details of the various candidates. Here is what I have experienced (from the employer side throughout the years:
I believe it is somewhat of the myth that businesses always want to hire the best people for the job, becausein a lot of cases the people who are doing the hiring are not personally invested in the business and in reality can care less. They are not the ones who have to work with that new employee on a daily basis and the employee quickly becomes someone elses problem. Typically, HR managers, and department heads are only brought in on any employement issues as a last resort.
Throughout the years, I have seen many people come and go (expats and locals alike) in various jobs. many who were supposed to be the "best" suitable, qualified and experienced person, but In reality they just didn't have a clue about what they were actually doing in their new job. I remember in my days as a junior employee, I had to show, train and teach a lot of things to senior people who one would have thought would have the basic skills and knowledge to do their job for which they advertised themselves to be so qualified for.
Of course, none of the above may have been a factor in this case, however, I reserve judgement until I know all details.
In general, the hatred that seems to be displayed towards Caymanian employees on this blog is just mind boggling, considering that we are in the Cayman Islands. I know many who jump to the conclusions are Caymanians themselves, however, there are many expats who seem to post such negative views of Caymanians. I just hope that when their families and friends back home are telling them that they couldn't get a job cause it went to a "foreigner" they also smile, look at their families and friends and tell them that they were simply just not the most suitable candidate for that position and that they should try harder.
Even if Caymanians were to strive to be the best candidate, there are so many expats that are qualified and better than that Caymanian. The Caymanian has no chance because there is no enforced government policy to protect his/her interest home. You can joke and say its because Caymanians don't strive all you want, however, I recall when expats on this island were being threatened with tax by MB, how so many Caymanians came out to support them; now, when we are in the rut where are they. They can always send their money overseas by the millions every year and live like a popper here, but where can the Caymanian go? They are bogged down with the high cost of living, have to pay mortagages, and costly utilities. The expats use this island to their advantage and hire their own so they can send their money to where they came from and invest there. It is all a game to get all you can get, but the islanders are left out. It seems to me that the government has no brawn and power to curb the Chamber of Commerce and big business influences on the market. I can see why some want British rule where the Governor takes over and dictates our policies, and clean up the country from corrupt private entities, but that would be another evil woudl it?
08:53, Why do Caymanians think they cannot go anywhere else in the world?
It boggles my mind, you are part of a British Overseas Territory, that means you can hold a British Passport. What country is there in the world where a British passport is not accepted? What country in the world does not have citizens from all over the world working and living in it? Look outside your front door for f**ks sake, Cayman is full of expats!
Perhaps Caymanians should be looking to get experience from somewhere first and coming home when it is gained. Open your minds up a bit past Cayman. There is a whole world out there. Try doing what the expats are doing here, work abroad, send money home and then come back to Cayman. And don't tell me you can't because I know alot of Caymanians working abroad who are doing just that.
Maybe you think you cannot go anywhere becasue you have no educational qualifications? That's no ones fault but your own. Perhaps you should have listened to your parents or teachers a bit more.
If you all haven't figured it out yet, the silver spoon and entitlement mentality has passed. Its time to pull your socks up and make some sacrifices.
I also see that many Caymanians with X experience and X qualifications are being looked over for jobs. Why do you not hold a job? Were you fired from your last position? Did you quit? Was your attendance record below par of what was expected of a person in that position? Ever think that is why you are being looked over?
The bitching and moaning needs to stop. Do what it takes by any means necessary to make the almighty dollar, work at BK if need be.
Whether you like it or not, expats are required for Cayman to function, there is no way around it and it will continue to be that way until all the expats and their companies pack up and leave. You can then look forward to looking like downtown Kingston and having absolutelyno prospect of employment at all.
Caymanians who are employable are employed. Those who are not employed are blinded by the very reason they do not have a job in the first place and that is where Caymanians are failing. Stop blaming everyone else around you.
A Caymanian who made the necessary changes and is sick and tired of all this BS..
Because THIS little rock in OUR HOME! We were born here and we like our beaches and our families just as much as you love money generated in our country and our beaches.
Uh, no…. there are Caymanians who are very qualified and unemployed out of our 2,000 looking for work.
