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Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar says more than 2,900 people have been hired under the National Programme for the Upkeep of Public Spaces (NPUPS), as her Government seeks to expand employment opportunities and change how public funds are spent. In an interview with the Trinidad Express ahead of the national budget presentation scheduled for October 12, Persad-Bissessar described the programme as an example of her administration's approach to employment and public expenditure. She said the initiative employs workers directly through municipal corporations to clean and maintain public spaces and other municipal assets. According to the Prime Minister, the arrangement is intended to eliminate layers of contractors and middlemen while improving accountability and ensuring that communities benefit from the work. Her comments were reported by the Trinidad Express on October 11; the employment figure and assessment of the programme were presented as statements by the Prime Minister rather than independently verified findings. Persad-Bissessar also defended the decision to discontinue the Community-Based Environmental Protection and Enhancement Programme (CEPEP) and restructure the Unemployment Relief Programme (URP). She maintained that the former programmes had suffered from corruption, weak accountability and infiltration by criminal elements. The supplied report did not provide independent findings establishing those allegations. The Prime Minister said taxpayers' money should not finance criminal activity or benefit politically connected individuals at the expense of ordinary workers. She argued that public expenditure should produce measurable results for communities. She also pointed to a proposed expansion of local government from 14 to 17 municipal corporations, saying the change would create additional employment opportunities while improving the delivery of essential services. The report did not specify how many new positions the proposed expansion would generate or when the additional corporations would become operational. Persad-Bissessar cited a Labour Force Participation Rate of 55.1 per cent in the first quarter of 2026, compared with 54.3 per cent when her administration assumed office. She described the increase as an encouraging sign for the labour market and said further employment initiatives would be pursued. The figures were provided in the interview, and the supplied material did not include a separate statistical release for verification. The Prime Minister also said wage negotiations affecting almost 40,000 public-sector employees had commenced and that hundreds of millions of dollars in backpay had already been provided. She maintained that her administration was seeking to address workers' concerns while restoring stability to the country's finances. The Government's wider employment strategy is expected to receive further attention during the budget presentation by Finance Minister Davendranath Tancoo. Persad-Bissessar said the administration was seeking to attract investment, support industrial activity and create sustainable jobs. The budget announcement should provide a clearer opportunity to assess the specific measures, allocations and targets behind those commitments.
Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar says more than 2,900 people have been hired under the National Programme for the Upkeep of Public Spaces (NPUPS), as her Government seeks to expand employment opportunities and change how public funds are spent.
In an interview with the Trinidad Express ahead of the national budget presentation scheduled for October 12, Persad-Bissessar described the programme as an example of her administration’s approach to employment and public expenditure. She said the initiative employs workers directly through municipal corporations to clean and maintain public spaces and other municipal assets.
According to the Prime Minister, the arrangement is intended to eliminate layers of contractors and middlemen while improving accountability and ensuring that communities benefit from the work. Her comments were reported by the Trinidad Express on October 11; the employment figure and assessment of the programme were presented as statements by the Prime Minister rather than independently verified findings.
Persad-Bissessar also defended the decision to discontinue the Community-Based Environmental Protection and Enhancement Programme (CEPEP) and restructure the Unemployment Relief Programme (URP). She maintained that the former programmes had suffered from corruption, weak accountability and infiltration by criminal elements. The supplied report did not provide independent findings establishing those allegations.
The Prime Minister said taxpayers’ money should not finance criminal activity or benefit politically connected individuals at the expense of ordinary workers. She argued that public expenditure should produce measurable results for communities.
She also pointed to a proposed expansion of local government from 14 to 17 municipal corporations, saying the change would create additional employment opportunities while improving the delivery of essential services. The report did not specify how many new positions the proposed expansion would generate or when the additional corporations would become operational.
Persad-Bissessar cited a Labour Force Participation Rate of 55.1 per cent in the first quarter of 2026, compared with 54.3 per cent when her administration assumed office. She described the increase as an encouraging sign for the labour market and said further employment initiatives would be pursued. The figures were provided in the interview, and the supplied material did not include a separate statistical release for verification.
The Prime Minister also said wage negotiations affecting almost 40,000 public-sector employees had commenced and that hundreds of millions of dollars in backpay had already been provided. She maintained that her administration was seeking to address workers’ concerns while restoring stability to the country’s finances.
The Government’s wider employment strategy is expected to receive further attention during the budget presentation by Finance Minister Davendranath Tancoo. Persad-Bissessar said the administration was seeking to attract investment, support industrial activity and create sustainable jobs. The budget announcement should provide a clearer opportunity to assess the specific measures, allocations and targets behind those commitments.
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