Report Shows Over 1,100 Jobs Lost In 2013
According to a recently released report, Bermuda’s employers reported a loss of 1,166 jobs last year, with 34,277 jobs counted in 2013, compared to 35,443 in 2012. This was the fifth consecutive year of job declines and the lowest number of filled jobs recorded since 1995.
The 2014 edition of the Bermuda Job Market Employment Briefs highlights the main findings of the 2013 Annual Employment Survey, which was conducted in August, 2013 by the Department of Statistics.
Highlights from the report include
- Filled jobs in the International Business Activity sector declined from 3,878 in 2012 to 3,768 in 2013, down 110 jobs or 3%.
- Employment in the construction industry slipped 5%, a loss of 121 filled jobs between 2012 and 2013.
- The Business Services and Education, Health and Social Work sectors lost 179 jobs and 150 jobs respectively
- The job market lost more females [666] in 2013 than male workers [500].
- The decline of jobs for the age group 25 to 39 years was the highest at 667 fewer workers.
- Number of business entities in the Bermuda job market contracted from 4,391 in 2012 to 4,130 in 2013.
Premier Craig Cannonier said, “The 2013 Employment Survey findings are based on a survey conducted in the last week of August 2013. As a result, it cannot represent a complete picture for the calendar year of 2013, nor can it reflect trends and developments in the economy today.
“What it does show is the terrible, ongoing impact on Bermudians, of deep-seated recessionary pressures that began as far back as 2009. Stopping the momentum behind the job losses was the Government’s number one objective in our first year and we believe we have made progress on that critical goal through policies and actions to grow the economy.
“The signs of a turnaround are growing. Over the calendar year, we’ve seen the highest number of company incorporations, both local and international since 2008. We’ve seen the first year-over year increase in retail sales volume in six years, which is a very promising indicator that consumer spending is on the rise, fueled in part by a moderate rise in income amongst job holders. We’ve also seen positive steps taken toward the development of job-creating projects such as:
- Pink Beach
- Coral Beach,
- Ariel Sands,
- Morgan’s Point,
- Sonesta and the Hamilton Princess.
The Premier added, “The thrust of these and other developments in the economy should have a positive impact on the job situation, whether it be in the retention of jobs or the creation of new jobs, because businesses are starting to do better. We’re not out of the woods yet, but we’re getting there.”
The Minister of Finance Bob Richards said, “What we have in short, is an economy that is in transition and turning the corner. As Minister of Finance, the Government will continue to do what is necessary to strengthen conditions that will get Bermudians back to work and to end the recession that has hurt so many.”
Complimentary copies of Employment Briefs are available at the Department of Statistics, which is located on the third floor of the Cedar Park Centre Building, 48 Cedar Avenue in Hamilton.
The Bermuda Job Market Employment Briefs is below [PDF here]
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Where is the PLP to blame the OBA for not fixing things overnight?
Countdown 3…2…1…
there was time when OBA/UBP was expecting the PLP to fix the world economy/recession overnight also…..be fair now lol
Except that our competitors were seeing increasing numbers of tourists during that recession while we were seeing a decline (a decline that started before the recession kicked in)
Who are these competitors you speak of…..cant be our friends to the south…..the caribbean had been hammered by the recession just like everyone else…. keep in mind the tourist they depend on come from the same recession hit countries we depend on.
ah right. The mythical “worldwide recession” that the PLP blames its failure on.
This comment shows how out of touch you really are with global events & reality.
@Bigadon, just to pick a single statistic –
Growth in the number of arrivals in 2011 reached an all-time high despite the global economic downturn.
And Bermuda did what??
@BIGGADON
Yes, the OBA were expecting the PLP to fix the BERMUDA recession, because much of it was HOME GROWN.
yes they were….so whats the excuse now that they are in power.
You do realize that it has been almost a year and a half since the election…the overnight argument is no longer valid……..
It absolutely is valid. You think the OBA can fix the problems caused by 14 years of incompetence in just a year and a half? If you think so then you must be in dreamland. However, I believe the Premier and Finance Minister are spot on when they say they have stopped the bleeding and put Bermuda on the path to recovery. The report next year should be the report the OBA is graded on instead of this one.
Oh please. During the first 10 years of PLP government we had unprecedented growth. So let’s not act as if the entire government time was rooted in incompetence. And let’s not act as though the last four years weren’t partly due to the global recession. I know it doesn’t fit the narrative that you have been given but its the truth.
Unprecedented growth, until the last 5 years. Then the PLP had unprecedented contraction and unemployment.
And stop with the “global recession” myth. The USA was in and out of recession in 5 quarters. Canada never went into recession. There was no ‘global recession’. It was Bermuda’s home-made recession.