Remember: Empathy is difficult to offer when you are sitting on the other side and taking home a paycheck. We used to have zero unemployment. I think you will find that the churn of expats leaving (of their own free will – slowed down in the past decade and secondly, the 2,000 status grants did not help – thx Big Mac) The status grants opened the door for 4,000 = yes Status holder plus spouse.
The reality is that you have a good point. We need to make a list of employable locals and get them back to work. However, that would be up to the laughable NWDA and TARA.
The NWDA (National Workforce Development Agency) has a very onerous application process and even after registering they are completely ineffective with matching jobs. They are pandering to the Chamber and businesses and granting more work permit waivers than ever!
There is a real section of the workforce (Cayman college grads, Law student grads, Accountants, IT experts, Construction Managers, and yes even HR Managers who are out of work who are very qualified and hard working.)
Many of these locals who are unemployed DID go overseas for qualifications and experience, but are locked out of the glass front door when they return. What about them???
First, why should Caymanians HAVE to go overseas to gainexperience that is widely available in their own land?
Second, being a Caymanian and being a BOTC are entirely separate things. Thousands of Caymanians are not BOTC's.
Third, only BOTC's who were BOTC's in 2002 have any entitlement to a British Passport. Everyone else has to apply to be registered, which takes many months, and is not an automatic yes.
Educate yourself! I did (yes, including overseas) and am a Caymanian too, sick of the type of BS you are espousing!
First, because Cayman is competing globally, which means Caymanians need international experience even in their own country if they are going to work for the global companies.
Second, although I think "thousands" (as in many thousands) of Caymanians who aren't BOTCs is stretch, as yourself this: Of those who aren't BOTCs, how many are either Canadian or American citizens. Your "thousands" just reduced significantly
Third, it's true there's an process to get BOTC now, but the percentage of those who apply and get denied is very small and there are good reasons for getting denied.
Thousands of Caymanians who are not BOTC's are in fact Jamaicans, Cubans and Hondurans. Tell me, will sending them to their home countries for "International Experience" count. Thought not. If you are incapable of training a local, do us a favour and take your experience, roll it up, and shove it under your seat on the plane ride "home." We have many deserving expats who truly work with us and we welcome. You are using up a space that should be available for one of them!
The enemy of the Caymanian working class is the Caymanian ruling class.
Bring on the Custos and British rule, we might even get a fair shot at management jobs then?
Our own politicians are letting this happen? Disgraceful. (Zzzzzz……Silence from the MLAs?)
Of course, when you look for the "best educated" and there is 9 expats from overseas and 1 Caymanian, more than likely an expat is going to get the post over the 1 Caymanian. That is just how it is and very unfortunate. And that is why I believe in affirmative action where the government ensure not onlya highly educated labor market but a cultural and fair one too.
Affirmative Action as you say it is a another kettle on the boil in th U.S.A. To mention it in the Cayman context has many negative connotations. Think!
Issue is that Caymanians have to compete against the world not just the local talent.
Imagine if you, as a parent, applied for a place in a good local school for your child but were denied a place because all they were taken by foreign scholars who scored better on an entrance exam.
Does that mean that the local children should not be able to get a place because they "should have studied harder"?
Most countries have better protections in place…
I am sorry but Caymanians can not compete against the world! We are too small to do so… anybody in the right minds can see that. You need laws in place to protect Caymanian interest. You can not put a population of less than 35,000 up against expats coming from the UK, US, Canada, Phillipines, Jamaica, etc… you aer asking for the impossible. Managers have now over 100 applicants wanting a job, about 12 of those applicants are Caymanians and the rest 88 are foreignors. They will hire the best – not the best Caymanian, but the best of the applicants. Dont you see a growing problem for the people this small island? It has nothing to do with Caymanians being unqualified, it is the numbers flocking here and having leverage over Caymanians!
Walk across the street to cayman Airways…same thing going on over there but in more than one position!
Government is no different to the private sector that is why the PPM like the UDP will continue to pander to the Cahmber and other business groups to protect their own interest and of course to get the work permit fees.
HSA too. It is everywhere and the Immigration Boards and Business Staffing Boards need to STOP this!
There is a big difference between someone who is able to DO a job and someone who is able to EXCEL at a job.
It is very hard for people whose experience is limited to working in Cayman to match the experience that ex-pats have obtained working abroad.
