Unemployment rate down since 2012
The figure for unemployment was also released by the S.I.B. But first, the largest employer is the private sector, no surprise here; it employs fifty-eight percent of the work force while twelve percent work for the government and twenty-seven percent are self employed. The S.I.B. also reports that in comparison to 2012, unemployment is fourteen point two percent which is down from 2012.
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Leopold Perriott, Statistical Institute of Belize
Leopold Perriott
“The number of unemployed persons is twenty-one thousand three hundred persons in all. That’s the entire country, that’s the estimate for September, mid September 2013. An unemployed person is a person that is fourteen years or old without a job, looking and able. Of that, we have males are almost nine thousand—eight thousand seven hundred and seventy-six of the unemployed are males and the females dwarf them, twelve thousand five hundred and twenty-four females and unemployed. That’s the numbers we’ve come up with. The unemployment rate is a number of unemployed persons divided by the number of persons in the labor force. So it’s the percentage of persons in the labor force. Countrywide, it’s fourteen point two percent of the unemployed people in the labor force; that is the unemployment rate. The number of unemployed persons decreased evidently its twenty-one thousand three hundred, which is a good thing. The twenty-four thousand was September 2012.”
Another statistic is that the lowest unemployment rate is in Orange Walk, while the highest is in Cayo. Interestingly there is little difference in the figures of those unemployed between the rural and urban areas.
This is pure, unadulterated gibberish!! Walk the streets of Belize City or the muddy unpaved paths of the villages countrywide and take a poll, and you will find every other person has no job and wants a little handout. Those people who are considered self-employed are hardcore, ketch-and-kill unemployed. So how does SIB want to report the data. If there were only 14% unemployment as SIB asserts, the Belize economy (GDP) would have almost doubled as increased employment is a direct function of increased GDP. And as we all know by now, all the economies of the Caribbean, including Belize, are in catastrophic economic depression. So go back to drawing board, SIB, and try to be honest on raw data input.
Totally agree with Malthus. Our GDP should be doubble what is being reported with unemployment figures reported as such. Then again too, are they considering full time begging and the rock heads washing cars on the street side as being employed? Does this include all the people in our vast “underground” economy? What survey system was used to obtain these figures? I sure as heck was not asked anything.
Its impressive how statistics can be used to skew real facts.
I agree with Ricky here…unemployment IS UP. The Statistical department needs to employ some of the many unemployed Belizeans and give them true training courses and make sure they know how to interview. And please stop using high school children to gather your data. Do you not realize what fools you look when you say unemployment rate down. Your garbage data from 2012 versus your garbage data from 2013 may show a decrease but if you were to get out of your high horses and ACTUALLY gather data, you would see what all the rest of us see. Unemployment is at an all time worst. When you see a young Belizean with college degree apply even to clean up shelves(nothing wrong with that) because there is no other work, then you realize how bad things are!!!
The reason for this is because every day belizeans getting their visa and moving out of belize to America and other countries to seek some type of employment.
I agree more with Junie There have been many employable people who prefer to flee as students or to take their chances elsewhere. From my review, SIB statistics have actually improved in their level of detail.