Survey says youngsters want to work

Based on a 2009 report entitled, Unattached Youth in Jamaica,' which was prepared by the Planning and Project Development Division of HEART Trust-NTA, the chances for youth advancement in Hanover is quite dim on account of the high level rate of youth unemployment across the parish.

According to the report, Hanover is ahead of Kingston and St Andrew and St James in regards to the number of unemployed males, which is contrary to the national pattern, which primarily reflects greater unemployment among females.

"Unattached males outside the labour force are predominantly high in the parishes of Hanover (89 per cent), Kingston (83 per cent),

St James (73 per cent)," the report stated.

Insofar as the young female population in Hanover is concerned, the picture was no better from a national perspective, albeit it is the island's second-smallest parish. According to the report, "a majority (63 per cent) of the island's 127,000 unattached youths are female and this is most pronounced in the parishes of Hanover and Manchester (76 per cent of all unattached youth in each).

WILLING TO WORK

In October 2015, the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) reported that the unemployment rate in Jamaica was estimated at 13.5 per cent. According to the agency, "the unemployment rate for youth is considerably higher, at 30.3 per cent, and the average unemployment rate for women is double that for men: 18.5 per cent versus 9.3 per cent".

A School-to-Work Transition Survey (SWTS), which was conducted in 2013 by the Statistical Institute of Jamaica, noted that most of Jamaica's youngsters were more than willing to work.

"One of the major goals of youth is to be able to obtain decent and satisfactory employment, which will facilitate the attainment of their other goals," the survey stated. "Obtaining decent and satisfactory employment, however, continues to be an elusive goal for many, especially in light of the global economic crisis, which has had far reaching effects especially in small island developing states such as Jamaica."

The survey, which was conducted in collaboration with International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the Planning Institute of Jamaica, was aimed at providing insights into the experiences of Jamaica's school-leavers and the perceptions of youth regarding their future prospects, life goals and aspirations.