Unemployment Rate Dips to 3.6 Per Cent in January 2026
By: , April 1, 2026
Photo: Michael Sloley
Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) Director General, Leesha Delatie-Budair (left), converses with fellow STATIN executives, during Tuesday’s (March 31) quarterly press briefing held at Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel in Kingston. Sharing the conversation (from second left) are Director of the Economic Accounting Division, Chandar Henry; Acting Director of Administrative Statistics, Siomara McDonald; and Acting Deputy Director General and Director, Surveys Division, Dr. Natalee Simpson.The Full Story
The Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) has reported that the country’s unemployment rate stood at 3.6 per cent in January 2026, down slightly from 3.7 per cent recorded in January 2025.
According to STATIN, the total number of unemployed persons declined to 51,500, compared with 54,500 in January 2025.
However, in the parishes most affected by Hurricane Melissa, unemployment rose sharply – up 39 per cent to 11,400 people.
Director General, Leesha Delatie-Budair, presented the key indicators during the Institute’s quarterly press briefing held at Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel in Kingston on Tuesday (March 31).
She noted that, consistent with the October 2025 quarter, STATIN deployed an abridged version of the Labour Force Survey (LFS) across the western parishes of St. Elizabeth, Westmoreland, St. James, Hanover, and Trelawny.
The Director General advised that the number of persons outside the labour force stood at 714,800 in January 2026, representing a 4.8 per cent increase.
She further noted that, in the five parishes most affected by Hurricane Melissa, the number of persons outside the labour force rose to 192,100, representing a 20.5 per cent increase.
“The total number of persons employed stood at 1,389,400 persons, which was 30,100 fewer when compared to January 2025. In the five most affected parishes, the number of persons employed was 301,700, a decline of 39,500,” Ms. Delatie-Budair shared.
There were 149,500 employed youth in January 2026, reflecting an 11.1 per cent decline compared with January 2025.
The size of the labour force in January 2026 was 1,441,000 persons, representing a decline of 32,900 compared with the corresponding period last year.
This resulted in an overall decline in the labour force participation rate of 1.6 percentage points, moving from 68.4 per cent in January 2025 to 66.8 per cent in January 2026.
“In the five most affected parishes, however, the labour force participation rate declined by 6.4 percentage points to 62 per cent in January 2026,” Ms. Delatie-Budair said.
