PIOJ Projects Jamaica Economic Rebound As Hurricane Melissa Recovery Advances

The Planning Institute of Jamaica says the economy should move back into growth in the second half of the 2026-27 fiscal year as recovery from Hurricane Melissa gathers pace. PIOJ Director General Dr Wayne Henry said growth of 1 to 3 per cent is projected, but noted that the outlook depends on factors including Middle East tensions, weather conditions, factory downtime and demand from Jamaica’s main trading partners, especially the United States.

The agency estimates that the economy shrank by 5.9 per cent between January and March 2026 compared with the same quarter in 2025. Goods-producing industries were down an estimated 11.2 per cent, while services fell by 4.1 per cent. The PIOJ also expects a 3 to 4 per cent contraction for April to June, with the 2025-26 fiscal year now estimated to have declined by 1.6 per cent instead of the earlier 1.9 per cent growth forecast. Dr Henry said the hurricane shock erased 3.5 percentage points from real value added output.

In housing recovery, 900 container units have arrived for people whose homes were severely damaged by Hurricane Melissa. Minister Robert Montague inspected the units on Tuesday at the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management storage compound in Twickenham Park, St Catherine. He said selected recipients will receive grants to build bases with community help, subject to municipal inspection. Government ordered 2,500 units, with another 500 expected within three weeks.

The administration is also preparing a once-only, zero-bureaucracy principle through the Jamaica Data Exchange Platform. Ambassador Audrey Marks told Parliament that information given to Government once can, with consent, be securely reused across ministries, departments and agencies to reduce duplication and speed up public services.

Jamaica is being positioned as a regional intellectual property training centre through a proposed institute under the World Intellectual Property Organization Academy. WIPO and the Jamaica Intellectual Property Office signed a letter of intent on Monday during Director General Daren Tang’s May 16 to 20 visit. A separate three-year programme is also planned to train Jamaican diplomats and public officials in intellectual property policy and negotiations.

Labour and Social Security Minister Pearnel Charles Jr. said long-standing PATH recertification delays are being addressed. The ministry will update household records more quickly, clear delayed cases in stages and continue removing beneficiaries who no longer qualify.