SER Curaçao: ‘Growth must improve people’s lives’
WILLEMSTAD, October 11, 2026 — Curaçao must turn economic growth into greater economic security, decent work and accessible public services. That is the central message of the foreword to the 2025 annual report of the Social and Economic Council (SER) of Curaçao. Progress, the council says, should be measured by the improvements residents experience in their daily lives.
Prime Minister Gilmar Pisas received the report on behalf of the government on Friday, October 9, from Raul Henriquez, the SER’s director and secretary-general. Henriquez presented it on behalf of the council and its acting chair, John Jacobs. The handover took place on the sidelines of the Caribbean United in Excellence Summit, a meeting on regional cooperation held as part of the observance of Autonomy Day.
“Growth is not an end in itself, but a means; broad well-being is the yardstick,” Henriquez writes in the foreword.
The report acknowledges the economic momentum of 2025. The Curaçao Tourist Board (CTB) registered a record 788,427 overnight visitor arrivals that year. The foreword asks how such growth translates into household purchasing power, the quality of jobs and housing affordability. Access to quality education and health care also shapes the social benefits of growth, it argues.
The foreword calls for a coordinated approach: encourage entrepreneurship and investment, raise productivity and prepare people for changes in the labor market. Public services must also be strengthened, and the social security system must remain sustainable. Sound public finances and predictable government policy are important conditions for that effort.
Social dialogue has a central role in that approach. Within the SER, representatives of employers and workers discuss the effects and feasibility of policy proposals with independent members. By weighing the evidence and bringing different interests together, the council seeks to support better-informed decisions. The report therefore emphasizes the need to involve the SER early, so potential obstacles can be identified and proposals strengthened.
The SER issued 12 advisory opinions in 2025, including on tax reform, internship pay, the minimum wage and laboratory diagnostics. The annual report provides a public account of the council’s advisory work, dialogue and cooperation.
The full annual report is available on the SER’s website (www.ser.cw).
