Unemployment Down

Jamaica’s unemployment rate fell to a new record low of 6.2 per cent in January 2022.

This, according to the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) Labour Force Survey for the month, is a 0.9 percentage point lower than the figure recorded in October 2021.

It is also 2.6 percentage points below the out-turn for the January 2021 Survey, Director General, Carol Coy, has said.

She was speaking during STATIN’s digital quarterly media briefing, on Thursday (April 21).

Ms. Coy informed that the male unemployment rate decreased from 7.6 per cent to 4.8 per cent, while the female equivalent declined by 2.5 percentage points to 7.9 per cent.

She also advised that the youth unemployment rate fell by 5.1 percentage points to 17.7 per cent for the review period, relative to January 2021.

The Director General pointed out that the male and female out-turns decreased by approximately five per cent, with the latter recording the larger decline.

“Male youth unemployment was 14.5 per cent, while for the females, it was 21.8 per cent,” she indicated.

Meanwhile, the overall number of individuals employed in January 2022 rose by 4.8 per cent or 57,800 persons to 1,257,100, compared to the corresponding period last year.

Ms. Coy said females recorded the larger increase – 5.5 per cent – compared to 4.3 per cent for their male counterparts.

She indicated that the overall labour force climbed by 24,800 persons, or 1.9 per cent, to 1,340,600 in January.

“There was a larger increase of females in the labour force. While the male labour force increased by 9,200 persons to 721,400, the female labour force increased by 15,600 persons to 619,200. The increase in females represented 62.9 per cent of the total increase,” Ms. Coy pointed out.

Meanwhile, the number of persons classified as being outside the labour force (neither employed nor unemployed) stood at 755,600 in January.

“Males outside the labour force declined by 8,000, while females declined by 14,400,” Ms. Coy told journalists.