Finding a Job

as a car and accommodation) in their salary package cannot be paid less than CI$4.50 per hour.

Overtime & Weekend Hours As is the case in most leading jurisdictions around the world, many companies expect their employees to work beyond the normal eight-hour workday. Conversely, standard Human Resource (HR) practices may vary from country to country. Before taking a job, familiarise yourself with the work culture. Ask your prospective employer’s HR professional whether overtime pay is provided or time in lieu. Again, knowledge of the Labour Act will assist you in determining what is legal in the Cayman Islands from an employment law standpoint. Check the Department of Labour and Pensions’ website: www.dlp. gov.ky for more information. The Cayman Islands Society for HR Professionals (www. cishrp.ky) is also a great resource.

Finding a Job Despite a growing population, there are still many employment opportunities available in the Cayman Islands. In fact in August 2021 the leading financial services recruitment agencies told Cayman Resident that it is currently a candidate-driven market and that those with qualifications and experience in the financial services field, especially in compliance, are readily snapped up. Another change in the market is that companies no longer have to advertise jobs in the local newspapers in order to secure a work permit, although they do have to advertise the job for two weeks on the JobsCayman website (part of WORC) and therefore all jobs that are advertised in the local newspaper can be considered genuine job vacancies. This is a time of amazing opportunity for Caymanians in the financial services field as they are highly sought after and in much demand. Although there are 26,967 work permits in issue as of August 2021, these jobs have filled a genuine need and cross the span of everything from gardener to a managing director at a bank. Another effective way to look for work in Cayman, whether local or expat, is to register with an employment agency as they are often tasked with finding suitable candidates. Another option to investigate is whether your business could set up a branch within Cayman Enterprise City and you then work here. See page 66 for more information.

Financial Services Professionals Cayman is one of the world’s top ten financial centres, and the field of regulatory compliance is vital to the success of the jurisdiction. As the regulatory requirements for businesses increase, so do the resources needed to ensure that teams of experts are in place to monitor and uphold the standards required. From annual FATCA and CRS reporting to ongoing KYC work and AML investigations, the job market for compliance in the Cayman Islands holds a vast array of diversity and breadth at all levels. With some of the largest financial services organisations residing in the Cayman Islands, coupled with some of the strictest regulations within the industry, there is a lot of need for qualified detailfocused staff with compliance experience. For more senior positions, relevant offshore experience and the ACAMS qualification is highly regarded in the jurisdiction.

Many positions also exist for professionally qualified accountants, particularly those with investment, funds or insurance industry experience (but this is by no means essential). The Cayman Islands recognises most Commonwealth and international accounting designations. Many accounting positions are filled via recruitment agencies and job seekers would be wise to consider registering with a Cayman Islands-based recruitment agency that has an in-depth understanding of the local marketplace. They will be able to advise you on the prospects and appropriate salary for someone with your experience and qualifications. Many of the largest financial services employers on the Island find their professional staff through recruitment agencies. However, if you are interested in working for one particular employer, it would be more advisable to approach

CAREER IS MORE THAN A JOB.

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them directly first, expressing your interest, before registering with an agency.

Lawyers should note that if they are seeking to practise Cayman Islands’ Law, there are strict Bar admission requirements. To be eligible for admission, non-local lawyers must have at least three years post-qualification experience gained in a relevant jurisdiction (UK, Ireland, NZ, Australia, Canada and certain Caribbean nations), as well as previous financial services experience, preferably in mutual/ hedge funds, insurance, insolvency, finance or commercial litigation. For many years there has been talk of changing the three years PQE to five years, so expect this to change in the coming years.

Other Skills & Professions For those with qualifications, skills or ambitions not related to financial or legal services, finding good employment may require more research and legwork. Most reputable recruitment agencies will be able to point you in the right direction and some may have vacancies within your field, so it will be a matter of researching those agencies that may be able to help you. If you are Caymanian, a Permanent Resident or currently on a work permit, you can register on the JobsCayman portal and see all the jobs that have been posted on there. Employers from top firms have access to this database and regularly post job listings on this online system. The department of WORC, in conjunction with the former NWDA has a Career Assessment Centre and also provides free career counselling and training to Caymanians. You can also use LinkedIn, the Cayman Compass classifieds or Yello to make a list of potential employers and write to them enclosing your resumé. For your cover letter, remember to include when you will be available to work, your skills, qualifications and your marital status. Some Cayman employers will also be interested to know if you currently reside in Cayman and if not, you should be prepared to have a convincing case for moving and being committed to your potential employer. Most employers will not reply unless they have a suitable vacancy. It is good practice to follow up with a call to their Human Resources Manager to confirm receipt and enquire as to any current vacancies available.

