The Statistical Institute also disclosed the results of their most recent labour force survey.
That one was conducted in April of this year, and by their analysis, the unemployment rate at that time was 11.2%. Now, as we've been telling you since December of last year, statisticians have a very specific meaning for that word. To be counted as a person who is "unemployed" by their definition, you had to be actively looking for work during the time period when this study was conducted. If you weren't, the SIB classifies you as a person who is completely out of the labour force. So, while unemployment is an important metric to keep track of, the number of Belizeans who aren't even trying to get employed is also another major indicator. It provides a more complete picture of just how productive the entire working-age population is - or in this case, isn't.
Here's the SIB's latest study on the labour force, which was presented by Statistician, Wendy Benavides:
Wendy Benavides - Statistician II, SIB
"The chart shows the breakdown of the estimated population as of mid-April 2021. The population is separated into persons under 14 years, and those persons 14 years and over. We are interested in the Working Age Population, or WAP, which is recognized as person 14 years and over. The WAP consisted of 304,620 persons and represented 71.2% of the total population. Within the WAP, some persons form the Labour Force or fall outside the Labour Force. The Labour Force consisted of 181,734 [persons] or 59.7% of all persons of working age. Persons outside the Labour Force were estimated at 122,886. This group includes persons who are not looking or not available to work. Both the employed and the unemployed form the labour force. In April 2021, the employed persons were estimated at 161,416, which represented 88.8% of the labour force. Unemployed persons made up 11.2% of the labour force, with about 20,318 persons. Within the employed population, there is a sub-group of persons who work less than 35 hours per week and are wanting and available to work additional hours. This subgroup is referred to as the underemployed and represented 21.1% of all employed persons."
"Males continue to account for 60% of the labour force. Just over half of the labour force also continues to be found in rural areas. Although overall participation rates have decreased mainly due to revisions to the employed and unemployed, male participation levels in the labour force continue to be higher than that of females. Results revealed that 3 out of 10 persons who are not participating in the labour force did not look for work due to family responsibilities, and almost all these persons were women."
"The April 2021 LFS showed an unemployment rate of 11.2% for the country. The Stann Creek District experienced the highest unemployment levels at 14%, due to losses in employment, and an increase in the level of joblessness, while Orange Walk District experienced the lowest levels of unemployment at 7.2%, due to an increase in informal employment. While Belize District usually trends as having one of the highest unemployment levels in past surveys, it now has the second-lowest."
As you heard, a little over 181 thousand Belizeans are actively engaged in the labour force. That's only 59.7% of Belizeans who are of the appropriate working age. That leaves another 40.3% of Belizeans who can possibly bolster the nation's labour force - but don't for various reasons.
