Jeanna Ebanks, Accountant and Social Worker

Ms Ebanks noted at a recent forum that it was difficult getting Caymanians to take up service job because of the pay.

According to her, Social Workers discovered their job dislikes while counselling nationals who were jobless. “They forget that they are earning zero and earning something would be better than nothing at all.” she said. Ms Ebanks was one of two guest presenters at the West Bay District Committee National Parenting Programme (NPP) meeting on 15 March 2006.

Other professionals in the audience substantiated Ms Ebanks’ comments and made reference to other countries where persons put themselves through school by working in the lowest paying jobs. Another Caymanian in the group, which met to discuss issues under the theme “Me, my Family and our Budget,” made reference to the very topical issue of expatriates dominating Cayman’s workforce.

She said, “It is these Caymanians who are letting other people come in and take away these jobs because they just don’t want to do them.” Caymanians should observe and emulate the drive to work and to save their money as expatriates in low paying jobs here demonstrate, said Ms Ebanks. She said, “A Jamaican or a Philippine worker will come here and earn three hundred dollars a week.

“Out of that they send money back home to feed their families and save as well. They buy cars that are not fancy, but ones that can just take them around. “While on the other hand Caymanians who cannot afford to, want to borrow money to buy the fanciest vehicles.”

Ms Ebanks made reference to the principle on which she was raised which underscored an understanding that “there is no such thing as credit, there is only waiting.” She explained that this meant that if someone wanted to have something they would have to wait until they saved enough to afford it.

There was extensive discussion on this point and another person in the audience presented a rationale for the behaviour of these Caymanians. She said that there were some problems that Cayman needed to address.

She explained that these problems were peculiar to the Islands. She said, “I don’t think that any of them (the Caymanians who would not accept “low-paying” jobs) are experiencing real poverty. “There are always systems in place to help them here.

Or, there is the habit of simply going to their Government representative and asking for a handout. So if they need a refrigerator, some arrangement is made for them.” She continued, as if speaking to the Caymanians in question, and said,

“You will never grow if everything is given to you.” Comparing the Caymanians in questions to expatriates who accept “low-paying jobs” she said, “They are here to work. They have goals, and that’s why they succeed.”

Continuing to speak about a drive to succeed by dint of hard work – and describing it as an element missing from Caymanians who reject opportunities to start from the bottom of the earnings stream and move up - Ms Ebanks said that she remembered many years ago when she would go up to the Prison to teach Reading and Math.

About that time she said, “I would see two Caymanians in my class compared with a much higher number of non-Caymanians, even though the number of Caymanians in the Prison was much higher than the non-Caymanian numbers.”

Mr Brian Bothwell led discussions on managing one’s life and prioritising the important financial items by operating with a budget. Ms Ebanks revealed that some people who came to Social Services for counselling and financial assistance were operating without budgets and spending more money than they were earning directly for themselves.