Granted there may have been Caymanians who were able to do this job – but would they have been able to do it as well as Ms Peters. It would seem that the selection panel didn't believe this was the case.
If you want Cayman to continue as a respected international financial centre, then you need to have the best people possible in key strategic management roles. I
The fact that Ms Peters contract is for a maximum of two years and she has the responsibility to mentor a Caymanian seems like an excellent result for the Cayman Islands. Obviously this is not good enough for some people though.
Well, you're not entirely correct. There are Caymanians who could have done the job as well if not better than Mrs. Peters. But these people all have private sector jobs making a heck of a lot more than Mrs. Peters and who don't have to put up with half the soul-sucking experience of working for the government.
I wonder how many of the Caymanians who applied for this job already had jobs? My guess is most, if not all, did. Any Caymanian person trained in HR should be able to find work in a heartbeat.
Let's revisit this at the end of two years. Believe me, every excuse possible will be given to 'prove' thatno Caymanian could be found to be trained or some other cock and bull story and the goodly Ms. Peters will be made to continue for another two years, and on and on it will go. We know the drill.
I guess you know the future, so can difinitively say how well she will excel at the job at some point in the future.
Sometimes all someone needs is an opportunity, and once given an opportunity the sky is the limit with regards to how much they will achieve.
In the absence of an opportunity, you will never know.
Trust me, there are many people who have come here with some fluffed up resume and an ego the size of an elephant in regards to what they claimed they were capable off and very quickly the companies had to realize that typing up a resume is one thing, proving that they actually can do and know what they are referencing on their resume is something completely different.
I am not saying this was the case here, but we need to stop assuming that expat automatically equals good employee and Caymanian automatically equals bad employee.
A lot of those expats who come here wouldn't cut it in their own world back home and just because they held a job somewhere in some hick-town doesn't mean that they have international experience!
Obviously no Caymanian was qualified.
The government ALREADY employs at least twice as many Caymanians as theyneed. Many do almost nothing all day but collect dust, and their government dole. In the US this would be regarded as a form or WORKFARE (like welfare, but work a couple hours a week). In the Cayman Islands, all these artificial government jobs are subsidized, almost entirely, by expat permit fees, status grants, residency, etc.
Throw out all the expats and watch the government fire half their Caymanian workforce that they would no longer be able to afford.
None of this applies to the majority of Caymanians who are hard working and well educated.
Umm…obviously you didn't read the article. There WERE qualified Caymanians.
> Obviously no Caymanian was qualified.
Are you serious? Did you even read the article and review the attachments? Several Caymanian candidates that applied had Masters degrees in HR.
Not all Masters degrees in HR are worth the paper they are written on. There is one you can get locally just by attending and as a result there are a number of very poor performers around calling themselves experts in HR just because they have this qualification.
Not to mention the 9000 who realy do nothing and collect money.
Ms Peters kicked a$$ and cleaned up the culture at DoT. CIAA probably has a similar entitlement culture and needs some tough love applied. What a great opportunity for a Caymanian understudy to further their professional experience under the guidance of a proven HR mentor. Just make damn sure they hire the understudy ASAP.
Why not two or three understudies so that we will have a true successsion in any of these post as training only one person may not guarantee that this understudy will be in the same job at the end of the two year contract with Ms. Peters.
Just hold your breath until it happens… NO ONE comes here especially to do such a big job and leaves.
Sounds like a Caymanian is going to get an opportunity to take their HR knowledge to the next level with a proven mentor. 1 Caymanian hired eitherway you look at it. Why wasn't there a big fuss when Ms Peters was hired to mentor the DoT HR manager? My understanding is that she did an excellent clean up there and handed it over to a Caymanian at the end of her term as planned. I also understand there were several pissed off people that didn't survive the cleanup. Go figure.
LOL. One of the premises behind the 7-year rollover was that expat workers would train Caymanians to replace them and we see how well that worked. Turkeys don't vote for Thanksgiving. At this point only an idiot would think that is really going to happen.
> Sounds like a Caymanian is going to get an opportunity to take their HR knowledge to the next level with a proven mentor.
Yes, this plan that all work permit holders would come in a train locals has worked out great over the past 30 years hasn't it?
This is HR not rocket science. It's hard to see why a Caymanian is not in this position.
