Persons of Working Age Now 69.7 % of Population

• Director-General of the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ), Dr. Wayne Henry, says persons falling within the country’s working-age range of 15 to 64 years now stand at 69.7% of the overall population of 2.9Mn.
• He says this represents the largest figure ever attained in Jamaica’s history and creates a window of opportunity for the country, often referred to as a demographic dividend.
• Henry noted that an increase in the working-age population, relative to dependents, provides Jamaica with a “tremendous opportunity” to boost economic growth.
• This, he said, through increased labour force participation and employment, particularly for groups deemed typically under-represented, such as youth, women and persons with disabilities; increased allocation of resources towards savings rather than consumption, as the dependency ratio falls, thereby facilitating investments and growth; and human capital development through the provision of more resources towards strengthening education and health outcomes, “which will contribute to the increased productivity of the labour force”.
• Henry said leveraging the benefits associated with the demographic dividend will require several key undertakings.

(Source: JIS)