THE RATE OF unemployment for October to December 2014 stood at 11.5 per cent. Statistics derived from the Continuous Household Labour Force Survey indicated that the unemployment rate among males stood at 10.8 per cent and 12.2 per cent among females.
In the review period, the number of persons employed totalled 126 000; of whom 64 200 were males and 61 800 were females. The number of unemployed persons stood at 16 400, namely, 7 800 males and 8 600 females. In total, the number of persons in the labour force stood at 142 400. Those not actively looking for work, hence excluded from the labor force, were 80 100 persons. The labour force participation rate stood at 64.0 per cent, with participation among males at 67.7 per cent and 60.6 per cent among females.
During the fourth quarter, the wholesale & retail trade sector generated jobs for the largest number of persons, employing 21 800, while the accommodation & food services sector employed 16 400 persons. The construction, mining & quarrying sector generated employment for 12 500, while the manufacturing sector created work for 9 700 persons. Employment in the public administration & defence sector reached 9 600 persons, while the administrative & support service sector reached 8 000 persons.
The other groups sector, which includes the information and communications, activities of extraterritorial organisations & bodies, real estate & arts, entertainment and recreation industries, employed 7 500 persons, while 6 300 worked in the education sector.
The human health & social work sector generated employment for 5 800 persons and the finance & insurance sector generated employment for 5 600 persons. Employment in the transportation & storage sector stood at 5 500 persons, while employment in the “activities of households as employers” sector stood at 4 400. The employment generated in the professional, scientific & technical services sector was 4 100 persons.
During the review period, employment recorded in the agriculture, forestry & fishing sector stood at 3 500 persons, while employment levels in the other services sector stood at 2 800 persons. The electric, gas, steam, water & air conditioning supply sector generated jobs for 2 500 persons. (Economic Affairs Division/BGIS)
