JAMAICA has, for the second year in a row, ranked among the lower-paying salary markets in the Caribbean, particularly for entry-level positions, according to the latest PayPulse 2025 Survey report published by the Caribbean Society for HR Professionals (CSHRP).

The findings of the new report places Jamaica in a similar salary band to Belize and St Vincent and the Grenadines, while regional counterparts such as The Bahamas, St Kitts and Nevis and Barbados emerged as the overall leaders in salary benchmarks — especially for executive and specialised roles.

The country’s continued position mirrors its 2024 standing and marks a reversal of the gains recorded in 2023 when the island ranked third among the region’s top-paying countries, behind Barbados and Antigua and Barbuda.

As in previous years, executive roles — including chief executive officer, chief financial officer and general manager — continued to command the highest salaries across participating countries. In contrast, entry-level and support roles such as groundsman, bartender, janitor, cashier and receptionist accounted for some of the lowest-paid wages.

“Key roles such as accountant, administrative assistant, auditor, CEO and human resource manager, experienced varying degrees of salary growth when compared with the 2024 report — with some markets showing substantial increases, possibly shaped by evolving market dynamics, inflation rates, and cost of living variations across the region,” the report noted.

The annual survey, which examines salary trends across distinct job roles in some 34 industries, conducted its assessments across 20 countries. Based on its findings sectors such as human resources, banking, financial services, insurance, hospitality, tourism, and catering were identified among the most lucrative. In contrast, industries such as education, child care and training, retailing, wholesale and purchasing, and some public sector jobs were highlighted as areas having significant scope for salary reform.

Now in its fourth instalment, the report — featuring expanded data sets and refined analysis — said its findings are designed to equip organisations with critical insights to support informed salary structuring decisions.

The 2025 issue compiles salary data from approximately 206 companies, covering 137 job roles. This increased regional coverage, its team of researchers said, offers a broader perspective on salary trends, tailored to the diverse socio-economic environments within the Caribbean.

Highlighting CSHRP’s ongoing commitment to data-driven research, Deputy Chairman Vaughn McDonald said the findings are intended to empower both employers and employees to make strategic decisions that can help reshape the regional labour market.

“As we navigate the ongoing challenges of economic volatility, digital transformation, and the persistent threat of brain drain, the need for reliable regional compensation data continues to be critical. We remain steadfast in our mission to proactively build the human behind HR, and PayPulse is a cornerstone of that commitment,” McDonald said.

For the first time, the report in its 2025 survey introduced an Affordability Index, which compared average monthly salaries against basic living costs such as housing, food, utilities and transportation.

The index showed Belize recording the highest affordability score at 233.99 per cent, followed by Guyana at 138.63 per cent, and Grenada at 136.56 per cent. Jamaica, along with The Bahamas and Antigua and Barbuda, fell within the moderately affordable range.

Meanwhile, eight countries — including Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, St Lucia and Aruba — scored below 100 per cent. A score of 100 per cent indicates that average salaries are just enough to meet living expenses, while scores below that threshold suggest that workers are unable to fully cover basic costs.

McDONALD…as we navigate the ongoing challenges of economic volatility, digital transformation, and the persistent threat of brain drain, the need for reliable regional compensation data continues to be critical