BusinessDecember 14, 2019 December 14, 2019 at 3:02 am Natario McKenzie
NASSAU, BAHAMAS – Abaco and Grand Bahama will not be included in the next Department of Statistics Labour Force Survey due to the impact of Hurricane Dorian.
Leona Wilson, Acting Director of the Department of Statistics explained the Grand Bahama statistics office is still not functioning; and the Abaco office will be unable to gather accurate information due to the significant change in the population profile post-storm.
“Because there was so much damage in Abaco the information wouldn’t be the same. Persons either would have the island or moved different places. Hopefully early next year our team would be able to go back to Abaco to see how the situation has changed,” said Wilson.
The Department is currently collecting data for its semi-annual labour force survey during the month of December. The survey is usually conducted in November on Abaco, New Providence and Grand Bahama, but was delayed by the storm.
Department of Statistics officials also sought to assure the public that its enumerators will be properly identified with a highly visible vest with the Department of Statistics written on the back, with letters signed by the Acting Director of Statistics Leona Wilson, picture ID’s signed by the director and a tablet on which the data is collected.
In August, the national unemployment rate dropped to 9.5 percent.
At the time of the survey in May, the rate in New Providence was 9.4 percent and Grand Bahama was 10.9 percent. Both islands saw decreases in unemployment from the previous rates of 11 percent and 11.9 percent respectively.
Abaco’s unemployment rate increased from 7.7 percent in November 2018 to 9.3 percent in May.
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