Like many countries, Bermuda faces the challenge of an aging population, high youth unemployment, low revenue growth, an unsustainable tax structure and high government debt. These factors have contributed to the widening of the gap between the two Bermudas, resulting in too many of our people being trapped in a cycle of multi-generational poverty. The PLP believes that a shift in social welfare is required to address this change within our society.

The PLP’s aim is to promote social cohesion and equality by implementing a Social Investment Strategy (SIS) based on the following fundamental principles.

Your next PLP Government will:

• Aim to reduce the need for long-term social assistance by focussing on prevention, and empower people by investing resources as early as possible at critical stages of individuals’ lives.
• Increase people’s ability to access opportunities in the labour market by strengthening our citizens’ current and future skill sets. Investments will be made in further education and the training of Bermudians.
• Implement performance benchmarks and accountability measures to ensure that the government’s programmes and policies are responsive to the needs of our community, and evaluate the effectiveness of social investment strategies using performance data.

Your next PLP Government will:

• Implement a living wage to ensure that people who are employed full-time earn a wage that keeps them out of poverty.
• Reform the Financial Assistance Programme to better protect against abuse and improve outcomes, including:
  • Requiring able-bodied unemployed persons who are on financial assistance to upgrade their education/skills to prepare them to return to the workforce.
  • Rewarding recipients who find work and not penalise them for taking a part-time position. Financial assistance should move people back to work, not keep them on assistance