MORE JOBS TO WOMEN
JAMAICA’S female workers have taken up more than twice the number of jobs than the country’s men for the month of October 2018 compared to the same period in 2017, according to latest data from the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (Statin).
In fact, the Government agency, in a release yesterday, said that more Jamaican women are being employed as professionals, senior officials and technicians than men.
“The employed labour force for October 2018 was 1,219,700, which was 14,400 or 1.2 per cent higher than in October
2017. The increase in employment for women was
more than twice that of men. The number of employed men increased by 4,300 to 672,400 and employed women by 10,100 to 547,300,” Statin said.
It added that the occupation group professionals, senior officials and technicians, had the largest increase in employment of 7,800 persons, up 3.1 per cent to total 261,800 people, between October 2017 and October 2018. Of the increase in employment in this group, Statin said 7,600 were women.
According to Statin, Jamaica’s unemployment rate, as at October 31, 2018, stood at 8.7 per cent, a reduction of 1.8 percentage points relative to 10.5 per cent in October 2017.
“There was an increase in the number of persons employed, particularly females, in the industry group real estate, renting and business activities. In addition, there was a reduction in the number of unemployed persons, and a simultaneous decline in the labour force,” the agency said.
Real estate, renting and business activities accounted for the largest change in employment by industry, increasing by 9,700 persons or 11.9 per cent, to 91,400 in October 2018 from 81,700 in October 2017. This accounted for the largest increase in female employment of 8,400 or 20.8 per cent moving from 40,300 in October 2017 to 48,700 in October 2018. However, employment decreased in the transport, storage and communication industry by 7,500 persons or 9.4 per cent, to 72,000 over the same period.
The Government agency noted that overall, Jamaica’s labour force stood at 1,335,300 persons in October 2018, a decrease of 10,700 when compared to 1,346,000 in October 2017.
At the same time, the unemployment rate for youth aged 14-24 years was 24.9 per cent in October 2018 when compared to 25.4 per cent in October 2017. Over the same period, the unemployment rate for male youth increased by 2.1 percentage points to 21.8 per cent in October 2018.
Statin reasoned that the unemployment rate for female youth declined by 3.8 percentage points to 28.6 per cent in October 2018. It added that youth aged 14 to 24 outside the labour force experienced an increase of 10,100 persons from 376,200 to 386,300. Male youth accounted for 7,300 persons of that increase.
The largest increase in male employment 3,500 or 13.2