The field of office temping has changed significantly in recent years. No longer can an employment agency relocate you to Cayman, hold your permit and lend you out for a few weeks here and a few weeks there. Now the employment agency has to have a contract from a local Cayman firm showing where you are going to work, for how long and what work you are doing. The reality is that there are many Caymanians now filling those temping jobs and expats are only needed if the job is genuinely temporary by nature and no Caymanian can be found. If you do want to sign up with an agency you should do as much research on them as possible. A good agency will be able to provide references from current and past staff-members, together with contact details, which will allow you to confirm their authenticity yourself. For other specific industries the situation is as follows:

> Construction: It would be safe to say that as of July 2021 the construction industry in Cayman is absolutely booming. Construction companies get sent random resumes from people all the time and it is very hard for them to know what is genuine. So we spoke to a few construction companies and they said that they would much rather a personal and persistent approach: a cover letter showing that you have done some research on the company you are applying to, a willingness to get on a Zoom call to have an initial meeting, and the persistence to follow up if you don’t get a response within the first week. Local companies are really looking for high-end, luxury residential homebuilding experience from project managers who would consider themselves the best of the best. This is where global recruitment has come into play. More jobs in the local construction field are sourced through international head-hunters than anything else right now. Local recruiters also know

that there is lot of demand right now for skilled craftsmen. > CI Government: As with all Civil Service jobs, the Cayman Islands’ Government prefers people to submit an official application form, a resumé and a cover letter. Visit www.recruitment.gov.ky for job opportunities. Most people love working for the CIG. There is good job security, the hours are reasonable and the pay is good.

If you are identified as a hard worker, you can also often get transferred to different department if you would like a change. > Electricians and Plumbers: Legally, all electrical and plumbing workers require a local licence to work in the Cayman Islands.

Plumbers are licensed by the Plumber’s

Examination Board and should contact the

Planning Department about specifics of the process. Information can be found on www. planning.ky, under the ‘Resources’ tab.

Electricians must satisfy the CI Electrical

Board of Examiners that their qualifications meet the requirements of the Electricity

Regulations. Call the Planning Department on (345) 244 6501 for more information.

In all cases, a certified copy of your licence, trade certificate and trade references must be submitted along with your application for a local licence. > Grocery: Foster’s supermarket has several locations and you can reach the

HR department via their website by filling in the online application at https://fosters. ky/need-help/about/careers/. For Kirk

Market, you can visit the careers page of their website (www.kirkmarket.ky) and see what positions have vacancies. For those seeking employment at Hurley’s, you can view job vacancies on their website www. hurleys.ky/jobs or email: recruitment@ hurleysgroup.com. > Hospitality Industry: Hotels and restaurants usually hire in September and October to fill positions in time for high season, which starts in December. All those looking for jobs in the hospitality industry are encouraged to register on the JobsCayman/WORC website and then they can view what jobs are available. Alternatively email the hotels and restaurants directly. Seasonal permits

for six or eight months are obtainable. > IT: There is increasing demand for expats in IT positions as the tech industry continues its steady growth on the Island. With Cayman

Tech City (part of CEC), TechCayman and the need for expertise within areas such as Blockchain, Cryptocurrency and Cyber-

Security, organisations are having to look further afield to find the specialist skillsets needed. There is also an increased number of positions available in the software development (specifically within the .NET space) and network administration fields in addition to project management and business analyst roles. These positions are often advertised by, and filled through, employment agencies. Companies tend to seek mid-level to senior candidates for roles within tech, and are generally very happy to sponsor work permits and provide relocation support to qualified candidates. > Teaching Positions: Teaching positions in private schools regularly come up. See the

Education chapter and apply to various schools directly. Teaching and Education jobs in the Government schools are advertised on the Ministry of Education’s

Facebook page: @educationcayman, and they are also posted on their website, www.education.gov.ky/jobs. Recruitment is undertaken throughout the year. The application form is available on the website.

You can also email: edu.recruitment@gov. ky with questions or applications and the HR services team will usually respond to your enquiry within two weeks. This department is also responsible for the recruitment of all jobs within the Ministry of Education, so positions other than teaching are available throughout the year. Employment contracts are generally two years in length, include a range of benefits and are subject to an annual performance process. > Health Field: Medical professionals fully registered in Australia, Canada, Jamaica, the UK, New Zealand, South Africa and the USA may be eligible to practice in the

Cayman Islands once they have become registered with the appropriate Council.

This applies to both doctors and nurses.

The latter must hold a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, or its equivalent, and they have to have a minimum of three years experience as a Registered Nurse before they can practice in Cayman. Consultants and doctors with specialist training are preferred at all registered health care facilities. Please visit the Department of Health Regulatory Services’ website for complete information about the registration process and requirements at www.dhrs.gov.ky. For more information on recruitment at the Cayman Islands Health Services Authority (HSA), please visit the Employment and Training section on www.hsa.ky. The Doctors Hospital is a locally-owned provider of internationalstandard, private-sector healthcare services. Email your resume to careers@ doctorshospitalcayman.com. Health City Cayman Islands is a private, institutional tertiary care hospital located in East End with a satelite clinic in Camana Bay. They accept applications from qualified healthcare professionals from around the world. Email your resumé to careers@

healthcity.ky. > Office Support Staff: There is a high demand for compliance professionals, corporate administrators, legal secretaries and trust officers and these positions are generally filled by employment agencies. Both

