The Bahamas national unemployment rate increases

Unemployment up

Survey says more than 30,000 without jobs

By KRYSTEL ROLLE-BROWN
Guardian Staff Reporter
krystel@nasguard.com

The national unemployment rate rose from 14.3 percent in May 2014 to 15.7 percent in November 2014, according to preliminary results of the latest Labour Force Survey.

The survey, which has a reference period of October 27 to November 2, 2014, shows that both New Providence and Grand Bahama saw increases in unemployment.

In New Providence, the unemployment rate grew from 15 percent to 16 percent, and in Grand Bahama it increased from 14.7 to 18.6 percent.  The Department of Statistics also conducted a survey in Abaco, which recorded an unemployment rate of 20.3 percent.

Cypreanna Winters, the statistician responsible for the Labour Force Survey, said the results of the survey, which covered a six-month period, indicate that the labor force increased by 1.8 percent since the last survey conducted in May 2014.

“The labor force now totals 201,040 persons,” she said during a press conference at the Department of Statistics.

“There was an increase in both the number of employed and unemployed persons; however, the growth in the number of unemployment persons exceeded that of the employed.”

As it relates to discouraged workers, the number decreased nationally from 4,880 in May to 4,560 in November.

“In New Providence, while there was an increase in the number of discouraged workers, 22 percent, the reverse is noted in Grand Bahama where there was a decrease of 55 percent,” Winters said.

Officials believe the increase in discouraged workers in New Providence is due in part to last year’s layoffs.

“You had persons who were laid off during the course of the year and they would have become despondent,” Director of Statistics Kelsie Dorsett said.

In Abaco, where the total labor force was 9,800 at the time of the survey, there was an estimated 320 discouraged workers.

According to the standard definition of the International Labour Organization, discouraged workers are not considered unemployed as they have stopped looking for work because they feel there are no jobs available.

The survey shows that 31,540 people were listed as unemployed –17,145 women and 14,395 men.

A breakdown of those statistics shows that 24,110 people were listed as unemployed in New Providence, 4,725 in Grand Bahama and 1,990 in Abaco.

The results also show that 81,900 women were listed as employed and 87,600 men were listed as employed, for a total of 169,500.

Of that number, 126,545 were employed in New Providence, 20,645 in Grand Bahama and 7,810 in Abaco.

Winters noted that the unemployment rate for people ages 15 to 24 continues to be considerably higher than any other age group.

Youth unemployment nationally stood at 31 percent in November compared to 28 percent in May 2014.

Officials have attributed the high rate of unemployment among young people over the years to a lack of experience when entering a competitive labor market.

Since May 2012, 8,850 net jobs were added to the economy.

The number of people employed in May 2012 was 160,650 compared to the 169,500 employed in November 2014, the survey shows.

January 10, 2015

thenassauguardian

The trade union movement in The Bahamas and, indeed, the wider Caribbean region, has directly benefitted from the contributions of Leroy ‘Duke’ Hanna ...and the Bahamian labor force is in an enhanced position because of the role that Duke played

Remembering a trade unionist

Dear Editor:

 

It is with profound sorrow and regret that the National Congress of Trade Unions Bahamas (NCTUB) learned of the passing of Leroy ‘Duke’ Hanna, the founding president of the NCTUB, past president of The Bahamas Musicians & Entertainers Union (BMEU), former senator and a champion of the trade union movement in the Commonwealth of The Bahamas.

The trade union movement in The Bahamas and, indeed, the wider Caribbean region, has directly benefitted from the contributions of Leroy ‘Duke’ Hanna and the Bahamian labor force is in an enhanced position because of the role that Duke played.  His contributions to the growth and development of the people of The Bahamas will forever be etched in the hearts and minds of all trade unionists and should be recorded in history of our nation.

From the 1950s, Duke walked alongside the heroes of the modern trade union movement, including the late Sir Clifford in the 1958 General Strike, the late Sir Randol Fawkes in the fight for majority rule and independence, the late Patrick Bain with regards to the integration of the Caribbean Trade Union Movement and the establishment and operation of the NCTUB Labour College. Leroy ‘Duke’ Hanna was in the forefront of the social revolution in our country and his legacy will forever remain burning in the hearts of trade unionists for decades.