This is the same story I tell Immigration in my business. Who cares, they don't have anyone checking up anyway. Caymanians are too expensive. Congrats Moses, show them how we Brackers do it!
Moses K …all the way!!
If what you say is true, then that explains a lot about you all over there in the Brac. Idiots.
So let me understand this, we will hire an expat over an unemployed caymanian?
Of course…and we will also give out another 1500 extensions in October..We are the PPM and that's how we run tings…
yes we will..where have you been??
Clearly that is breaking the Immigration Law, full stop.
5 Qualified Caymanians were well suited and deemed capable, but the job went to an expat? Huh…?
What if there were 5 Willing and capable Caymanians applying for a Burger King job? Would you then say the locals should be hired?
It is the glass front door that keeps us from even getting near the glass ceiling. The LaW has not been followed for a decade and every one of the HR applicants need to raise this up. A law has been broken- and defended? Gee starting to sound like every 100+ firm here… Just sad and wrong.
Immigration Board is a rubber stamp put in place by each successive government to collect as much revenue as possible for the government. Caymanians are liabilities. They bring no income to the government coffers and they do not guarantee votes for the sitting government from the business sector..
School children in China should know this by now….
Caymanians whining again and doing absolutely nothing about it listening to and hoping their wonderful PPM is going to stand up for them. Keep waiting ya here!!!
Cayman Strong you are in for a surprise .. just wait lil bit.
So an expat should not apply for a job in Cayman whether it be the civil service or private sector? Rubbish!!! Anywhere in the world you go you have nationals from various parts of the world working in that country’s civil service and the private sector. Why should it be different here? It’s a global community and as such the competition is global. May the best man win!!
I don't think anyone saidexpats should not apply……….
But I do know that anywhere in the world people bitch if a "foreigner" is getting a job, they themselves, their family or friends didn't get………just in Cayman it is expected that Caymanians sit down and shut up about it………..
Caymanians may be qualified for HR positions in theory, but I have yet to meet one that is good at it!
Just curious – are you referring to all Caymanians (including the ones who got status yesterday or 20 years ago) or just the locals (you know, the ones with ancestors in the cemetry here)?
Cause the way I see this, one minute there is a discussion on this blog that status holders are equally Caymanians and should be referred to as Caymanians, and the next minute, if we are discussing Caymanians in association to anything negative, we are all of the sudden back to being expats and locals? Can't have it both way now…………..
Pure, unfettered Darwinism finally unleashed on all the obsolete parasites still clinging desperately to unfounded delusions of entitlement and superiority. And let's face it, it's ultimately much more justified that the evolutionary losers spend the rest of their days rotting at the bottom of the social ladder because of sheer incompetence rather than because the latest invaders have a bigger stick than they do.
Darwinism wand parasites eh, you better look under ya ma skirt tail for the one that brought you into the world.
You sound like Hitler. Good luck with your Master Race.
TO 10;14
Have you thought that those HR managers might already have a sweet job and not go job jumping.
Give the lady a break, she will have an understudy to take over in two years. What are you doing to help???
Seems to me like a win win. A Caymanian will have the opportunity to succeed. Shame the other authorities don't do the same thing. Oh and i am a Caymanian too. To the Caymanians that will succeed her – Make it happen!
How are you so certain that a Caymanian will actually be trained up? Isn't this the whole problem with peopel applying for exempt employees status etc cause they deem themselves to be too crucial for an company and can't be replaces. Isnt' this the problem with the rollover where company and employee knew they were supposed to train up a Caymanian to take over this position but it just never happened?
So paying an expat over $100K and 'may' pay for an understudy, butif she was hired because of her experience how will any Caymanian ever match that specific requirement?
Where's the discretion to hire locals if they have proven ability in previous and related work?
Status holders don't laugh at us locals too quickly.
When you and your loved ones start getting rejected because you don't measure up and YOU can't use that piece of paper (status) as your entitlement let's see how quickly you start complaining or ….. perhaps you'll have to go home after all… just saying.
All those persons who refuse to seriously consider the unfair treatment of qualified, educated, experienced and willing Caymanians will eventually feel it here OR just keep up with what's happening in your former home country. Notice how difficult it is to find work globally?
