Jamaica minimum wage set at $17,000 from July as PEP gap prompts boys education push

Jamaica's national minimum wage will rise to $17,000 per 40-hour work week from July 1, 2026, Labour and Social Security Minister Pernell Charles Jr. has announced. The rate covers all general workers, including private industrial security guards, and employers will be legally required to pay no less once the order takes effect.

Charles told the House of Representatives that fixing wages under the Minimum Wage Act requires balancing fair compensation for workers with the need to maintain a stable economy in which businesses can invest and create jobs. Over the past decade, the floor has climbed from $6,200 in 2016 to the new $17,000 level.

Nurses at the University Hospital of the West Indies protested on Tuesday over chronic overcrowding and inadequate equipment in the accident and emergency department. Health and Wellness Minister Dr. Christopher Tufton said their concerns should be addressed through a recently signed accountability framework for public health institutions. He reported that an investigation found 50 beds available to the department, indicating bed-management and communication breakdowns rather than a shortage of resources, and stressed that managers must be held accountable.

The 2026 Primary Exit Profile results, which show girls continuing to outperform boys in key subjects, have prompted the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information to establish a committee aimed at improving boys' academic performance. In language arts, 80.2% of girls reached proficiency compared with 63.5% of boys; in mathematics, 73.2% of girls were proficient against 64.9% of boys. Education Minister Dr. Dana Morris Dixon said both genders must progress together and urged schools to share successful approaches for wider evaluation.

Future Energy Source Company raised $600 million on the local bond market through a four-year corporate bond maturing in 2030, arranged by NCB Capital Markets, for debt repayment and expansion. The Bank of Jamaica injected US$30 million into the foreign exchange market on Thursday, though demand exceeded supply by US$53 million.

Twin earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5—the strongest to strike Venezuela since 1900—killed at least 235 people and injured more than 4,300. International rescue teams continue searching collapsed buildings in Caracas and La Guaira as CARICOM, Guyana and Jamaica extend condolences and offers of support.

The National Association of Jamaican Olympians hosted a tribute evening honouring athletes, coaches and behind-the-scenes officials whose work has sustained Jamaica's international sporting reputation.