Sister Jennifer Isaacs-Dotson, along with her executive board, affiliates and the entire membership of the National Congress of Trade Unions of the Bahamas, extends heartfelt condolences to Duke’s wife Joan, his children and grandchildren, and his extended family, on this sad occasion.  We also wish to express our sincere sympathy to officers and members of the Bahamas Musicians & Entertainers Union as they grieve his passing.  We are mindful of the pain associated with the loss of a loved one and we are comforted with the knowledge that his living was not in vain.

It is our hope that the Almighty God keeps each of you strong as you face the difficult days, weeks, months and years ahead.  Rest assured that the officers and members of the National Congress of Trade Unions Bahamas will remember you and your family in prayer.

The trade union movement has lost a great champion and our nation has indeed lost another soldier.  Duke has fought a good fight, he has finished his course, and he has kept the faith.

May his soul rest in peace.

 

– Jennifer Isaacs-Dotson

Aug 23, 2012

thenassauguardian

Youth unemployment, which is pegged at 34 percent in The Bahamas, is especially a cause for concern if only because many of the young people have not yet had the opportunity to join the labor force... and as such, are being denied access to gainful employment... which is considered by many social scientists as the traditional route to the process of social integration

Youth unemployment

thenassauguardian editorial

The most recent Labour Force Survey, which was released by the Department of Statistics, contained some insightful but at the same time alarming information on the current state of unemployment in The Bahamas.


Apart from the distressingly high unemployment rate of nearly 16 percent overall and the continuing challenges to the Grand Bahamian economy, with an unemployment rate of 21.2 percent, the data on youth unemployment is perhaps the most disturbing.


Youth unemployment, which is pegged at 34 percent, is especially a cause for concern if only because many of the young people have not yet had the opportunity to join the labor force and as such, are being denied access to gainful employment which is considered by many social scientists as the traditional route to the process of social integration.


High youth unemployment is not peculiar to The Bahamas; indeed it is now recognized as a global phenomenon which is adversely impacting both developed and developing economies. Several studies on the subject have suggested that prolonged periods of unemployment among young people tend to lead to a reduction in self-esteem, diminished levels of well-being and a sense of isolation from peer groups.


Over time, youth unemployment could become problematic to the larger society since young people without the means to provide for their basic needs may not only engage in anti-social behavior, they may withdraw entirely from the labor force and by so doing, further reduce the future developmental potential of the economy.


The marginalization and social exclusion of the youth, according to some studies, are even more pronounced during a recession in that young workers are usually the first to be laid off or downsized when firms begin cost-cutting exercises. And those who remain in the labor force are disproportionately represented in the'informal'sector where they have no formal contract of employment, no guarantee of regular work and in some instances, little or no rights under labor laws. The more educated among the youth are often forced to'trade down'or accept employment far below their qualifications, and for the most part, that group is underemployed and often becomes resentful of the society or the environment in which they find themselves.


Many countries, both developing and developed have attempted to address the problem in a variety of ways including providing direct incentives to labor intensive sectors and/or establishing schemes to promote self-employment.


Both initiatives, although useful, are not the solution in isolation and ought to be part of a more comprehensive youth employment strategy which has at the centerpiece, sustained macro-economic growth for the entire economy.


To be sure, the self-employment initiative pre-supposes a widespread possession of the entrepreneurial spirit and acumen which clearly is not present in everyone, nor is it something that can be taught. It has to be recognized that the future growth and development of any society is dependent on the efficiency with which it employs its factors of production: land, capital, labor and entrepreneurial know-how. Of all the factors, it is labor that has to be continuously introduced, engaged, trained and developed at an early stage in order to be most productive.


In other words, we have to regard our youth as an asset that has to be fully integrated into the productive process and good public policy demands that young people be given priority. According to the United Nations, instead of seeing them as tomorrow's leaders, we ought to regard them as today's partners.

Feb 25, 2012

thenassauguardian editorial

Caribbean Blog International