Caribbean continues to struggle with employment rates due to pandemic

Employment rates in some Latin American and Caribbean countries continue to struggle to recover from the onslaught of  the covid-19 pandemic.

That's according to a World Bank and the United Nations Development Programme report.

The findings show that the region's employment rate stood at around 62 percent, almost 11 percentage points below the pre-pandemic level. 

Formal employment declined 5.3 percent while self-employment grew 5. 7 percent.

The proportion of  workers employed in small businesses, with maximum of  four workers, increased by 8 percent. 

The World Bank says these figures point to a deterioration in the quality of  available employment. 

Even among the employed population, the regional survey results identified a decrease in weekly hours of  paid work, from 43 to 37.