Bahamas National Statistical Institute Acting Managing Director Nerissa Gibson speaks during a press conference to discuss the preliminary results of the labour force survey for quarter four of 2023 on June 21, 2024. Photo: Dante Carrer/Tribune Staff
By RASHAD ROLLE
Tribune News Editor
rrolle@tribunemedia.net
THE unemployment rate hovered around double- digit territory during the third and fourth quarters of 2023.
The rates –– 10.4 percent in the third quarter and 9.9 percent in the fourth quarter –– came after the country saw an 8.8 per- cent rate earlier last year, a 15-year low.
However, Bahamas National Statistical Insti- tute (BNSI) officials said on Friday that the rates should not be compared because they launched a new series with a new survey design in July 2023. Information about the unemployment rate will now be released quarterly, not bi-annually.
Third quarter statistics found that 64 percent of people worked in the private sector while 19 percent were government/quasi-employees.
“The ‘community, social and personal services’ industrial group, which includes the public service, police service and domestic service, continues to account for the largest share (37 percent) of the workforce, while the ‘hotel and restaurants’ industrial group accounted for (20 percent),” experts found.
The sector with the biggest employee increase from quarter three to quarter four was ‘skilled agriculture and fisheries workers,’ with a 20 percent growth.
Although the overall number of unemployed people dropped from quarter three to quarter four by 1,130, the number of unemployed men increased slightly and the number of unemployed women decreased slightly. Youth unemployment was 20.5 percent, a 2.3 percent decrease compared to quarter three.
Fourth quarter data related to educational attainment found that 60 percent of the labour force completed high school, one percent had schooling only to primary level or none at all and 20 percent completed university.
Twenty-one percent of the 237,755 people in the labour force had a bachelor's degree or higher, while 25 percent had no qualifications.
BNSI officials noted that quarterly unemployment statistics tend to be cyclical, "based on timing and seasonality as the year progresses".
Comments
moncurcool 5 months ago
If 64% are private and 19% government, where are the other 17%?
And how is it that on the other hand, 37% in public?
Something seems amis to me.
Dawes 5 months ago
Maybe non-profits like the schools? Or its just another statistic that is released that doesn't make sense when it is properly looked at. I always had heard the public sector makes up around 40% of our country so that 19% is too low i think
bahamianson 5 months ago
Where are the other 9/10 jobs to be found?
bahamianson 5 months ago
Ok, I got that backward.
bcitizen 4 months, 4 weeks ago
So 64% of the people have to make enough money to get by and pay the salary of the 19%? How is that sustainable? How many of the 1 out of the 10 people are looking for a job and hoping not to find one or only working for Friday?
John 4 months, 4 weeks ago
How about the other 17 percent being self employed,
John 4 months, 4 weeks ago
Not necessarily so. Government main sources of revenue is taxes. Which included taxes on a lot of what is spent by the millions of tourists that visit the country.
bcitizen 4 months, 4 weeks ago
And who works in the tourist industry?
ExposedU2C 4 months, 4 weeks ago
You know full well this corrupt Davis led PLP government thinks its main source of revenue is borrowing and/or selling state owned assets for pennies on the dollar of true value.
John 4 months, 4 weeks ago
Is it one in ten people that are unemployed or one in ten workers? BiG difference.
ExposedU2C 4 months, 4 weeks ago
Is she for real?!!
Porcupine 4 months, 4 weeks ago
Well, who trusts ANY of these numbers? Nobody with the high school education of how many percent? Gimmee a break. And certainly with no Freedom of Information Act. My guess is that 10% of the government workers would be able to hold a job for one month in most other places. Our productivity is at rock bottom. The writing is on the wall. No matter how this government tries to paint a rosy picture, you still got to have rose colored glasses on to believe anything they say. Yes, or no?
truetruebahamian 4 months, 4 weeks ago
Those should be employed in trained security for our country and rotated for their best efficacy. Other countries can do this and give a wholesome and dedicated reasoning for love of our country and the wish to work with it and protect from an age where reason and Loyalty can be espoused. I wish for this.
truetruebahamian 4 months, 4 weeks ago
For, not from.
truetruebahamian 4 months, 4 weeks ago
How effective would the majority of the unemployed population be in emerging themselves into a workforce and having a forward plus attitude?
SP 4 months, 4 weeks ago
HOLD FLIPPIN ON where do these numbers mysteriously materialize from? Nobody in my whole family and anybody else I know were ever contacted! The closest my household came to being screened was to find a note stuck in the door one evening saying they would return at a later date. Which of course never happened.
The kicker is, someone is always in residence 24/7, so they had to have snuck up to the door to push the notice in somewhere!
After 50 years of dealing with these people, I will begin trusting the PLP on the same day I begin trusting the FNM.
NOT HAPPENING anytime in the foreseeable future!
Porcupine 4 months, 4 weeks ago
How about ever?
JokeyJack 4 months, 4 weeks ago
Bahamians are only allowed to vote for PLP & FNM. Americans are only allowed to vote for Democrat & Republican. Lincoln Bain and Robert Kennedy have no chance. People like being poor and stupid - otherwise they would not be able to complain so much.
Porcupine 4 months, 4 weeks ago
Sometimes it seems that way, until you realize what the average, decent person is being fed. Fed with poisonous food, and fed with the nonsense coming out of the so-called leaders mouths. Ever studied Divide and Conquer? Remember now, there are not really two parties. In both the US and here they are basically the same. The people's needs and desires are shunned by both parties. The one's who have a say in politics are the elites. The ones who fund the politicians and the governments. They, somehow, always get what they want. Curious, isn't it? So long as we allow money in politics, it will be the same as allowing the richest to bribe the police. Is that how we judge justice? Apparently so.
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