Rashaed Esson

Staff Writer

#Jamaica, August 18, 2023 – The Caribbean region has been for some time now, plagued with high unemployment rates as confirmed by the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States, but for Jamaica, there is good news as the rate has decreased for April of 2023, 1.5 percentage points lower than April of 2022. This is according to the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN).

Unemployment rate this April stood at 4.5 as the employment rate rose by 3.4 percent, 43,300 to 1,312,600 people, and this, according to STATIN, is due primarily to an increase in women who joined the Labour force. This was revealed by Carol Coy, Director General of STATIN, during a press briefing on Tuesday August 15th, 2023.

She also highlighted that of the 1,312,600 persons employed in April 2023, some 705,200 were males and 607,400 females.

The Director further pointed out that more women were employed mainly in the occupation group ‘Service Workers and Shop and Market Sales Workers’ and within the industry group ‘Real Estate and other Business Services’ including the business process outsourcing sector.

Additionally, STATIN revealed that there were 13,600 (2.0 per cent) more males and 29,700 (5.1 per cent) more females in the employed labour force in April this year when compared to April 2022.

The statistics also informed that unemployed youths ages 14 to 24, decreased by 6,800 at 24,600 or 21.7 percent.

Prime Minister Andrew Holnes, in a statement, in response to the decrease, described it as “great news,” further expressing that it’s indicative that the country is on its way and close to full employment.

“This is the best news that our economy can have,” Holnes, who is also the Minister of Economic Growth and Job Creation, added.

“But what it really means is that more Jamaicans have income. It means that more Jamaican families can do much better than they were doing before,” he continued.