STATIN Revised Labour Force Survey; Unemployment at 5.4% in January 2024

  • The Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) revised its Labour Force Survey (LFS) to incorporate the latest international standards and guidelines from the International Labour Organization (ILO). This revision resulted in a significant change in the definition of employment and unemployment. 
  • Additionally, the reference week for the LFS has shifted from the last full week of the previous quarter to the first full week of the current quarter and the minimum age for inclusion in the LFS has been raised to 15, which is consistent with the ILO recommendations (previously 14 years old).
  • STATIN further noted that these changes represent a break in the series, and as such, data comparability with previous quarters is not advised. The unemployment rate in October 2023 was at a record low of 4.2%.
  • That said, the LFS revealed that the unemployment rate in January 2024 was 5.4%. In January 2024, the labour force comprised 1,486,400 persons, 788,500 males (53.0%) and 697,900 females (47.0%), with an overall labour force participation rate of 68.9%.
  • 1,405,700 members of the labour force were employed in January 2024, with 757,200 employed males (53.9%) and 648,500 females (46.1%). Among the employed population, 28,100 or 2.3% were underemployed (time-related), meaning they worked part-time but wanted additional hours.
  • The occupation group with the highest number of employees was ‘Services and Sales Workers’, employing 328,600 individuals. The second largest was ‘Elementary Occupations’, employing 197,900 individuals then ‘Skilled Agricultural, Forestry and Fishery Workers’ which employed 188,200 persons. Regarding industry groups, ‘Wholesale and Retail Trade; Repair of Motor Vehicles and Motorcycles’ was the largest employer, engaging 266,500 individuals (19.0%)
  • The unemployment rate for January 2024 was 5.4%. There were 80,700 unemployed persons; females accounted for 61.2% of those unemployed. The number of unemployed youths (persons aged 15 -24 years) was 32,300, of which 17,600 or 54.5% were females.
  • Outside the labour force, there were 669,400 individuals, with more females (399,200) than males (270,200). There were 142,200 males and 146,600 females within the youth population of 15 to 24 years outside the labour force. Additionally, there were 100,700 youth who were not employed, not enrolled in educational activities or currently in training (NEET), of which 49,400 were males and 51,400 females.

(Source: STATIN)