Remember how you fought in one way or another to get that Caymanian status …why? To live and work here in Cayman. Therefore, if you now feel entitled, why shouldn't native Caymanians also expect fair and reasonable treatment?
Karmna is that b**ch strolling SMB and she can be deadly!
So is the delusion that you're 'native' Caymanians. The fact is that you are all immigrants, but why let the truth get in the way.
So is the delusion that you're 'native' Caymanians. The fact is that you are all immigrants, but why let the truth get in the way.
As for Karma, she'll be knocking on your doors soon enough, expats are leaving in large numbers and soon your economy will start to suffer. No new developments, no new shoppers, fewer tourist venues, even fewer cruise ship passengers and a service sector in crisis.
Nationalism is a dangerous road to go down, I hope you're ready for it.
Oh no the sky is falling. When the current wave of expats leave no one will ever want to come to Cayman to work here because they are so specials and God's gift to the work.
Get a grip! There are many more people who would jump at the opportunity to work here and do just as good or better job.
Yes, when it convenient you suddenly don't what what "native Caymanian" means. When you are abusing and suggesting that we are lazy, incompetent etc. you then, don't know?
A native Caymanian is one who was Caymanian at birth.
hmmm…candidates 4 and 5 got similar or higher scores on the "written assessment for the post". They appeared to have some minor weaknesses, reading this objectively. So why not give one of them the opportunity?
one reason, They were "Caymanians"
Admittedly I didn’t read the whole article, but I did note that some candidates were not able to answer questions in any depth. I don’t call a lack of intellect a minor weakness, I call it a major drawback – in any senior level position.
Glad they did not pander to PPM pseudo-nationalism.
I think you mean "patriotism". Unfortunately that is in short supply around here.
Patriotism is "I love my country"
Nationalism is "My country, right or wrong"
You judge which should be applied most appropriately.
There is no way that a Caymanian candidate who beat Peters on the assessment and has an MBA as well as professional HR qualifications should have been denied the job. Does the CIAA not understand the requirements of the Immigration Law, or does it, like so many expat employers, feel that it is above the law? I surely hope no permit will be granted.
I believe that the rule says that the expat has to clearly beat the Caymanian in qualifications and experience.
But is an MBA a real qualification without any valid practical experience to back it up? Based on some of the people I've worked with who hold MBAs there have to be serious questions about that. In fact even the Wall Street Journal has raised serious issues about this in the MBA – v – practical experience debate.
Why would the government ever want to do anything to help its own? I know some very qualified HR Managers that are Caymanian who could do this job. I wonder if any of them applied?
Expats are running over this island like the iguanas. I hope some other money pit opens up soon to sift them out and get rid of of the plastic ones.
Yes Alden, let's just get rid of the rollover and soon we'll be overrun. Pathetic. Caymanians, if we don't stand up for our land, we'll certainly lose it. Is this what we want? Sorry, we sell out to the highest bidder as usual.
I did apply with over 10years experience as an HR manager, with a company with over 200 staff. I did even get a letter back from the board. I can't believe they have hired an expat, they say she is the best person for the job, well there are millions of better people than I, but I am Caymanian. It's not like this job is hard, in fact the reason I applied is because of the money, 30k more than I am making right now. government is the place to work, high pay..
11:26, your profile fits a Caymanian lady I know who used to work for government, was useless but thought she was great and government did not appreciate her, left for the private sector and has since been let go by THREE private sector firms, one of whom,a major bank, escorted her off the premises. I hear she is applying frantically to Government (who did not appreciate her remember) to get back into either the civil service or the statutory authorities -anywhere where the main criterion is not competence but being a Caymanian and getting fired is very difficult. Are you that person, 11:26, or is there another out there?
I Hear ya. Not even a courtesy interview. 12 years in professional business. 6 of those in the USA competing with Americans, 4 glowing reference letters, proen track record, community service at least 4 hours a week…………….and NO interview?
I am so sick of hearing about lazy Caymanians (myth) and see the problem extend to Married to Caymanians and now even paper Caymanians not getting interviews.
Let's face it, the senior management LIKES permits (control) and the Govt Loves permits (fees) so the system is broken and qualified Caymanians – Born or Paper are being shut out!!!
Stand up everyone and fight for the HR person who is qualified, HAD BETTER TEST SCORES AND AN MBA. That was the better candidate and the panel really screwed up and broke our own law.
