KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) — According to director general of the Planning Institute of Jamaica, Dr Wayne Henry, eight of the 16 industry groups have recorded increased employment levels, resulting from greater recruitment of workers.

According to Henry, “The largest increases were recorded for hotel and restaurant services, up 12,900 persons; construction, up 12,500 persons; other community, social and personal service activities, up 8,800 persons; and manufacturing, up 7,900 persons.”

Meanwhile, Henry said the expansion in the labour force was attributable to several factors.

These, he outlined, include an increase in the working-age population, 14 years and older, by 4,100 people and a contraction in the number of people outside the labour force by 49,000 persons.        

Dr Henry said the main reasons for the contraction were a reduction in the number of individuals indicating they did not want to work, by 43,300 people; a 5,500 decline in the number of people indicating that they were staying home with dependents; and a 3,500 reduction in the number of people indicating they were at school part-time.

The director general said as a result of the expanded labour force, the unemployment rate recorded for April stood at 13.7 per cent.

This, he indicated, was 0.4 per cent higher than the figure for the corresponding period in 2015.

Meanwhile, the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) is reporting that the country’s labour force increased by 53,100 persons to 1,353,500 as at April 2016.

According to STATIN’s Labour Force Survey for that month, 1,168,600 people secured employment, representing an increase of 40,100 over the corresponding period in 2015.