I had to sit with this for a while before writing. The stories I’ve been reading and hearing lately about our young people looking for work in Dominica are not just statistics; they’re real lives, real frustration, and real disappointment.
Almost every week, someone messages me: “I’ve sent out dozens of applications and nobody even replies.” We’re talking about bright young men and women, fresh out of school or college, who have the energy and the will to work, but the doors just aren’t opening.
The worst part? It’s not that they’re being picky. Some of them would take any honest job just to get started. But when the positions that do come up are already lined up for somebody’s cousin, godchild, or political contact, how do you even stand a chance? It’s no wonder you hear people saying, “Boy, unless you know somebody, you not getting through.”
This isn’t just hurting individuals, it’s eating away at the soul of the country. Young people are supposed to be the ones bringing fresh ideas, starting small businesses, joining the workforce, paying into social security, and building the next chapter of Dominica. Instead, too many are sitting at home, sending applications into the void, or worse, packing their bags and leaving because they see no future here.
And let’s be real: the cost of that “brain drain” is massive. Every time a young Dominican leaves for Antigua, the US, or the UK, they take their skills, their taxes, and their potential away from our communities. We lose future leaders, nurses, engineers, teachers, the very people we’ll be desperate for ten years down the line.
I’ve heard some people say, “But there are jobs. These young people just don’t want to work hard.” That’s an easy thing to say when you already have a paycheck. The reality is, many of these same young people are willing to hustle, to start at the bottom. The problem is, they can’t get in the door in the first place. And yes, we have to talk about the private sector too. Businesses love to complain that young workers lack experience, but how are they supposed to gain it if nobody hires them? Government can create programs and training, but if the private sector doesn’t step up with real, paid opportunities, we’re spinning in circles.
The truth is, we need a shift in mindset. We need to stop treating youth employment like an afterthought. We need targeted internship programs, mentorship for young entrepreneurs, incentives for businesses to take on graduates, and yes, a serious, transparent push to end the “who you know” hiring culture.
Dominicans, we need to understand that, Dominica’s future isn’t just about buildings, roads, and hotels. It’s about our people. If we can’t give our young people a reason to stay, all those developments will end up serving someone else’s workforce.
Until we face this head-on, the message we’re sending to our youth is loud and clear: Your place might not be here. And that’s a message no country that wants to grow should be sending.
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