In the wake of the Department of Statistics’ unemployment report, Bain’s  and  Grant’s Town residents yesterday described the uphill battle associated with securing a steady income. 

The  Journal   spoke  with Sidney Pierre, a landscaper, who has been unemployed for about five years. 

He said, “working today, you got a lot of people that go out there on a hustle and try to make a dollar, but you got people that have you working and when the weekend comes around, it’s a run around.”

He added, “If you do find something you have to do things the people’s way. You please them, but you can’t be pleased.”

Although he admitted that he does feel the sting of unemployment, Mr. Pierre also said that the government should not be at fault. 

He said, “the government must be given space and time also. We can’t be sitting down saying ‘government government’ when there are  other little things we can do to help ourselves so that we can be better.”

“At the same time with the VAT and other situations with the smaller man having to pay for school, adults should be able to sustain themselves for the sake of their children,”he said. 

A single mother who  also spoke with the Journal  said that she has been out of work for almost a year. 

When asked why she lost her job, she chalked it up as politics. 

She said, “you know when parties change, they accommodate their family or whatever. So, it’s been since October of last year that we have been let go from the National Stadium.”

She added, “since being let go, it’s been a real struggle because its hard to find jobs out there. When you get dressed and go on these interviews, it isn’t easy to guarantee you’re coming home with a job. The struggle has been really great especially having kids.”

Preliminary figures show that the unemployment rate in the capital dipped from 10.6 per cent to 10 per cent.