Jamaica raises national minimum wage to $17,000 from July 1

Jamaica's national minimum wage will rise to $17,000 per 40-hour work week from 1 July 2026, Labour and Social Security Minister Pearnel Charles Jr. has confirmed. The rate applies to all general workers, including private industrial security guards, and was outlined during this week's sitting of the House of Representatives.

Charles said the adjustment reflects the government's recognition of pressures facing low-wage earners. Under section 3 of the Minimum Wage Act, the minister may set occupational rates or a general national floor — authority he said must be used carefully to balance fair pay for workers with a stable environment for business investment and job creation. Over the past decade, the minimum wage has climbed from $6,200 in 2016. Once the order takes effect, every employer is legally required to pay no less than the prescribed national minimum.

"We acknowledge the reality facing our minimum wage earners," Charles said. "And as a government, we do continue to increase the floor we have in order to better provide opportunity for those workers to be able to meet their daily expenses."

At the University Hospital of the West Indies, nurses protested on Tuesday over overcrowding and inadequate patient-care equipment in the Accident and Emergency Department. One nurse described chronic staffing strain, saying, "We are fed up. We are tired. We are overstimulated. We are overworked because we one nurse cannot take on 20, 30 patients."

Health and Wellness Minister Dr. Christopher Tufton said an investigation found 50 beds were available to the department, pointing to management and communication failures rather than a pure shortage of resources. "It clearly shows that the bed management arrangements fell down and the relationship or communication between the persons on the wards and in A&E has an issue and that needs to be addressed through leadership and management," he said. Tufton urged resolution through a recently signed accountability framework for public health institutions, which sets standards for monitoring performance and enforcing consequences.

Education Minister Dr. Dana Morris Dixon announced that the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information will establish a boys committee to improve male students' academic performance. The move follows 2026 PEP results showing girls ahead in language arts, where 80.2% achieved proficiency compared with 63.5% of boys, and in mathematics, where 73.2% of girls were proficient against 64.9% of boys.

"Our boys, generally when we look on the data, same for PEP and for CSEC and CAPE, we see the fact that our boys are performing below the level of our girls," Dixon said. She added that the underperformance of boys is a regional concern and will be among issues discussed at a UNESCO event scheduled for Jamaica later this year.

In business developments, Future Energy Source Company, trading as FESCO, raised $600 million on the local bond market for debt repayment and expansion. The four-year corporate bond, arranged by NCB Capital Markets with JCSD Trustee Services as trustee, matures in 2030. The Bank of Jamaica injected US$30 million into the foreign exchange market on Thursday morning, though demand exceeded the amount supplied, with excess demand of US$53 million recorded.

The National Association of Jamaican Olympians hosted an evening honouring athletes, coaches, and administrators who have represented Jamaica on the world stage, including behind-the-scenes figures such as referees and physiotherapists.

Internationally, rescue teams continue searching for survivors in Venezuela after twin earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude struck 39 seconds apart, killing at least 235 people and injuring more than 4,300. CARICOM extended condolences and pledged support, and Jamaica conveyed sympathy to families affected by the disaster.