MOVEMENT of the educated workforce of Barbados can be furthered to diversify and boost the economy.

This was stated by Minister of Commerce, Consumer Affairs and Business Development, Senator Lynette Eastmond, after delivering the feature address at the Fifth Annual Conference of the Caribbean Business Session of the International Executive Search Federation, yesterday, at Hilton Barbados.

Eastmond said movement will "ensure that we [Barbadians] are able to compete effectively . . . and can earn money for Barbados in another area."

While speaking to the Saturday Sun on diversity, she said that [diversity] and migration work together. "There is clearly a need to continue to diversify the economy with high value services such an engineering, but [workers] need to have the freedom to move and to work in another jurisdiction."

Adding that this was not new thinking, she said the Barbadian workforce was extremely marketable and had much to offers other markets.

"I believe that there has always been a recognition to diversify the economy. In terms of the investment that we have made through healthcare and education, we've developed a cadre of individuals that are highly trained and therefore have the capacity to have export potential. These individuals can work in some of the biggest and best organisations, but choose to live in Barbados."

She said while living in other countries professionals "have an opportunity to learn, as they will broaden their knowledge base."

She then urged business leaders and employees to take advantage of globalisation and the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME).

"The entire world is your market," she said. "There are some with CARICOM that we have not exploited. There is nothing to prevent Barbadians from considering the whole world to be their market."

But she suggested that for this to work, the mindset needs to change.

Noting that Government has done much to pave the way for temporary movement of professionals by engaging in trade negotiations to facilitate movement, she added that "there is a lot of work still be be done".

She cited the accreditation board that reviews qualifications for CARICOM nationals as one move made to make CSME workable. (AB-B)