Marginal job gains in first quarter - Female, youth unemployment climb
Published:Sunday | August 22, 2010 | 12:00 AM
Jamaica created 3,700 jobs in the first four months of the year, according to the latest labour survey results to April released last week, but the gain represents a fraction of jobs lost in the last year.
The economy continues to lose jobs at a faster rate than companies are hiring, pushing the unemployment rate to 12.4 per cent.
Between April 2009 and April 2010, employers cut 35,000 workers from their payrolls.
The employed labour force dropped 3.1 per cent, from 1.12 million to 1.09 million, in the 12-month period.
The survey, however, showed that when April was compared to January this year, there was an increase in employment of 0.3 per cent, or 3,700.
The employment rate declined by one per cent for April this year compared to April last year, but when April was compared to January this year, the employment rate increased by 1.1 per cent.
Occupation groups that added jobs in the 12-month period included 'Service Workers, and Shop and Market Sales Workers', up 2.9 per cent or by 6,100; and 'Craft and Related Trades Workers', up two per cent, or by 3,000.
On an industry basis, there were gains in the 'Real Estate, Renting and Business Activities' group, which added 3,100 or (six point three per cent more jobs, moving from 49,100 last year to 52,200 at April 2010.
The Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) now counts the unemployed at 154,000 in a total labour force of 1.242 million. The agency estimates that 25,900 dropped out of the labour force in the past year to April.
Youth unemployment
Youth unemployment, the 14-24-year-old group, has worsened by 6.6 percentage points and now stands at 32.5 per cent.
The circumstances for males was little changed at 90.7 per cent employment, compared to 90.8 per cent last year, but fell by two percentage points for females, for whom the employment rate is now 83.8 per cent.
The unemployment rate among youth 14 to 24 years increased by 6.6 per cent over the 12-month period.
The survey was conducted March 21-27, Statin said.