It seems the national workforce has a thirst for self improvement, with about 75% of the employers responding to a new survey indicating they'd like to offer more worker training but are hamstrung by time and cost constraints.

The survey, conducted by Sandals Royal Bahamian and canvassing members of the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce, asked local businesses about training and social activities within the workplace. It reveals that most employers (80%) now officially offer training. Still, almost the same amount (73%) follow the "more training the better ethos", saying they'd like to offer more than they currently do. Those efforts are frustrated by time and financial constraints.

"Nowadays, growing internally or 'organically' is what most businesses shrive to achieve," said Sandals' Andre Newbold. "Being able to develop your existing workforce as one's business develops, negates the need for an expensive and time-consuming recruitment process as well as the reduced productivity as new employees settle in.

"While many cite time and cost as barriers to offering more training, the cost and time involved with recruiting someone new could make it less cost effective than developing someone they already have."

The resort is using the survey to help highlight its own meeting and convention space. Hotels across the country are doing much the same as they try to entice locals to help them weather an increasingly tough economy.

The survey, conducted October 15 - 20, used a list of Chamber members as its sample population.