KINGSTON, Jamaica — Jamaica’s unemployment rate for January 2025 stood at 3.7 per cent, 1.7 percentage points lower than the 5.4 per cent recorded in the same quarter of 2024.

It is marginally higher than the record low 3.5 per cent unemployment rate recorded in the October 2024 quarter.

The findings were released on Monday by the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN), in its January 2025 Labour Force Survey (LFS) which it compared with the corresponding quarter in 2024. The Survey was conducted between January and March 2025.

It found that nearly 14,000 jobs were added in the quarter. It also found that the labour force in January 2025, comprised 1,473,900 individuals, reflecting a decrease of 12,500 (0.8%) compared to January 2024. “Of this total, 786,100 were males and 687,900 were females,” said STATIN.

The male and female labour force declined, by 10,000 and 2,400, respectively; the overall labour force participation rate was 68.4 per cent, down 0.6 percentage points compared to January 2024. Males had a higher participation rate of 74.3 per cent, while females had a rate of 62.7 per cent. Male and female participation rates decreased by 0.2 and 0.9 percentage points, respectively, compared to January 2024.

STATIN said the employed labour force totalled 1,419,500 individuals in January 2025, reflecting an increase of 13,800 persons (1.0 per cent) compared to January 2024. The number of employed males increased by 5,800 (0.8 per cent) to 763,000, while the number of employed females increased by 7,900 (1.2 per cent) to 656,400.

Of note is that in January 2025, there were 24,300 underemployed persons (working part-time while wanting additional hours), 3,800 fewer persons than in January 2024.

The occupation group “Technicians and Associate Professionals” had the largest increase in the number of persons employed followed by “Professionals”. Together they accounted for most of the increase in the employed labour force. In January 2025, there were 95,900 persons employed in the occupation group “Technicians and Associate Professionals”, reflecting an increase in employment of 9,000 persons (10.4 per cent) compared to January 2024. Of this increase, 4,200 were males and 4,800 were females.

The “Professionals” occupation group had an increase of 8,000 individuals or 6.7 per cent, raising total employment in this group to 128,000. This group also recorded the largest growth in female employment, with an increase of 5,900 females or 7.5 per cent.

Conversely, the “Elementary Occupations” group had the largest decline in employment, with a reduction of 14,800 individuals, of which 11,800 (79.7 per cent) were males.

Industry group “Education, Human Health and Social Work Activities” had the largest increase in the number of persons employed. In January 2025, that industry employed 121,100 individuals, reflecting an increase of 9,400 persons (8.4 per cent). The majority of this growth was attributed to females, who accounted for 8,700 of the increase.

The second-largest increase by industry group occurred in “Manufacturing”, which saw an addition of 8,300 persons, bringing total employment in the group to 96,100 in January 2025.

Meanwhile, the “Wholesale and Retail Trade; Repair of Motor Vehicles and Motorcycles” industry employed 255,900 individuals. Compared to January 2024, employment in this sector decreased by 10,600 persons. The largest increase in male employment (6,200) was in the group “Manufacturing”, which grew from 58,300 in January 2024 to 64,500 in January 2025.