Jersey unemployment rises for the sixth month in a row

Jersey Unemployment has risen for the sixth month in a row with 1,820 people registered as out of work in February.

The States Statistics Unit said since August the number of islanders officially registered as unemployed has continued to climb.

The number of people who have been out of work for more than a year has doubled in the past year.

Seven out of 10 unemployed islanders are claiming benefits and a third of jobseekers are under 25-years-old.

But a spokesman for the States Statistics Unit said because there was no requirement for people to tell Jersey's government they were out of work the real figure was thought to be much higher.

Jersey's Chief Minister has pledged to make tackling the island's growing unemployment problem his top priority.
(from BBC)

Sadly this is far from being the real figure, but we need to remember that the statistics office is answerable to the Chief Ministers office and is not an independent authority unlike the Auditor and Comptroller Mr Swinson, who is also retained by the UK Government.

In the recent census the figure was shown as

Unemployment in Jersey stood at 2,569 during the last census. This brings into the net, wives who may have lost their jobs, finance and other office types who were made redundant but had to sign a secrecy pledge to get payment.

I feel it is not right to make a guess regarding the thousands that are unemployed but to point out if 1,820 is bad, think about the real figure.

BB

And its not going to improve