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Finance Minister Dr. Nigel Clarke
Jamaica's unemployment rate dipped slightly to 4.2 per cent for October 2023, down from 4.5 per cent in the previous two quarters and setting a new record.
According to data released Tuesday by the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN), 85,600 more people entered the labour force in October 2023 relative to October 2021.
The largest increase in employment by occupation group was in 'Service Workers and Shop and Market Sales Workers' while the largest increases by industry group were in 'Real Estate and Other Business Services' and 'Construction'.
Commenting on the data, Finance Minister Dr. Nigel Clarke noted that there continues to be a noticeable gender disparity in the labour force, with the unemployment rate for males as at October 2023 being 3.1 per cent and 5.4 per cent for females.
"To take Jamaica's employment numbers much higher, the significant gender difference in labour force participation, the government will have to find a way to address that," he admitted.
The figures released by STATIN follow a recent report from the Caribbean Policy Research Institute (CAPRI) which found that 60 per cent of Jamaicans of working age and who are able-bodied, do not want to enter the labour force.
CAPRI pledged to conduct further research to determine the reasons behind this finding.
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