Life getting harder - most Jamaicans

Just over six in every 10 Jamaicans experienced a slide in their economic situation last year, with most persons having to budget more or cut down on their spending.

With consumers facing higher prices for food, electricity, transport and several other items, a Gleaner-commissioned Bill Johnson national opinion poll found that 37 per cent of Jamaicans believe their condition has got much worse over the past 12 months, while 25 per cent say it has been a little worse.

The poll, which was conducted on May 28 and 29 and June 4 and 5, involved 1,008 respondents and has a margin of error of plus or minus four per cent.

According to the poll, 15 per cent of Jamaicans found their economic conditions a little better this year, while 20 per cent said conditions were the same as last year's. Three per cent said their economic situation was much better today.

When Johnson had tested the pulse of the nation in April last year, 75 per cent of the respondents had reported that their economic condition had worsened when compared with 2009, while only nine per cent had said it was any better.

Out of recession

Last month, Prime Minister Bruce Golding told the House of Representatives that after 13 consecutive quarters of decline, the economy recorded modest growth in the January-March 2011 quarter.

"I am happy that I am able to confirm that Jamaica is now officially out of the recession, as in the January-March quarter, the economy registered modest but positive growth of one per cent," the prime minister reported during his contribution to the Budget Debate.

The Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) later confirmed GDP growth of 1.5 per cent for the period January to March.

PIOJ Director General Gladstone Hutchinson also announced the addition of 15,500 jobs over the November 2010-January 2011 period.

"The positive growth performance confirms the track of our projections from the previous quarter and we are anticipating that this growth trajectory will continue throughout the remainder of the year, barring any unforeseen circumstances," said Hutchinson in his quarterly economic briefing.

"Overall, the positive GDP performance is underpinned by the gradual recovery by most industries following the adverse impact of the global recession on these industries, increased production and replanting activity in agriculture following the impact of Tropical Storm Nicole (in September 2010) and the positive impact of higher employment levels on domestic aggregate demand," Hutchinson added

No growth had been recorded in the Jamaican economy since the quarter ended September 2007.