Durrant Pate/Contributor

There has been a marginal fall in Jamaica’s unemployment rate in January this year to 3.6%, down from 3.7% in January 2025.

The total number of unemployed persons stood at 51,500, a reduction of 3,000 from 2025. Broken down by gender, the male unemployment rate declined to 2.8%, while the female rate fell to 4.5%. 

Youth unemployment, while representing an improvement, remained elevated at 10.7 with 17,900 young persons unemployed, down by 5,600 from last year. The decline in the unemployment rate, despite reduced employment, is largely explained by more people leaving the labour force rather than actively seeking work.

The unemployment data is contained in the January 2026 Labour Force Survey, which was released yesterday. The reference week for the data was January 4–11, 2026, presenting a mixed picture of Jamaica’s labour market. 

Labour market findings

While the unemployment rate edged down slightly, both employment and labour force participation declined year-over-year, and more people moved outside the labour force altogether. A total of 1,389,400 persons were employed in January 2026, a decline of 30,100 (approximately 2.1%) compared to January 2025. 

Employment fell across both genders — male employment dropped 2.0% to 747,700, while female employment fell 2.2% to 641,800. Youth employment was particularly affected, with 149,500 young people employed, a notable decline of 11.1% from the prior year.

The total labour force stood at 1,441,000 in January 2026. The overall labour force participation rate dropped to 66.8%, down from 68.4% in January 2025, a decline of 1.6 percentage points. 

Both the male labour force (down 16,900 to 769,200) and the female labour force (down 16,100 to 671,800) contracted over the period.

Reflecting the lower participation rate, 714,800 persons were outside the labour force in January 2026, up 32,900 compared to January 2025. Males outside the labour force increased by 16,900, and females by 16,100.