According to the Statistical Institute of Belize, the unemployment rate - as of September 2024 - stands at 2.1%, which is a decrease when compared to last September, when it was at 3.9%. While 1.4 thousand people exited the labor force, 1.7 thousand people joined, offsetting that amount.
But though the unemployment rate seems very low, the wider public is not observing those numbers on the ground. And as statistician I Annia Mejia explained today, to be classified as "unemployed" you must meet three requirements.
Annia Mejia, Statistician I
"To be classified as an unemployed person, all three of the following criteria must be met. Persons must be without work, have carried out activities to look for work within the last four weeks, and were available to work if a job opportunity within the next two weeks. The unemployment rate for September 2024 stands at 2.1%. Female unemployment was more than double that of men at 3.1%."
"The highest unemployment rate was observed among persons whose highest level of education was secondary education."
"In September 2024, employment increase by 1,711 persons, with males making up 60.6% of the employed population. Nearly half of employed persons were age 25 to 44 years old. 33.9% had completed primary education, 26.9% had completed secondary education, while 24.3% completed tertiary education as their highest level of education completed. 70.5% of employed persons were employees and 29.1% were self employed. Employed persons worked an average of 39.8 hours persons, down from 43.1 hours in September 2023. The average monthly income was 1,530 dollars, an increase of 148 dollars when compared to September 2023."
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