Jamaica’s unemployment rate increase

Jamaica’s unemployment rate has shown a slight increase with the latest Labor Force Survey revealing that at the start of the year, 80,700 people were unemployed.

The Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) released the new findings on Wednesday.

Deputy Director General of STATIN Leesha Delatie-Budair says the unemployment rate stood at 5.4 per cent after closing 2023 at 4.2 per cent 

“The unemployment rate for males was four per cent and for females 7.1 per cent. When examined by age group, the unemployment rate was highest for youth at 16.0 per cent and lowest for persons 55 years or older at 1.7 per cent. For those of prime working age, the unemployment rate was 4.4 per cent.”

She explained that households with children 18 years and under has a higher unemployment rate compared to those without.

- Advertisement -

“So if you lived in a household with a child, we saw where the unemployment rate for those persons was higher, and it was 6.6 per cent. This rate was higher also for households with minor children, that’s children six years or younger. And the unemployment rate among persons living in households with children six years and younger was 7.1 per cent,” she outlined.

On the other hand the latest Labor Force Survey revealed that the majority of employed Jamaicans work in the Services and Sales industry.

STATIN says in January 2024, some 1.4 million people were in the labor force, representing approximately two thirds of people 15 years or older.

Deputy Director General of STATIN Leesha Delatie-Budair said approximately 970,000 people worked in services.

“Of this amount, 659,000 worked in market services, which includes trade, transportation, accommodation and food, and business and administrative services. An additional 310,200 were employed in non-market services, which includes public administration, community, social and other services and activities.”

There were 240,400 people working in manufacturing, construction, mining and quarrying, electricity, gas and water supply. An estimated 195,300 people worked in agriculture, the majority of whom were male – 145,600 of them.

Miss Delatie-Budair explained that the occupation group with the highest number of employees was ‘Services and Sales Workers’, employing 328,600 people.

“This constituted 23.4 per cent of the total employed population. This group also employed the most females, with a count of 213,300. The second largest occupation group was elementary occupations, employing 197,900 individuals, followed by skilled agriculture, forestry and fisheries workers, which employed 188,200 persons. For males, the occupation with the highest employment was craft and related trades workers at 153, 200,” Miss Delatie-Budair disclosed.

STATIN said among the changes incorporated in the newly revised Labor Force Survey is an adjustment to the reference week, minimum age limit update and a rigorous definition of unemployment.

The reference week for the Labor Force Survey has been shifted from the last full week of the previous quarter to the first full week of the quarter under review.

Even if a person works one hour within the reference week he or she is considered employed.

The minimum age for inclusion in the survey has been raised to 15 from 14 years; consistent with the International Labor Organization.