Higher Unemployment Rate Among Women

The Statistical Institute of Belize (SIB) held its fourth final press conference for 2024, presenting key data on the Labour Force Survey, poverty, GDP, consumer prices, and external trade.

Anya Mejia, Statistician I at the SIB, shared details from the Labour Force Survey for September 2024. The survey, which covers 3,000 randomly selected households, showed that Belize’s working-age population in September 2024 was 412,319, with 72.4% of this group in the labour force.

According to the SIB, the unemployment rate stood at 2.1%, a decrease from September 2023. Notably, female unemployment was higher at 3.1%, while the majority of employed persons (60%) were male.

Mejia reported that 35.6% of employed individuals were informally employed, earning an average of $1,329 per month. Informal workers typically completed primary education and worked an average of 34.5 hours weekly.

Underemployment affected 2.2% of the workforce, with women accounting for 62.5% of this group. Most underemployed workers were seen in the services and sales sector. Youths aged 14-24 continued to show the lowest participation rates, especially young females.

Meanwhile, 25% of youth aged 15 to 24 were neither in education, employment, nor training (NEET). Young women accounted for 70% of this group.