WAKEY WAKEY Suzie Q! America is not out of recession & doesn’t show any real signs of recovery. They’re trillions of dollars in debt & Canada is not far behind. The only thing that makes Canada look stable right now is their sand oil but even with that boost they’re still treading water.
uhhh wrong again. America is out of recession and been out, looking at job growth and growth in industry. they’ll always be in debt, just the way it is, but my points above are valid!
With Her Great Holiness Paula “The Cog” Cox in charge, who repeatedly stated that we were emerging from our recession, time and time again, right until she lost the 2012 election.
Oh, and remember when she STATED that we did not have a DEBT PROBLEM?
$1.4 BILLION NATIONAL DEBT.
$1 BILLION (UNDERFUNDED) PARLIAMENTARY PENSIONS.
$2 BILLION (UNDERFUNDED) CIVIL SERVICE SUPERANNUATION FUND.
Actually it does ‘fit the narrative’
, for example if you look at statistics for some of our other neighbors who should have been feeling the world wide recession as much as we were, say for example Cayman Islands for example you will note that they had 3 years of negative GDP…’08,09,and 10′ In 2011 they’re economy ACTUALLY GREW almost 1 percent, in 2012 it was OVER 1.5%, by any standard they should be still in this worldwide recession…..but they’re not, and haven’t been foe almost 3 years….explain that, if you can.
As for the Americans and Canadians, the US has been out of recession since 2009, and has 3 consecutive years of falling unemployment, now in the low 7 percent range. Canada had a very mild recession, barely 3 consecutive quarters according to the conference board of Canada.
Cayman’s economy grew because after the hurricane hit them they had to rebuild.
…ah Johnny, Hurricane Ivan was in …2004, we’re talking about the last 2 years, and as of the most current information Cayman’s GDP growth is accelerating this year.
What most people fail to understand is that a real Bermudian population of something just over 50 thousand if you back out all expats on island cannot afford its current debt load run up in a remarkably short span of time. Our debt is top heavy effecting everythin and every attempt at economic stimulation, slowing down any potential growth for the forseable future.
This mostly self inflected economic experiment has put Bermuda’a future generations at risk of becoming economic serfs to interernational banks and lending institutions. Our great grand children will be paying back this debt…..you can take that to the bank.
….grabs the biggest bag of PopCorn he can find…awaits the show that will start any minute now….LOL
lol,, love your sense of humor
scoot over…..pass the popcorn
where’s de heinekens?!
Progress.
SO the OBA losing jobs just like the PLP. And just like the PLP the OBA think that everything is ok and we are turning the corner.
OBA let companies do whatever they want and look who is suffering, Bermudians!
Please give us one example of the “OBA letting companies to whatever they want”.
Unless you have a friend that works for Immigration & Customs you need to hush my love. The OBA is kissing the very feet of these companies and they know this.
I also understand that Minister Fahy is placing Business Lines for people entering and leaving the airport. When I came back Sunday they don’t even have enough officers on the desk. Then after standing in line for almost 45 minutes they sent me to the back office because I didn’t have a Bermuda Status Stamp, so how did I get a Bermuda Passport? When I ask my friend who works in Immigration how did I get a passport she just laugh and said go get the stamp. Even my Boss who is a CEO on a contract thinks this Minister is a silly man.
you dunno what ya talkin bout lmfao…ya funny
Well Govt and PLP can start with this.
Just how long are the Corporation going to continue to be allowed to make a mockery of good business practice at taxpayer expense?
There are dozens of Bermudians and local PR agencies capable of this 100k contract. Webb are nothing special.
“The Corporation of Hamilton has renewed its controversial contract with an overseas public relations consultancy at a cost of $100,000 to ratepayers.”
two things must happen:
(1) All work permits for low skill jobs should not be renewed
(2) Bermudians must be willing to fill those jobs and work work work
those numbers should be switched…..
This is true! I was just in a wholesale store in town and saw three shelf packers that were not locals! I couldn’t even get full assistance, because their english wasn’t good! I have nothing against foreigners, but do not understand why we have shelf packers, cashiers, basic cooks from the other side of the world here with thousands of Bermudians looking for work?
What part you don’t understand, they come cheap….more productivity, for less of a financial obligation…Merchants benefits, and the society suffers…..as the world turns…Reaganomics view of globalization……
What part don’t you understand? Bermudians don’t want these jobs, they feel entitled to a better job. If Bermudians would apply for these jobs (and show up to work on the rgular) then foreigners wouldn’t have any job to apply for. This is our own doing.
Unfortunately it’s not as simple as that . 45-50 years ago someone could make a sustainable wage working in hotel or as a kitchen porter or a gardener.
Not now .
If your now ‘entry level job’ has a monthly wage of $500 – $650 a week you’re broke just paying the rent and electricity alone.And that’s if you’re happy living in a one room converted garage with no privacy .
