Employment In Urban Nightlife

Employment in the urban nightscape occurs on many levels, from the wealthy club owners at the top to the street vendor that sell outside the clubs trying to earn an honest living to support themselves and their families. The growth of Urban Social Nightlife has acted as a catalyst facilitating the growth of many other industries that have provided employment for persons that would have in some cases not been employed otherwise. Although education is ‘free’ in Trinidad and Tobago, some persons find it difficult to reach as far as secondary school level. There may be various reasons as to why such persons would not reach this far but it then leaves them in a situation as to where they can get a job to support themselves and in some cases their young families. Some decide to go into trafficking and using drugs as mentioned in one of my previous blogs and this can too often lead to abounding negative effects. With the growth of the night-time industry it has provided a way out for many of these who are unable to obtain a regular 8am – 4pm job. Occupations such as selling doubles, burgers, pies, corn soup, cow heel soup, fries, punch, ox-tail soup and fish broth are well accepted by urban nightlife patrons that enjoy having some of these favourites. It does not stop by just food alone, as I can elaborate an example taken from my own personal experience in venturing into the nightlife scene as a university student. During the week when students decide to go out liming there is a shuttle service provided by drivers that own maxis and this takes patrons to designated places on specific nights. The shuttle usually transports tertiary level students to the Zen Nightclub on Wednesday night and also to Ariapita Avenue as well as Thursday night to the 51 Degrees Nightclub. This transportation service provided by maxi drivers such as “Emperor” has provided a means to which they can access extra capital that has only been made possible by the nightlife industry. Drivers can earn up to one thousand dollars a night for one trip and on some nights several trips are made. Police also obtain employment as too often when venturing to popular liming spots in Port- of –Spain and also San Fernando the police presence close to nightclubs and areas where social nightlife is ‘booming’ is ever so prevalent. One person that I remember vividly was an elderly lady selling mints, cigarettes, small chocolates and small novelty items outside of the Zen Nightclub, although some may see her type of ‘employment’ as irrelevant or too small to make anything substantial, I was surprised to see the amount of customers she had buying from her as persons waited in the line to get into the nightclub. Despite the fact that it was a small form of business, her type of employment was honest and she did it with a smile on her face which to me was very admirable. The Nightlife industry has provided many jobs for persons that in some cases would have not been able to make an honest living otherwise, this industry is ever expanding and so too are the new types of employment that are created.

The above picture was taken at a popular establishment known as “Shakkas Punch” in Marabella, southern Trinidad to which I regularly on weekends show my patronage. The guys that make these punches use the nightlife industry to earn an honest living and their hours of operation are no earlier that 8pm until whenever they are sold out.