Human Resources

Human Resources are the skills, talents and abilities that people use to develop natural resources to provide goods and services for society.

Employment Definitions

Employed - People who receive salary or wages for the work they do.

Unemployed - Persons who are able to work but have no work or jobs.

Underemployed - Persons who work at jobs for which they are overqualified, or who work for less than the standard number of working hours in a given day are said to be underemployed.

Importance of Work

• Allows for financial independence
• Brings self-fulfillment of one's aspirations
• Contributes to the economy.
• Source of income
• To provide for family members
• To satisfy basic needs
• To maintain standard of living

Human Resources Case Study - Trinidad & Tobago

Explain how the state helps in the development of human resources.

Human Resources refers to all the persons that make up the labour force. This holds the economy together as other types of resources can only be used for production in the presence of human resources. There is a wide range of organizations, programmers and policies run by the state that assist in the development of human resources in many different ways. Some of these are shown below.

Ministry of Labour > The Ministry of Labour is a government ministry that is responsible for oversight on employment affairs such as job creation, job training and even ensuring ethical workplace standards. The Ministry can be considered the most significant element in human resource development in Trinidad & Tobago.

Free Primary & Secondary Education > The constitution of the Republic allows children in this country the right to a free primary and secondary education which is vital to human resource development as this is the most basic but necessary form of education allowing somewhat equal opportunities  for many to be educated.

GATE Funding > The GATE initiative provides funding for tertiary level education varying by the income bracket of the student's household. This programme helps many to attain higher level education allowing for an increased number of skilled and educated persons in the labour force.

O.J.T (On The Job Training Programme) > The O.J.T programme has been implemented by the government to allow the youth in the labour force to attain temporary jobs mostly in the public sector that give them training experience for resumes and even pay them a small salary. This programme develops the nation's human resources at an early stage allowing them to be more prepared for their respective careers.

Ministry of Social Services & Family Development > The Ministry of Social Services is responsible for addressing challenges such as poverty and social inequality through grants and rehabilitation programmes which indirectly assists to develop human resources by increasing the standard of living for persons that can potentially benefit the labour force.

N.E.D.C.O > The National Entrepreneurship Development Company Limited assets in the development of small and micro enterprises. Entrepreneurs are a big part of a country's human resources and their businesses form a backbone to the economy. Therefore N.E.D.C.O had a significant role in the development of human resources.