Is it a case of Bermudians not wanting these jobs or they simply can’t afford them ?
That is true. Also what many people do not realize is that many of these foreigners are either receiving housing subsidies from their employer (which a Bermudian worker would not receive) or living together with many other foreign workers.
Some of them are living four, five and six in an apartment, so the rent and other bills are split multiple ways. The landlord is happy because he gets his money, and the workers have a place to crash which allows them to save and send as much of their money home as possible.
There have also been health concerns raised about these sort of living arrangements, I recall reading an article in the papers about it several years ago, but it still goes on today.
But if you restrict the ability to hire people who will do those jobs, you chase away the business entirely. No hotel is going to set up in Bermuda if they have to pay busboys $50 an hour.
Crazy, problem is that, for whatever reason, Bermudians don’t want those jobs.
Potentially tricky is the situation where the job is offering less money than the person (take as an example a parent of a young child) would need to spend in daycare/transport costs. It could become a lose-lose situation for that individual
At the end of it all the taxes go to millions of dollars in financial assistance. All the while companies make fortunes off their high prices & cheap foreign labor cost. When companies shave off a couple of dollars they would pay a local they have more than enough to cover permit fees. When companies shave off several dollars they have enough for a king’s ransom.
And a watch dog should be planted in lots of those companies as they do things to puch out Bermudians like landscapers
@ swing voter says,Two very good points!
Better let Minister Fahy & his former PLP minister buddy know this. They’ve already teamed up to promote the exact opposite.
Ok OBA, now you have 3100 jobs to ‘create’ *twiddles thumbs*
So that is how many jobs there were in the middle of August last year. I wonder where we are now and whether there is an increase or decrease from that.
The most telling line in this Brief is this single sentence on page one: “This was the fifth consecutive year of job declines and the lowest number of filled jobs recorded since 1995.”
That sentence tells a huge story. It shows the real and true big picture.
Meeeee says but it does not.
Hundreds have left the island in the past 10 years.
Many out of fear and gang related and others to live on the dole in England.
Shalom.
How many of those gangsters had jobs before they left? If they are living on the dole in England, were they working in Bermuda? Bad examples that do not corelate to your theory. Better examples would be people who have left because they couldn’t afford to live on the island on the wages they earned, or people who left because the career they chose has limited to no options in Bermuda.
A whole lotta ‘resetting of the dials’ has yet to be done.
Banks now charging you to have a savings account while they make money off of your money.
Landlords still asking for the same old prices they were getting 12 years ago.
Prices everywhere else just going up like everything is ‘normal’ .
Bermudians that deliver goods and services are going to HAVE to adjust their expectations downwards just like everyone else who has lost their job (like me since 2011) .
It’s going to be many years before we see anything that even resembles a growing economy and EVERYONE should adjust accordingly or else we’ll never get back on out feet.
No longer can you get blood out of a stone .
Tourism hits hard in the small island mostly cause they do not want to come to a tourist attraction that only supplies restaurants bars n beaches its no entertainment for them they may as well stay in the USA and be bored and especially with the high prices no tourist will buy clothes or shop in our groccery stores most of them eat on the ship or in their hotel room cause its probably way cheaper smdh
No entertainment you say ? Well we have a yookulaly strummer for starters !
Since the OBA took over , we’ve removed the red tape and rolled out the red carpet , still job loses !
We have had more international businesses registering in Bermuda than in previous years under another administration , still job loses .
We’ve been assured and reassured that the world recession was over , long over , still job loses .
We’ve changed governments ; then Mayor Bloomberg , heralded in the new party and blessed them by saying Bermuda even feels lighter and is now from under a dark cloud , still job loses .
Building going on at the hospital , Hamilton princess and promises of Morgans Point , still job loses .
The premier and other cabinet ministers flying all over the globe to drum up business and still…… Wait for it ….
Houston .. We got a problem and we don’t know what the problem is , Who can fix it ? We’ve tried everything and STILL JOB LOSES !!!
Not sure why you’d bring me up… unless you really ARE just trolling me. Weird.
But yes. We DO have an ukulele player, one who is doing quite well, thank you very much. I’m currently playing 4 nights per week and will be moving to six nights a week very soon.
Do some research before you speak. It’ll help in the long run. I’ve suggested this before, to no avail.
Hey , I’m promoting you ! Don’t see anyone else doing it ..Bermuda for Bermudians right ? Take it easy ….
Are you, in fact, Bermudian?
I’m not sure I believe that. Where did this “Coffee” come from? What do we know about him?
He has a history of trolling Bernews, taunting and baiting and then evading and running away.
That doesn’t sound very Bermudian to me.
Not sure where I’ll die but my birth certificate says Paget Bermuda . Signed by Dr.James . And yours ?
Already told you. Born and raised here.
