Occupational groups technicians and professionals account for most employed

Durrant Pate/Contributor

The total number of unemployed individuals continues to plunge Jamaica with the latest estimates showing 54,500, representing a decline of 26,200 (32.5 per cent) as at January this year compared to January 2024. 

The number of unemployed males stood at 23,000, down by 8,300 (26.5 per cent) relative to the similar quarter of 2024. The number of unemployed females was 31,500 compared to 49,400 in January 2024. 

The January 2025 Labour Force Survey (LFS), released yesterday by the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) shows unemployed youth (persons aged 14-24) numbered 23,500, down 8,800 (27.2 per cent). The unemployment rate (LU1) for January 2025 was 3.7 per cent, a contraction of 1.7 percentage points from 5.4 per cent in January 2024. 

The unemployment rate for males was 2.9 per cent, down from 4.0 per cent, while the rate for females was 4.6 per cent, down from 7.1 per cent. The survey was carried out during the period January 5 to 11, 2025 showing that there were 1,419,500 employed persons, an increase of 13,800 individuals compared to January 2024. 

The largest growth in employment was observed in the occupational groups ‘Technicians and Associate Professionals’ and ‘Professionals’. The largest gains occurred in ‘Education, Human Health, and Social Work Activities’. 

Labour Force Participation 

In January 2025, the labour force comprised 1,473,900 individuals, a decrease of 12,500 (0.8 per cent) compared to January 2024. Of this total, 786,100 were males and 687,900 were females. 

The data shows that both male and female labour force declined by 10,000 and 2,400, respectively. The overall labour force participation rate was 68.4 per cent, down 0.6 percentage points compared to January 2024. 

Males had a higher participation rate of 74.3 per cent, while females had a rate of 62.7 per cent. Male and female participation rates went down by 0.2 and 0.9 percentage points, respectively, compared to January 2024.

In January 2025, the Employed Labour Force totalled 1,419,500 individuals, an increase of 13,800 persons (1.0 per cent) compared to January 2024. The number of employed males increased by 5,800 (0.8 per cent) to 763,000, while the number of employed females increased by 7,900 (1.2 per cent) to 656,400. 

In January 2025, there were 24,300 underemployed persons (working part-time while wanting additional hours), 3,800 fewer persons than in January 2024.