

Data from the Statistical Institute of Jamaica’s (STATIN) October 2024 Labour Force Survey (LFS) show that unemployment for that time stamp was 3.5 per cent.
The total number of unemployed individuals in October 2024 was 51,300, with females making up 60.0 per cent. Among the unemployed, 21,600 were youth aged 15 to 24 years, with females accounting for 12,000 or 55.6 per cent of unemployed youth.
The unemployment rate for October 2024, was 3.5 per cent. The female unemployment rate was higher at 4.5 per cent, while unemployment among males was 2.6 per cent. The youth unemployment rate was 11.0 per cent, with an unemployment rate for young adult females at 13.7 per cent and for young adult males, 8.9 per cent.
For the period captured by the survey, October 6 to 12, 2024, the female unemployment rate was higher at 4.5 per cent, while the unemployment rate among males was 2.6 per cent. The youth unemployment rate was 11.0 per cent, with a rate for young adult females at 13.7 per cent and for young adult males at 8.9 per cent.
Outside the labour force
As of October 2024, there were 687,500 individuals outside the labour force with more females (417,800) than males (269,700).
Of those outside the labour force, 29,400 or 4.3 per cent were classified as part of the potential labour force. Such individuals were either seeking employment but not available to work or available for work but not looking for a job.
There were 294,300 young people (aged 15 to 24 years) outside the labour force, accounting for 42.8 per cent of this group. Among these young adults, 140,700 were males and 153,600 were females.
Total overview
The total labour force in Jamaica as of October 2024 stood at approximately 1,468,300 individuals: 789,100 males (53.7 per cent) and 679,200 females (46.3 per cent). The overall labour force participation rate was 68.1 per cent. Males had a higher participation rate of 74.5 per cent compared to 61.9 per cent for females.

Within the labour force, the total number of employed individuals was 1,417,000, with males comprising more than half (768,500 or 54.2 per cent) of the employed labour force. Underemployed individuals accounted for 1.6 per cent of people in the workforce, meaning those working part-time but wanting additional hours.
Of the total employed population, the largest occupation group was ‘Services and Sales Workers’ with 343,400 individuals, accounting for nearly one-fourth (24.2 per cent).
“This group had the largest number of employed females, 224,600; nearly twice as many as the 118,800 males,” STATIN explained.
The second-largest occupation group was ‘Skilled Agricultural, Forestry and Fishery Workers’ with 201,400 workers, followed by ‘Elementary Occupations’ with 176,200 employed individuals. The occupation group ‘Craft and Related Trades Workers’ had the largest employment of males, 154,200.
The largest employer among industry groups was ‘Wholesale and Retail Trade; Repair of Motor Vehicles and Motorcycles’, employing 265,600 individuals, representing 18.7 per cent of the total workforce. There were 144,700 females employed within this industry group, accounting for 54.5 per cent. The second-largest industry group was ‘Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing’, which employed 201,400 persons, with males accounting for 73.7 per cent of employees.
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