Former Cabinet Minister Fred Mitchell  says the  latest labour statistics  are “indicative of the fact that unemployment in the Bahamas  is worse”. 

Things, he said, are moving in the wrong direction, and this despite the signs and warnings the government continues to double down in what he called its “depressing menu of stop, review, cancel and cutback”.

The results  show a .7 per cent increase in the number of unemployed Bahamian in comparison to May of last year, which indicated that employment increased by 4,525 persons or 2.2 per cent from 203,730 to 208,255.

The  Progressive Liberal Party (PLP)  Chairman  is  urging the Minnis Administration to reverse course before it inflicts more suffering on Bahamians. 

Senator Mitchell’s comments are in response to the preliminary results from the November 2018 Labour Force Survey. 

The most recent Labour Force Survey also showed 2,305 net new jobs were added to the Bahamian economy between May and November 2018. 

A release from the ministry states, “While these gains are noteworthy, the rate of job growth is still not adequate to absorb the number of school leavers entering the labour market each year.”

It added, “this accounted for a small increase in the overall unemployment rate from 10.0% to 10.7% in May of 2018. Notable, however, is that in the 18-month period since May of 2017 the economy added 10,400 net new jobs, largely in the private sector.”

The ministry also plans to announce a package of direct financing instruments to get capital into the hands of Bahamian entrepreneurs and small businesses. 

This, it said, will allow for the creation of jobs and for opportunities for self-employment. 

The Ministry of Labour stated, “an element of this will be a grant program targeted specifically at young Bahamians from disadvantaged backgrounds. These plans will give life to the government’s $25 million commitment to Bahamian entrepreneurship announced by the Prime Minister last year”.