By Javaughn Keyes
Some 62,800 Jamaicans were unemployed in April 2024.
The Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) has released the latest employment data, representing the second release since the revision of the survey in January 2024.
In April 2024, the overall unemployment rate was 4.2 per cent.
The rate was higher for females at 5.3 per cent compared to 3.3 per cent for males.
STATIN says women make up more than half of the over 62,000 people deemed unemployed, at 58.1 per cent.
Based on the new strict definition, these persons are jobless, available for work, and actively seeking employment.
There were 29,400 unemployed youth, aged 15 to 24 years, with the youth unemployment rate at 14.8 per cent.
STATIN says female youth had a higher unemployment rate of 16.4 per
cent, compared to 13.6 per cent for their male counterparts.
In April 2024, the overall labour force included 1.48 million individuals, with 788,500 males and 694,600 females.
The overall labour force participation rate was 68.8 per cent.
Males had a higher participation rate at 74.5 per cent, while females had a participation rate of 63.3 per cent.
The new labour force series represents a significant break in the data set, and and is not comparable with previous survey data.
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