Janiel J McEwan

The final piece of my research series Jamaica’s Middle Class: Priced Out of the Future has been published today in the Jamaica Observer. Part V (Bonus): Rebuilding the Contract – Structural Reform for Jamaica’s Middle Class closes the series by moving from diagnosis to solutions. After examining how housing costs, transport burdens, wage pressures, and migration incentives are reshaping middle-class life, this final article outlines structural policy ideas aimed at restoring alignment between work, opportunity, and long-term stability. This series began as my first major research project and has sparked thoughtful discussions across the country. I am grateful to the Jamaica Observer for providing the platform to bring these issues into the public conversation. If you have not yet read the full series, I encourage you to start from Part I and follow the argument through to this final piece. The conversation about Jamaica’s middle class is only beginning. jamaicaobserver.com/2026/03/23/jam…

@mamachell You look amazing 👏

As a Good gyal 💋😏

@bantuknnots 🥲🥲🥲

Sidenote, you know how rare it is I find someone with the exact same spelling as my name 😭I didn’t even know my name was unisex

@FabricaMadrid Huge mistake. Poor judgement, he should have cleared the ball one time.

80’ Goal for Barakaldo… Mistake by Sergio Mestre. Barakaldo 1-1 Castilla.

@FabricaMadrid He's average. I can't wait for Alvaro to come back.

@FabricaMadrid And before that..? I've watched every match this season, and he's not good enough. Think about the last time you did a compilation for him against any team, even Lugo.

@mcewan_janiel Castilla won 0-4 against Lugo 2 weeks ago and Cristian David was in the starting XI. 😜

Castilla starting XI vs Barakaldo! Subs: Guillermo Súnico, Joan Martínez, Ariel Nkoghe, Daniel Mesonero, Manex Rezola, Adrián Pérez, Bruno Iglesias and Álvaro Ginés.

11/11 So is this a crisis? Not really, especially given the buffers Jamaica has built over the past decade. But it is a strong reminder that external shocks still matter for a small open economy like ours. It’s worth watching how electricity bills move, how inflation responds, and how policymakers manage the reserves if prices stay elevated. Jamaica has weathered tougher storms before. The tools are there, the question is how they’re used. What part of this do you think will affect people the most?

10/11 Looking further ahead, oil shocks like this highlight why energy diversification matters so much. Every spike in global oil prices reminds us how exposed we are as a fuel-importing country. The government has already been investing in efficiency programs and alternative energy projects to gradually reduce the oil import bill. Higher prices can actually accelerate that transition if they encourage more investment in renewables, LNG, and energy efficiency.

Thread: 🚨🚨🚨Oil at $100 While Jamaica Planned for $60, Let’s Talk About What That Means. 1/11 Hey Jamaica, oil has jumped from around US$60 a barrel late last year to nearly US$100 right now. Our 2026/27 budget was built on exactly US$60. So what does that actually mean for your light bill, gas tank, groceries, and the government’s plans? Let’s break it down.

1% better every day.

😌😌😌😌

@elf_50841 🙏💯

@mcewan_janiel Thanks for shedding light on so many matters. You are a gem

There’s been a lot of talk about the de minimis threshold in the budget, the rule that allows packages valued under US$100 to enter Jamaica duty-free. Finance Minister Fayval Williams acknowledged that the move didn’t quite play out the way the government expected in her supplementary budget presentation today. On the surface, raising the threshold sounds consumer-friendly. People ordering small items online avoid duties, packages move faster, and shopping becomes easier. But if the broader goal was to increase government revenue, the policy had a few predictable problems from the start.