Guernsey continues to have very low levels of unemployment compared to international standards, and end of year figures highlighted a reduction of those registered in the final month of 2020.
In total 506 people were registered unemployed at the end of December 2020 (including 9 in Alderney) – a decrease of 46 from November. Fewer people were also seeking an income support top-up, with 360 people doing some work while job-seeking, a reduction of 30 on the previous month.
A total of 195 people completed short courses during the last quarter, and the job centre promoted 146 adverts on its website and display boards during the month.
While the total number unemployed at the end of the year was 170 up compared to the end of 2019, the total number represents 1.68% of the working population.
Deputy Peter Roffey, President of the Committee for Employment & Social Security, said: “The pandemic has understandably impacted the jobs market throughout the year. While these year-end figures show an improvement for December, we are still dealing with economic uncertainty and that is likely to be felt in the jobs market for some time yet. In May 2020 we reached a peak of unemployment of 1,631 people, which is 5.2% of the workforce, so we’ve seen a significant reduction since then. We should be pleased with these figures, even if they are higher than they are traditionally.”