No one asked for a free lunch. That local earned their MBA and worked hard. Miss Army USA has 250,000 million people to work for …… we have 60,000. THAT is why dear expats, this was an incredibly BAD DECISION
"It's not like this job is hard"…..or should you say "If I got this job I would not be working hard". Surely the successful applicant will be expected to work hard to earn the high salary the position pays. It's no wonder you did not get interviewed with that attitude.
'it's not like this job is hard'….that attitude it probably why you didn't get it! Higher pay doesn't come free….sounds like this job needs a tough hardworking individual, and if the other caymanian applicants have the same attitude as you then it is no wonder why they did not get the position.
You're trying to justify yourself however you have a million grammar errors yet you would be in the position to read over resumes ?? first off "I did apply" what the hell is that ? i'm having a hard time comprehending what you're trying to imply…hey GENIOUS its "I APPLIED" secondly "I did even get a lettter back" LMAO wow what year did you leave school 6th grade?
LOL – 'GENIOUS'….LOL
It's spelled "genius", Genious. Two syllables. Major fail on your point.
I do hope this is a joke….?
Sweet Baby Jesus….there is a firm on this island paying you around 70k a year and you put up such a poorly constructed post?
Where did I go wrong?
Yes, getting rid of the expats will solve it 10.44, you are a genius! And the reference to iguana's, outstanding! Joseph Goebels could not have said it better.
When are you going to get it? When are you going to understand that expats fees and spending here pays for the civil service, (or socials service as it should be more correctly named), pays the national debt and an awful lot more.
You know nothing about the person hired or the other applicants, the same as I don't, yet you judge willingly on no evidence. From what I see they (airport authority)have specific issues now (which has been the cause of many a comment on here, alleged nepotism, cronyism etc) and probably need an independent non related party with skills to sort it out. So what do you want, a hopefully healthily running airport authority or the same issues as before?
LIsten 12:23, expats pay a lot, we all do Caymannians as well beast, so get off ya high horses. we eat from the same Grocery stores, we shop the same stores, we travel the same road, we breathe the same air. Why dont you bloody crabbers stop disrespecting us?. You know ya keep on pulling the triiger but not hard enough, and BAM one day you put the right pressure on the trigger and then, And anoher Ting.
My dear 12:23, you are such a sly fox but correction 'dear' there was at least one expat in the hen house also accused of corruption.
Alrighty then! So based on their experience with the fraudster accountant Solomon Harris should never again hire an expat? Don't you see the inherent prejudice and racism in your comment?
I think this is as good as it gets: We have a qualified, dedicated expat who willingly grooms a Caymanian to replace them, thus increasing the probability that the Caymanian will be experienced and have the tools to continue to do their job. The expat gains additional work experience to add to their CV that indicates being a HR trainer/specialist. That is the best of outcomes where Caymanians compete with expats who posess superior qualifications. No, it won't always have to be that way, nor should it, but in the past, it was probable that such a job would be filled by a friend/relative/agent of a person of power. I support this move wholeheartedly — best thing for everyone involved.
and you actually believe they will hire an understudy…wha you smokin???
What I dont really understand is how the hell we managed to run a good Country years ago and so good that people from all over came here to look a living. Now these same ones are in charge to run Cayman to the ground just like their Country. We had good cicil Servants such as Mr Dennis Foster, Mr Cleavy Jackson, Mrs Gay Jackson, Mrs Marjorie Piercy, Mrs Hope Glidden, Mr Harry McCoy, Mr Rupert McCoy, Mr Desmond Watler, Mrs Ruth McLaughlin, Mr Sheldon Hislop and the list goes on. These are Caymanians that did not have all these degrees but of high calibre.
th caymanian entitlement culture continues……yawn…….
welcome to the real world where the best person for the role is hired based on their qualifications….
I am guessing, if you were back home and someone needing a work permit was given a job over you, you would just get over it!!
Why is it when a Caymanian speaks up about their dislike/un-happiness someone like yourself has to be negitive. Don't you have a voice in your country???
icome from a place where the best person for the job gets the job…..
thankfully i have too much pride and i will never use my nationality as an excuse to get a job
Well I guess that's why you are here then cause you probably couldn't get a job back home!