Caymanians and expats are needed and it is commonly acknowledged that there are more positions available than people to fill them. There are a few Personal Assistant positions, but these positions are generally filled by Caymanians. Support staff in accounting firms also tend to be local. > Luxury Retail: The major recruiters in the retail field are Island Companies and Kirk

Freeport. Both would be happy for you to contact them directly. You can email Island

Companies at careers@islandcompaniesltd. com and Kirk Freeport via work@ kirkfreeport.com. > Sales: Sales jobs in Cayman usually have a commission-based component and consequently Caymanians tend to avoid these jobs. The best way to find a sales position is to make a few phone calls from

your home country, introduce yourself and then send your resumé. > Telecommunications: Staff are most often hired locally and promoted from within the particular business. Some jobs do occasionally become available and in these cases, recruitment is done through employment agencies. See the Settling In chapter for a list of the telecommunication companies in Cayman. > Caribbean Utilities Company Ltd: CUC is the local electricity company. The company’s workforce is currently comprised of 85%

Caymanian employees and 15% other nationalities, leading to a diverse working environment. Employees are given a number of opportunities for training, which allows growth and upward mobility within the organisation. If you are interested in joining the CUC team, you may email your resume to careers@cuc.ky or visit www. cuc-cayman.com and navigate to the

‘careers’ tab on the home page. > Other: Dart is another corporation that is often seeking motivated employees. Visit their website at https://dart.ky/careers for opportunities available at Dart.

Recruitment Agencies With the Cayman Islands being a global financial centre, it is not surprising that the recruitment of human capital from overseas is necessary due to the Islands’ small size. There are a number of recruitment and employment agencies located in Grand Cayman that specialise in finding talent for legal and financial firms as well as companies that require candidates with IT or other technical skills. Certain agencies also offer extensive training programmes to the candidates that they recruit, and provide immigration advice to their clients.

Affinity Recruitment Ltd. 2nd Floor, Piccadilly Centre, Elgin Avenue, GT Tel: (345) 943 2020 Email: info@affinity.ky www.affinitycayman.com Specialising in: Permanent and executive recruitment, temporary staff assignments, corporate immigration services, and benefit Acumen Group Ltd 2nd Fl, 2A1 Landmark Square,64 Earth Close Tel: (345) 746 6100 Email: info@acumengroup.com www.acumengroup.com Acumen is a bespoke services provider specialising in recruitment, outsourced accounting and payroll services, interim and secondment, and run-off acquisition. Acumen Group Ltd currently has offices located in Cayman Islands, Bermuda, Johannesburg, London, Mauritius and Singapore, which allows them to provide local knowledge with global experience to all their clients.

Baraud 1st Floor, Elgin Ct, Elgin Avenue, George Town Tel: (345) 945 1781 Email: recruitment@baraud.com www.baraud.com With over 29 years of excellence in recruitment and immigration solutions, Baraud International Recruitment is Cayman’s leading recruitment and immigration consultancy. Services include HR solutions from temporary to permanent staffing, immigration managed services and out-sourced payroll solutions.

CML Tel: (345) 949 1345 Email: info@cml.ky or www.cml.ky Founded in 2004, CML is the largest professional recruitment firm in Cayman. Their team has helped thousands of people take their lives and careers to the next level. Specialising in financial services, legal and IT recruitment, CML’s mission is to help clients build great teams and to help candidates build great careers.

Highbury Consulting Ugland House, George Town Tel: (345) 328 0555 Email: cayman@highburyconsulting.com www.highburyconsulting.com Highbury Consulting specialises in recruitment services for the offshore financial services, legal, and IT sectors. With consultants based in the UK and the Cayman Islands, candidates receive honest and straightforward advice from Invenio Global 42 North Church Street, Grand Cayman Tel: (345) 769 7000 Email: cayman@invenio-global.com www.invenio-global.com Invenio has three uniquely situated locations worldwide: Grand Cayman, Singapore, and London. Their experienced Cayman team are passionate about providing full-service global recruitment solutions to their clients on a permanent, contractual or temporary basis. Being a full service recruitment consultancy, Invenio’s other specialisations are: Immigration services, general HR advice and payroll processing solutions. SEE AD PAGE 89

Nova Tel: (345) 623 1029 Email: info@nova.ky www.nova.ky With a focus on local talent, Nova not only specialises in recruitment but also offers career guidance and training to build the skills for successful careers. They have a focus on helping peoples’ careers across a range of administrative support and niche financial services roles in both permanent and temporary positions. Speak to their team to see how they can help with your career aspirations.

SteppingStones Recruitment Ltd. Harbour Walk, Grand Harbour, Prospect Tel: (345) 946 7837 Email: info@steppingstonesrecruitment.com www.steppingstonesrecruitment.com SteppingStones is an award-winning, highly experienced, dynamic and forwardthinking professional services organisation headquartered in the Cayman Islands specialising in permanent and temporary recruitment. Their dedicated recruiters are committed to identifying and securing the right career opportunities for their candidates and securing the best talent for their clients.

SEE AD PAGE 87 THE Tell them you saw it in the