July 1, 2026

Overview

The April 2026 Labour Force Survey (LFS), with a reference week of April 12–18, 2026, points to a softening labour market in Jamaica. Employment declined year-over-year, the unemployment rate rose, labour force participation fell, and more people moved outside the labour force altogether. All comparisons are made with April 2025.

Employment

A total of 1,418,800 persons were employed in April 2026, a decline of 25,700 (approximately 1.8%) compared to April 2025. Employment fell across both genders — male employment dropped 1.1% to 761,000, while female employment fell 2.5% to 657,900. Youth employment was particularly affected, with 158,700 young people employed, a notable decline of 9.1% from the prior year.

Unemployment

The unemployment rate rose to 3.7%, up from 3.3% in April 2025. The total number of unemployed persons stood at 55,000, an increase of 5,000 over the previous year. Broken down by gender, the male unemployment rate was 2.7% and the female rate was 4.9%, both reflecting an increase. Youth unemployment also worsened, with 21,000 young persons unemployed — up from 19,600 the previous year — resulting in a youth unemployment rate of 11.7%.

Labour Force Participation

The total labour force stood at 1,473,900 in April 2026. The overall labour force participation rate dropped to 68.4%, down from 69.3% in April 2025 — a decline of 0.9 percentage points. Both the male labour force (down 7,300 to 781,900) and the female labour force (down 13,200 to 692,000) contracted over the period.

Persons Outside the Labour Force

Reflecting the lower participation rate, 681,900 persons were outside the labour force in April 2026 — an increase of 20,500 compared to April 2025. Males outside the labour force increased by 7,400, and females by 13,200.

Methodology Note

STATIN continued to deploy an abridged version of the standard LFS questionnaire in selected enumeration districts across the western parishes of St. Elizabeth, Westmoreland, St. James, Hanover, and Trelawny, which continued to experience disruptions following the passage of Hurricane Melissa on October 28, 2025. As a result, some of the usual indicators could not be produced for the quarter.

Source: Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) | www.statinja.gov.jm

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