The Statistical Institute of Belize today presented the finding of the first Labour Force Survey for 2019. Since 1992, it’s been conducted bi-annually in April and September. But, April 2019 saw the lowest unemployment numbers ever recorded in Belize with over eight thousand persons finding jobs. Here’s the rundown:
Wendy Benavides - Statistician II
"You see at this rate has decreased from 9.4 percent in April 2018 to 7.6 percent in April 2019. This has been the lowest rate ever recorded. The drop in the level of unemployment was seen in all districts except Corozal and Orange Walk. The decline was as a result of more persons finding jobs combined with persons exiting the labour force. Cayo was the district with the highest unemployment at 9.8 percent, although it had the largest decline shifting from 13.6 percent last year, this fall was attributed to many persons leaving the labour force. Belize district also experienced declines in the level of unemployment, dropping from 8.5 percent to 6.8 percent but unlike Cayo district, Belize had gains in employment which were mostly seen in services and sales. The same pattern was also seen for the Stann Creek district. The district with the lowest level of unemployment was Corozal, with 5.9 percent, increasing from 5.6 percent last year. The level of unemployment is higher among the youths at approximately 16.4 percent. Across all age groups, females have a higher level of unemployment. Approximately 164,428 persons were estimated to be employed in April 2019 of which the males accounted for 61 percent. Both males and females contributed to the rise in employed population with a net increase of 8,478 more jobs. The net increase was mainly due to more employment in Belize district, mainly in services and sales."
The previous low was 8% unemployment which was recorded in April of 2017. We note that the Labour Force survey in April usually shows a lower rate of unemployment because of seasonal tourism employment. The survey in September usually shows a higher rate of unemployment.
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