But mine can be verified. We can’t really believe a word you say, can we? You’ve lied so often before.
Sooo… Who exactly is the we you talk about ? And I’m sure that Dr.Heslops records on your birth are without question .
Come out from under the hood, “Coffee”.
Make the call Mike ! Simple question . Answer it .. Who exactly is the WE you talk about creep .
“We” meaning anyone who reads the drivel you post.
Now… Since answering questions is suddenly so important to you, will you be answering ones I post to you?
Or is it yet another example of a PLP sycophant pushing the “it’s ok when we do it” mantra?
@Coffee that sounds so good, I can not stop laughing, but you are correct !!
Bob says the economy is “turning the corner”. I’m sorry, but that is in no way true. This is an economy in free fall. Prices continue to rise and household incomes continue to fall. If the government does not go into super overdrive to get Mr. and Mrs. average Bermudian into work opportunities that will pay their bills, then financial assistance will rocket and the inevitable social unrest will occur.
We are already seeing a rise in burglaries and this is only the start. As much as I would like for the government of the day to have a reasonable amount of time to navigate the civil service and get good governance legislation in place, I’m afraid we are just beyond that point.
Decisive leadership forcing strong legislation to encourage swift, strong inward investment into our economy to ramp jobs immediately is a must… point blank. DO WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE – GET ON WITH IT!!!!!
And Yes,those who voted for the OBA were expecting the OBA to fix the BERMUDA recession, because much of it was HOME GROWN. if I recall correctly until recently Min. Bob..said the outside world had no influence on Bermuda…cause Bermuda was another world…
Beverley Connell says:
April 22, 2014 at 4:53 pm
@BIGGADON
Yes, the OBA were expecting the PLP to fix the BERMUDA recession, because much of it was HOME GROWN.
Sure it was Bermuda grown when local investors thought they will going to profit by building all those now empty office blocks in Hamilton. It was home grown when everybody thought they could built all those condos all over the country in anticipation of the thousands of foreign workers mostly IB workers whose rents were to be subsidize to the tune of thousands of dollars; Bermudian renters need not apply. It was Bermuda grown when employers began to lay off Bermudian workers in favour of bringing in low paid migrant workers; drying up that second job Bermudians use to work to buy that house; go on those trips; educate their children.
That is were Bermuda’s unemployment began to growth when Bermudians were push out of those second jobs worked at nights. It was Bermuda grown when major Bermuda businesses got caught in those financial fraudulent investment schemes coming out of Wall street where upon they lost thousands; millions of dollars devastating the coffers of much of Bermuda’s old money. This fact was one of the biggest media cover ups in Bermuda history as they sort to blame the PLP government for Bermuda’s economic down turn. This is the back ground to Bermuda’s economic down turn and a far cry from the big lie told again and again by the herd mentality political supporters of the anti-Bermudian one term OBA government.
Best comment yet…..Mr. Williams is right!
Tell it ! No Preach IT !!!
What really annoys me is how vividly I remember Col Burch insisting over many years (2002-2006) that
term limits will not hurt Bermuda. Meanwhile, IB were telling the then government that term limits will damage Bermuda for years to come.
The PLP were talking about “sustainable development” and that there were too many cars and too many expats filling our roads. The idea was even floated of possibly banning expats from having cars or driving on alternate days depending on your license plate number. Wow….we earn our living from visitors and expats. How incredibly short sighted our government was. Its sad on reflection and didn’t need to happen.
The U.S. recession lasted just over a year and contracted by l.9% and ended in 2009. Bermuda has contracted by more than 16% over the last 5 years and is ongoing.
Most of the world did not go into recession including Canada, most of Central America and South America and virtually all of Asia. There was no worldwide recession. This was made up by our then government to blame our catastrophic decline on. Bermuda’s recession was mostly homegrown. It was so very sad and unnecessary and we continue to suffer based on those very poor, short sighted and insular decisions.
The PLP failed us terribly on the economic front and we will all suffer for it for years to come and no one can reasonably argue against that unequivocal fact.
If you could explain to me the correlation between unemployment and the recession in America and it’s impact on Bermuda then maybe I’ll give credence to your flimsy argument concerning the fragile economic malaise Bermuda is suffering from . It is not enough to explain Bermudas economic plight as simplistic as you’ve attempted … Do better .
This is all because of the 14 yr reign!
Blame lays solely with the defunct plp and the blind green shirts!
So much for OBA and their 2000 jobs, oh I forgot 400 companies incorporated but how many hired Bermudians NONE! they are all on paper. Looking forward for the next election!!
This report was compiled 8 months after the OBA were voted in. You may be right, maybe the OBA will fail on their 2,000 jobs promise, but let’s give them longer than 8 months to hopefully achieve it. Or do you simply want them to fail?