Persons want flexibility in their working arrangements, says Wan
PRESIDENT OF the Jamaica Employers Federation David Wan said flexibility and not wanting to pay someone to stay with either a child or an elderly person could add to why females accounted for the majority of those outside the labour force as noted in the 2018 Economic and Social Survey Jamaica prepared by the Planning Institute of Jamaica.
Wan explained that often, when persons have children or an elderly relative to care for, they consider it better to stay home and offer care than to pay a nanny or nurse so that they can go to work in the formal system.
He added that there are also persons who want the freedom of taking more than three days off without jeopardising their job.
“There’s a group that wants flexibility in their working arrangements, which could be why they are outside the formal workforce, such as traders, smalltime micro merchants, and so on,” Wan told The Sunday Gleaner.
“You can set your own hours, you can be your own boss. I believe being a micro-entrepreneur is a very attractive option for some people in Jamaica, more than in the US. When I lived in the US, I didn’t find that many people as a percentage wanting to be a micro entrepreneur.”
MORE MALES WORKING
The data also showed that the labour force contracted by 21,475 persons as the number of individuals in the labour force declined to 1,337,575 in 2018 from 1,359,100 in 2017. Males accounted for the larger proportion of the total labour force. The decrease in the labour force, the survey said, can be attributed to an ageing population that is transitioning out of the workforce as well as persons migrating.
The findings noted concerns with persons remaining outside the labour force for the purpose of attending school as it “not only affects labour force participation levels, but also aids in human capital development and the longterm quality of the workforce”.
‘There’s a group that wants flexibility in their working arrangements, which could be why they are outside the formal workforce.’