TT jobless rate down

The CSO said there was a 21.6 percent or 2,400 person drop in unemployed males for Q2 compared to Q1 while the drop in unemployed females was a mere 2.5 percent or 300 persons.

Combined, this reflected a 0.6 percent or 2,700 person decrease in the number of unemployed persons in Trinidad and Tobago (TT) between Q1 and Q2 of 2015.

A comparison of the data for the corresponding quarter in 2014 revealed a decrease of 2,500 or 10.9 percent in the total number of unemployed persons in TT.

The information in the bulletin is based on data collected in the Continuous Sample Survey of Population conducted during the period April to June 2015.

A clue as to why more men than women found jobs in Q2 can be found in the data on “Persons with Jobs by Industry”.

Men still account for the majority of workers in construction and transport and according to the Q2 Labour Force Bulletin, “increases were identified in ‘Construction’ 5,500 or 5.9 percent, ‘Community, social and personal services’ 3,800 or 1.8 percent, ‘Electricity and water’ 3,100 or 37.8 percent and ‘Transport, storage and communication’ 2,500 or 6.3 percent.”

More women than men tend to be employed in the craft sector and as shop sales workers but while “Craft and related workers” were among the occupational groups which recorded the largest job increases in Q2, shop sales workers were amongst those which recorded the largest decreases.

Specifically, under the category, “Persons with Job by Occupational Group”, the CSO said the largest increases were experienced in ‘Elementary Occupations’ 9,300 or 8.1 percent, ‘Craft and related workers’ 4,800 or 5.0 percent and ‘Plant and machine operators’ 4,100 or 7.6 percent (Table 3 refers).

However, the largest decreases were recorded in ‘Legislators, senior officials and managers’ 5,600 or 8.4 percent, ‘Technicians and associate professionals’ 4,300 or 5.8 percent and ‘Service workers (including defence force) and shop sales workers’ 2,700 or 2.8 percent.

Looking at “Persons with Jobs by Type of Worker”, the CSO’s Labour Force Bulletin noted that when comparing the previous quarter to this period, increases in persons with jobs by type of worker were observed in ‘Government public service/ statutory’ 5,500 or 3.8 percent, ‘Non-government’ 2,200 or 0.7 percent and ‘Own account worker’ 1,700 or 1.6 percent (Table 4 refers).

However, “major decreases were seen in” ‘Employer’ 2,500 or 7.0 percent and ‘Unpaid worker’ 900 or 37.5 percent when compared to Q1 of 2015.

TT’s registered Labour Force, as at the end of Q2 of 2015, was 649,100 persons (Table 1 refers).

This represented an increase of 3,100 or 0.5 percent when compared to Q1 of 2015.

“From a gender perspective, this increase in the Labour Force was reflected among males which rose by 2,400 or 0.6 percent and females which increased by 700 or 0.3 percent. The total labour force – number of persons over 15-years old, able and willing to work regardless of whether employed or unemployed – rose by 3,100 to 649,100,” the CSO stated.

The unemployment rate is a proportion of the labour force which does not have work, while the labour force participation rate is the proportion of the population above 15-years old that can work. The overall Labour Force Participation Rate for TT increased to 61.0 percent in Q2 of 2015.

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