The Impact of Natural Disasters on Labor Shortage in Dominica

Doctoral Thesis / Dissertation from the year 2019 in the subject Economics - Job market economics, grade: 4.0, language: English, abstract: Natural disasters occur globally, and they inflict losses especially to smaller vulnerable countries. The tiny island of Dominica was devastated by Hurricane Maria in September 2017. The impact caused ranged from infrastructural damage, lost lives, and a shortage of skilled labor. A labor shortage leads to brain drain and migration. Minimizing the loss of labor after a disaster is challenging. The residents who migrate are the ones with the financial wherewithal and are usually more educated. People flee from disaster-stricken countries to get away from storms in order to maintain a comfortable life. Inadequate pay, poor working conditions can contribute to the depleting labor force. These migrants mainly comprise workers in the medical, construction, Information Technology, hospitality, and education fields. Training skilled workers, adequately compensating them, and providing excellent working conditions can help mitigate their departure even in post disaster periods. While natural disasters cannot be prevented their impact can be minimized by adequately preparing for their occurrence and effectively managing their aftermath. An adequate supply of qualified labor is the lifeline of any vibrant economy but that same economy can lose that lifeline after the occurrence of a natural disaster if conditions are unfavorable.