Prime Minister Gaston Browne has defended his administration's public employment strategies, describing low reliability among young workers as a deepening cultural problem facing Antigua and Barbuda.
According to Antigua Observer, the Prime Minister made the remarks on Tuesday during a live state media broadcast of a parliamentary session, responding to questioning from Opposition Leader Jamale Pringle. The line of questioning centred on sudden operational pauses at what appears to be a government-run youth employment programme.
Browne framed the issue not as a failure of government policy, but as a broader societal challenge, asserting that a cultural shift among youth is undermining the reliability of the public workforce.
The exchange between the Prime Minister and the Opposition Leader highlights ongoing scrutiny of the administration's employment initiatives, particularly those targeting younger Antiguans and Barbudans. Pringle's questioning suggested concern over disruptions to programme operations, prompting Browne to mount a defence of his government's approach while redirecting attention to what he characterised as ingrained behavioural patterns among youth workers.
