Employment Numbers on the Rise in St Kitts and Nevis

Basseterre, St. Kitts, December 04, 2019 (SKNIS): Job numbers in St. Kitts and Nevis are on the rise, representing another positive indicator that the twin-island federation “continues to move in the right direction.”

At his monthly press conference on Wednesday (December 04, 2019), Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris reported that figures from Social Security indicate that “For the period January to August 2019, there was an average of 25,877 jobs per month, which was higher than the comparative period last year.”

Social Security classified the top five economic sectors generating employment as follows: 10,061 of jobs were found in the public sector; 3,140 jobs in the hotel and restaurant sector; 2,884 in wholesale and retail trade; 1,547 jobs in transport, storage and communication; and 1,481 jobs in manufacturing.

A further breakdown of the statistics for the January to August 2019 period revealed that of the average 25,877 jobs, 13,955 or 54% of the jobs were held by females and the remaining 11,922 or 46% of the jobs were held by males. An average of the gross monthly wages paid was $82 million per month up from $81 million in 2018.

The prime minister said that there were just under 1,500 active employers in St. Kitts and Nevis, as reported by Social Security.

Prime Minister Harris shared further positive news noting that data from the Ministry of Finance indicated that as at the end of October 2019, there were 601 approvals granted for business licence applications. Dr. Harris said that this is the largest approval ever in history.

Approvals covered several areas including: real estate, carpentry, farming, landscaping, restaurants, car rentals and trucking.

“More people working, more opportunities for our young people – this is the goal of the Team Unity Government and our competent and capable leadership has resulted in more business investment, more tourists, safer streets and communities,” Prime Minister Harris stated.