The Tribune

By RIEL MAJOR

AFTER recent labour statistics showed that women were more likely to be unemployed than men despite higher education levels, Social Services Minister Frankie Campbell said his ministry is concerned about the issue.

He said departments within his ministry have ongoing programmes meant to push equality.

Speaking to reporters outside of the House of Assembly yesterday, Mr Campbell said he's not sufficiently aware of the pattern of the unemployment statistics to say if they are trending in one way or the other. However, he highlighted the role of Department of Gender and Family Affairs in promoting equality.

“The ministry is sufficiently concerned whenever there is the appearance of imbalance,” he said.

He added: “We continue to rely on the programmes that we have been promoting to ensure that women are treated equally in the work place that there is equal pay for equal work done.

“We also continue our programmes that will empower women to become entrepreneurs that will help to add employment within the economy and employ more women to bring us towards the balance that we are working (towards).

“The suggestion is where there is a woman qualified to do the job give that woman, like you would a man, the opportunity to do the job. Where there is a woman doing a job on par with a man pay the woman on par with the man.

“I am aware that there has been and continues to be a concern about unequal treatment of women in other regards. We promote equality and likewise in the work place. We stand for equality and equity for women.”

Senior Statistician Cypreanna Winters and Acting Director of the Department of Statistics Leona Wilson released the latest statistics earlier this week.

Overall, 210,560 people make up the employed labour force, while there are 25,135 people unemployed, according to the latest numbers.

Mrs Winters revealed that another study now being completed by officials showed that despite women having more credentials than their male counterparts, more of them remain without jobs.

Mrs Winters said: “Among the employed labour force, there were more men, 110,280, than women, 100,280, (employed). However, in all the islands surveyed, except Grand Bahama, men were fewer in numbers among the unemployed labour force.”

“Overall, the unemployment rate for women reached 11.3 percent in November, compared with 10 percent for men. Young women, those aged 15-24 and core-aged women, those aged 25 to 54, were more likely to be unemployed than their male counterparts."

These findings, according to officials, seem to fall in line with youth unemployment in the Caribbean.

In the Caribbean Development Bank’s (CDB) most recent report, youth unemployment in the Caribbean is among the highest in the world, with the unemployment rate for those aged 15 to 24 reaching 42.7 percent.

“Similar patterns persist in the Bahamas, as youth unemployment for women was the highest recorded for all age groups. The unemployment rate for young women reached 24.1 percent, compared with 22.4 percent for young men, 23.1 percent for both sexes,” Mrs Winters said.

Overall unemployment increased from 10 percent in May 2018 to 10.7 percent in November 2018, according to the latest job figures.