Unemployment grows to 10.7%

Jamaica’s unemployment rate grew 3.5 percentage points higher for the month of October 2020, with females largely being the ones without a job for the period.  

Data from the Statistical Institute of Jamaica shows that in October 2020, Jamaica’s overall unemployment rate for the month under review, was 10.7 per cent, 3.5 percentage points higher than the rate of 7.2 per cent for October 2019.  

The country had 137,800 unemployed persons in October, an increase of 41,100 or 42.5 per cent compared to October 2019.

It is, however, lower than the total of 161,300 unemployed persons recorded as at July 2020.  

Unemployment amongst female workers jumped by 23,700 or 44.4 per cent the month of October, outpacing that of male workers which increased by 17,400 or 40.2 per cent.  

At the end of October, the total number of unemployed females was 77,100 while unemployed males stood at 60,700. The number of unemployed youths (14 -24 years) was 54,200, an increase of 10,900 or 25.2 per cent. 

The growth in unemployment numbers, comes against a decline in the number of Jamaicans falling in the employed labour force category.  

Over the month of October, Jamaica’s employed labour force was 1,155,800, a decrease of 92,600 or 7.4 per cent compared to 1,248,400 persons in October 2019.  

The largest declines were in the industries Arts, Entertainment, Recreation and Other Services, Accommodation and Food Service Activities and Wholesale and Retail Trade; Repair of Motor Vehicles and Motorcycles.  

The current population of Jamaica is 2,968,326, but of that number only 1,293,600 were considered a part of the labour force as at the end of October.

The number of persons in the labour force declined 51,500 or 3.8 per cent compared to the 1,345,100 recorded in October 2019. 

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