Unemployment continues to trend down for July

The Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) is reporting that Jamaica's unemployment rate continues to improve, with more women taking up jobs.

At a press conference today, it was disclosed that the unemployment rate for the month July 2023 moved down 2.1 percentage points lower than in July 2022 to land at 4.5 per cent.  

Three months earlier, STATIN had also reported that there was a 1.5 percentage-point dip in the country's unemployment rate in the April jobs survey. 

Females continue to take up more job opportunities during the month of July, pushing the total number of employed women up by 25,700, or 4.4 per cent, to 605,200, while the number of employed males increased by 21,400, or 3.1 per cent, to 709,900.  

Overall, the number of persons in the labour force as at July 2023 was 1,377,300, an increase of 19,600, or 1.4 per cent, compared to July 2022.

But, out of that number, the employed labour force was 1,315,100, which was 47,100, or 3.7 per cent, more persons than in July 2022.  

The male labour force increased by 8,400, or 1.2 per cent, to 734,400 and the female labour force by 11,200, or 1.8 per cent, to 624,900. 

“There was an increase, mostly males, in persons employed in the occupation group 'Elementary Occupations', while more females were employed as 'Service Workers and Shop and Market Sales Workers' and 'Clerks'. The largest increase in employment by industry was in 'Real Estate and Other Business Services' and 'Construction',” STATIN Director General Carol Coy said at the press conference.

However, the number of persons employed as 'Skilled Agricultural and Fishery Workers' declined by 8,500, or 4.7 per cent, to 173,400, with 129,900 of them being males and 43,500 females, the agency said.  

In a breakdown of the unemployment data, the state agency reported that in July 2023, the number of unemployed persons was 62,200, a decrease of 27,500,or 30.7 per cent, compared to July 2022.  

The number of unemployed males was 24,600, down 13,000 or 34.6 per cent, while the number of unemployed females was 37,600, a decrease of 14,500 or 27.8 per cent.

The number of unemployed youths (persons aged 14 -24 years) also decreased by 9,000, or 26 per cent, to 25,600. 

Overall, the unemployment rate for males of 3.3 per cent declined by 1.8 percentage points; the unemployment rate for females of 5.8 per cent declined by 2.4 percentage points, and for the youths, the unemployment rate was 13.2 per cent, representing a decrease of 3.5 percentage points compared to 16.7 per cent in July 2022. 

- Karena Bennett

Follow The Gleaner on X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.