#Kingston, July 18, 2019 – Jamaica – The Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) is reporting further reduction in the unemployment rate to a new record low of 7.8 per cent.
As contained
in STATIN’s April 2019 Labour Force Survey, the figure is two percentage points
lower than the 9.8 per cent recorded for the corresponding period last year,
and 0.2 per cent lower than the out-turn for January.
Director
General, Carol Coy, said the number of unemployed persons as at April fell by
25,900 or 19.7 per cent to 105,900, relative to 2018. She was speaking at STATIN’s quarterly
briefing at The Knutsford Court Hotel in New Kingston on Wednesday (July 17).
Ms. Coy
said the male unemployment rate declined by 1.8 percentage points to 5.5 per
cent, while the corresponding figure for females fell by 2.1 percentage points
to 10.6 per cent.
“The
number of unemployed males decreased by 13,000 to 39,900 in April 2019. Over
the same period, the number of unemployed females was 65,600; this was a
decline of 12,900,” the Director General outlined.
Additionally,
she said the unemployment rate for youth, aged 14 to 24, fell by 6.4 percentage
points from 25.9 per cent in April 2018, to 19.5 per cent this year
“The unemployment
rate for male youth declined by 6.4 percentage points to 14.5 per cent, while
the rate for female youth declined by 6.6 percentage points to 25.8 per cent,”
Ms. Coy told journalists. She pointed
out that the overall employed labour force increased by 29,900 persons or 2.5
per cent to 1,244,500, over the 1,214,600 for April 2018.
Ms. Coy
further indicated that the number of employed males rose by 18,200 persons to 691,500,
while the number of females in jobs increased by 11,700 to 553,000. The total labour force increased to 1,349,900
persons, which is 4,000 more than 2018.
In
addition, the number of males qualifying for jobs rose by 5,200 persons to
731,400, while the corresponding figure for females decreased by 1,200 to
618,500 in April 2019.
Meanwhile,
Ms. Coy advised that 736,900 persons were classified as being outside the
labour force in April 2019. The number was
4,800 or 0.7 per cent fewer than the out-turn in April 2018, and was predominantly
males.
Contact: Douglas McIntosh
Release: JIS
Director
General of the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN), Carol Coy, speaking
during Wednesday’s (July 17) quarterly briefing at The Knutsford Court Hotel in
New Kingston. Listening (from left) are STATIN’s Senior Statistician and Head
of the Indices and Prices Unit, Administrative Statistics Division, Shelly-Ann
Chambers; Director of Surveys, Dr. Natalee Simpson; and Deputy Director
General, Leesha Delatie-Budair.
Dave Reid Photo