You are clearly not the best person for the job in your country then because that would entail you being there in that job and not here in Cayman. To add insult to injury you don't wanna leave either.
Most of them have no voice in their own country and can't attain these executive posts in their own country. Instead, they come here, get the jobs, get the pay, fancy homes/cars and enjoy the highest standard of living they have ever known. Don't let the garbage they (ex-pats) spew on the boards fool ya! They love our dollar and the Cayman way of life too much to leave when their time is up. OMG! I'm cracking up at what I just typed.
How do you explain that you have to sneak accross the border in Arizona for jobs you are "best" qualified for? Is the United States not the real world?.
Other countries protect their own citizens with their labour laws. It's not a free for all anywhere and it shouldn't be here either. Qualified Caymanians should come first in this country. Everyone else is a guest with a privilege to work here, not a right.
The 5 others WERE qualified and do not have the luxury of finding a job in populations of millions you moron. These five local applicants have worked hard here in their own home to get to a senior level executive position – only to be turned away (against the law) and denied because a foreigner applied? That is not what our law says !!'
the sonner cayman understands basic employment criteria the better…..
people should be hired based on their qualifications not their nationality…….
But that is NOT what the regulations say. They say that if the Caymanian meets the basic standard for the job, they should get the job even if the expat has better qualifications.
Personally I think that is highly demeaning to Caymanians – imagine if you got a letter saying, hey, you were not the best person for the job or the one we really want to employ , but the law is the law so we have to offer you the job – but when employers don't follow the law, they are opening themselves to exactly the criticism that you are going to see all over the comments on this article – that the law is not being followed and is being abused to provide expats with jobs at the expense of Caymanians.
CIG needs to either enforce the law or change it. How can Immigration tell the private sector they have to apply it when you get blatant examples such as this from a statutory authority.
yep..and how they spell too..did you pass your English test ot did Immigration just waive that too…
Best person got the job. End of story.
It would have been nice to see teh CV of the otehr Caymanians. Why was Ms Janet CV posted as oppose to the others? Somw Caymanians dont get it. Its a pity the Caymanians who would do so well in thsoi economy does not reside here. I wonder why? Soon business are just going to exit the market. Then everyone one who just stay home and habe no one to blame. But keep on these attitude, its coming soon.
So much for Caymanians first…
I can't wait to see the posts on this one!
Ha Ha, and from the same old empty barrels. Seems like the best candidate got the job.
What is this a joke. So many caymanians out there with these qualifications and more and they hire an expat. This gonna be another SW situation.
Hmmm, people keep taking about "So many caymanians out there with these qualifications" yet they always seem to be MIA
Read the article, dummy. Caymanians with qualifications applied and the expat got the job anyway.
its part of the caymanian unemployment fairytale….. repeated 5 days a week on rooster…….zzzzzzzzzz
09:08 I'm really impressed by your comment – with such an excellent command of the English language why didn't you try for job? Seriously, if you start going down this road everytime an ex-pat gets hired these islands will fall apart. The bottom line is that we need the skills and experience outsiders can provide to survive in the modern world.
Try being a college educated degreed with excellent experience and great references in the accounting, IT, or legal fields and being Caymanian, Forget it!!' ALL white collar jobs go to expats. The NWDA is useless, business staffing doesn't even get to SEE qualified Caymanian applications and the qualified Caymanians are passed over!
It is not about entitlement, we are not given the chance !! Miss Petets CAN go back to the UK or North America, the HR people that were locals and short listed cannot just get a work visa. Our permits are 100 times easier to get than an overseas work visa.
When our 2000 locals are back to work (not at Burger King or offered helper wages) I will be satisfied.
One question, aany of the rejected 5 HR ladies registered with the NWDA? Hello Tara, would that even make a difference?
Disgusted, degreed, and unemployed
You think its bad now, wait until your entitlement culture spills into the international companies that operate from here. Soon you highly educated Caymanians won't have a white collar job to whinge about because the jobs will go to countries that support the right of employers to employ the best person for the job.
Nationalism and xenophobia are a bad mix, especially if you want world respect.
You didn't read the attachments to the article, did you!
I wonder if all those Caymanians who applied offered to train their fellow Caymanians as part of their application?
Nope, didn't think so.
LOL. Why would they need to? THEY are Caymanian.