Youth unemployment continues to challenge Caribbean economic recovery, with rates substantially exceeding national averages across the region. According to the Caribbean Development Bank’s 2024-2025 Economic Review, youth joblessness remains high despite overall labour market improvements.
The data reveals stark disparities: while national unemployment rates have declined to single digits in most countries, youth unemployment persists at double-digit levels. Saint Lucia, Grenada, and Barbados report youth unemployment around 20%, while The Bahamas and Jamaica hover near 18%. Even better-performing economies like Trinidad and Tobago and Belize maintain youth unemployment rates around 15%.
The widest gaps in youth unemployment compared to national averages exceed 10 percentage points in several Caribbean countries, including Belize, Jamaica, Grenada, The Bahamas, and Barbados. This disparity highlights ongoing challenges in integrating youth into the labour market, despite persistent labour shortages in key sectors such as tourism and construction.
Addressing these gaps requires targeted policies focused on skills development, and expanding employment opportunities for young people to close the divide and support inclusive economic growth.
Source: CDB Caribbean Economic Review and Outlook 2024-2025
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Well, as the article says, targeted policies are needed. So, we should push harder in these areas: Even from early in secondary school, students should be attending career fairs, listening to speakers from different lines of work and being informed as to how to pursue different pathways to employment in different sectors. They should also be encouraged to have a backup plan in case they can’t get into their preferred area right away. For young adults, there should be more marketing by training and employment centres that assist persons with obtaining work. I see lots of job advertisements online but maybe some persons are not aware of where to look or need help with their resume etc.