One of Haiti’s greatest assets is its people.
- The country’s population of over 11 million is very young, with approximately 55% under the age of 30
- Reputation for being hard-working, energetic, flexible, and trainable
- Multilingual labor force that can be rapidly mobilized to meet the demands of high-growth sectors, such as BPO, tourism, apparel manufacturing, agribusiness, and electronics manufacturing
- Strong demand for jobs and desire for work
- Stable labor force, with factory managers reporting low levels of absenteeism (2 percent) and turnover between 4 and 6 percent per year.
Dedication to Improvement
The government is currently engaged in a multi-year process to ensure there is a publicly-financed, tuition-free, well-managed education system open to all children that provides quality educational services as well as social services. The plan covers the entire education system, from early childhood development to higher education, and includes public and non-public schools.
Vocational Training
To further improve the skills of the workforce in various sectors, both the public and private sectors are investing in vocational skills training. Relevant for the textile and apparel industry, for example, KOICA, the Korean International Cooperation Agency, invested US$ 3.5 million in a garment training center built in the Caracol Industrial Park. The center trains unskilled workers to meet the workforce demands of the garment industry and help ensure the availability of adequately trained human resources. In early 2018, a new training service center named the Textile and Apparel Service Center (TASC) opened in the SONAPI Industrial Park with the support of USAID and the Association of Industries in Haiti (ADIH) to meet the growing training needs of local and foreign operators in Haiti.
In the tourism sector, the national École Hôtelière d’Haiti (The Haiti Hotel School) established in 1954, trains young men and women for careers in the hospitality industry. Tourism is one of Haiti’s priority sectors and the Ministry of Tourism is expanding its efforts on vocational training.