ESO Survey

Many have been wondering what impact Ivan had on the workforce – both in terms of unemployment and availability of labour. A recently completed survey provides a snapshot in time of how the labour force has changed – and in some cases remained the same – following the hurricane.

Data collected from the fall Labour Force Survey – which used 20-27 November 2004 as the reference week – reveals that while Ivan did impact the labour force and population of Cayman, other indicators – such as unemployment rates – have remained constant since the April 2004 survey.

An initiative of the Economics and Statistics Office (ESO), the fall survey was restricted to Grand Cayman due to post-Ivan administration difficulties and the desire to obtain data on the storm’s impact on the labour force. It is emphasized that the survey reveals only information from the reference week. Subsequent surveys will help confirm whether results from the fall are continuing trends as a result of Hurricane Ivan.

The following are some highlights:

• During the period 20-27 November 2004, the unemployment rate in the Cayman Islands stood at 4.4%, comparable to the rate recorded during the last labour force survey in April 2004. Unemployment rates for Caymanians and Non-Caymanians were 4% and 5%, respectively. In April 2004, the unemployment rate for Caymanians stood at 6%, and for Non-Caymanians, 3%.
• Caymanians equalled 51% of the total employed labour force.
• At the time of the survey, Grand Cayman’s population had decreased by 20%, from 42,397 in April 2004 to 33,853 in November.
• Those most likely to have left the island after Ivan were Non-Caymanian females and youth aged 15 to 19 years old.
• Of those households remaining in Grand Cayman after Hurricane Ivan, about 20% no longer lived in the same dwelling unit they occupied prior to the storm.

The detailed Labour Force Survey is available on the ESO website www.eso.ky and the Cayman Islands Government website www.gov.ky.