Minister Releases Labour Force Survey Report
Minister for the Cabinet Office Wayne Furbert released the May 2019 Labour Force Survey Report from the Department of Statistics today.
Minister Furbert said, “The report contains selected indicators of the labour force and economically inactive population. These indicators are compared between the May 2018 and the May 2019 Labour Force Survey Reports.
“I am very encouraged by several of the findings which, I believe, speak to this Government’s commitment to invest in our people, encourage small business development and grow our economy.
“For example, the number of persons who were underemployed in May 2019 decreased by 10.6% when compared with May 2018, totalling 5,673 persons – or 16.0 % of the working population.
“The sharp decline in underemployment signals an increased level of job satisfaction among the working population. Measures of underemployment include job holder dissatisfaction with working conditions, the amount and/or scheduling of time worked, concerns with duration of employment, whether temporary or seasonal work, underutilization of work skills and desire for higher pay.
“A further positive trend of note is that the median gross annual income from the main jobs of persons 16-24 years rose by 17.8% from $23, 455 in May 2018 to $27,631 in May 2019. Additionally, the median gross annual income for persons without a formal certificate of education increased by 15.1 % from $41,357 in 2018 to $47,588 in 2019.
“With respect to race, persons of mixed and other racial backgrounds, recorded significant gains in their median gross annual income which rose by 11.9% from $56, 028 in 2018 to $62,711 in 2019. Between May 2018 and May 2019, non-Bermudians marked an 8.8% increase in their median gross annual income from $67,401 to $73,352.
‘The median’ is based on annual income before deductions. The income data relates to the working population including full- and part-time workers, regardless of the number of hours and months worked.
“The term ‘labour force’ refers to those persons of working age who were 16 years or older during the survey reference week and were either gainfully employed [the working population] or available and looking for work [the unemployed population].
The Island’s unemployment rate remained unchanged at 5.2% from last May.
“Between May 2018 and May 2019, the greatest gains in employment occurred amongst high school certificate holders which grew by 12.6 % from 10,627 to 11,969. Degree holders also made significant strides in employment levels as their number increased by 9.0% during this period.
“Other noteworthy gains in employment were recorded by persons aged 25 to 34 years and 65 years and older which increased year-over-year by 9.3 % and 8.1%, respectively.
“So, as you can see, we have some positive news as we head into Christmas.
“In closing, I want to say ‘thank you’ to all those who took part and completed the survey when contacted by interviewers. I understand there was a very good response rate with 99% of the completion target met by the end of the data collection period.
“The public is advised to read the technical note and the concepts and definitions on pages three through six prior to reviewing the data.”
The full Labour Force Survey follows below [PDF here]
*Bermudian job positions decreased whilst non-Bermudian jobs increased between November 2018 and May 2019.
*Unemployed Bermudians increased between November 2018 and May 2019
Strange encouraging signs that Mr. Furbert sees in these figures.
So, the report contains “selected indicators” of the “labour force and economically inactive population” and still it says that our “Island’s unemployment rate remained unchanged at 5.2% from last May.”
That is not very encouraging.
why is unemployment among Bermudians up? What happened to putting Bermudians first?
Totally meaningless bunch of statistics provided by statisticians and economists who have no experience in the real world.
I don’t see anywhere data the huge number folks sleeping rough ,of homeless and folks in need of food every Christmas that seems to be ever increasing a more reliable indicator of hard times ahead the spin doctors are pulling the wool over our eyes again
These are some good Labour Survey Results, Encouraging, Positive! Thank You Government for the efforts to make life better for us here.
Huh?
*The number of Bermudian jobholders fell whilst non-Bermudian positions jumped.
*Bermudian unemployed persons increased 224 (17%) since November 2018
*Black unemployment jumped up 267 positions (28%) from November 2018
*16-24 year olds saw their unemployment stats more than double from November 2018
*45-54 year olds saw unemployment increased 78% from November 2018
Good results? Are we reading the same report, or did you simply listen to the Furbert’s cherry picked figures and spin? Rhetorical question as your post already reveals the answer.