THE Statistical Institute of Jamaica (Statin) is reporting that the largest increase in employment by occupation group in April 2022 was recorded for ‘Service Workers and Shop and Market Sales Workers’, which climbed by 18,500 workers to 283,900.

This represents a seven percentage point increase, according to the Statistical Institute of Jamaica’s (Statin) Labour Force Survey for the month.

The findings also showed that the group ‘Professionals, Senior Officials and Technicians’ recorded the second-highest increase, climbing by 16,200 people, or six per cent, to 287,400 people compared with April 2021.

This was disclosed by Statin’s Director General Carol Coy during the institute’s digital quarterly media briefing on Friday.

Coy said women represented the majority of the increase in the group ‘Service Workers and Shop and Market Sales Workers’, 15,500 or 83.8 per cent, and accounted for more than half, 9,500 or 58.6 per cent, in the group ‘Professionals, Senior Officials and Technicians’.

She further advised that the group ‘Clerks’ increased by 14,100 persons, with females accounting for 12,900 or 91.5 per cent of the labour force.

The largest increase in male employment by occupation group was 7,500, recorded in the ‘Craft and Related Trades Workers’ category, followed by ‘Elementary Occupations’ with 7,400.

Meanwhile, the largest increase in the employed labour force by industry group in April 2022 was in ‘Real Estate and Other Business Services’, which stood at 126,300.

This was 20.3 per cent or 21,300 people more than the corresponding quarter last year.

Coy said this was followed by ‘Construction’, which rose by 12.2 per cent, or 14,500, to 132,900 workers.

“The largest increase in the number of males employed by industry group of 12,300, or 10.7 per cent, was in ‘Construction’ which moved to 127,200. The largest increase in female employment was seen in the group ‘Real Estate and Other Business Services’, of 24.5 per cent [or 23,300 people], moving from 54,300 in April 2021 to 67,600 in April 2022,” she said.

The number of employed persons who were engaged in economic activities for at least one hour during the March 20 to 26 survey reference week increased by 5.2 per cent to 1,269,300.

Coy indicated that females accounted for just over one-half of the increase, that is 33,600 persons or 53.1 per cent.

“Female employment grew by 6.2 per cent while male employment increased by 4.5 per cent,” she further advised.

This contributed to Jamaica’s unemployment rate falling to a new record low of six per cent in April 2022.

The overall number of persons in the labour force rose by 24,900, or 1.9 per cent, to 1,350,300.