Last year’s Labour Force Survey of the Department of Statistics STAT produced some interesting results (see related story). For starters, the unemployment rate rose significantly following the devastation caused by Hurricane Irma, from 6.2 per cent in February 2017 (high season) to 9.9 per cent in September/October 2018 (low season one year after Irma).
This was, of course, to be expected and is in fact not too bad, considering the extensive damage inflicted on the local tourism economy. The number of available Dutch-side hotel rooms 16 months later is still only about half of what it used to be, while the situation appears even worse North of the open border.
It’s also good to put the figures now released into historic perspective. Unemployment in St. Maarten reached 10.6 per cent in March 2007 (high season), 12.2 per cent in June 2009 (low season), 11.5 per cent in April 2011 (population census; Carnival season) and 9.2 per cent in June 2013 (low season).
The highest jobless rate is among youngsters ages 15-24 (17.9 per cent), followed by adults of 25-44 years and persons 45 and above. However, there are also economically inactive people, including retirees, a category that dropped by 4.23 per cent since February 2017.
One factor that cannot be denied is the impact of offering post-Irma training to personnel temporarily laid off or on reduced work schedules pending the rebuilding and reopening of resorts as well as other businesses. Close to 1,000 disadvantaged employees were thus able to stay active by upgrading their knowledge and skills while receiving a stipend of about NAf. 1,000 per month to help them cope.
In addition to hospitality, courses have been provided in nursing and construction, all of it paid mostly by the Netherlands either with emergency assistance via non-governmental organisations (NGOs) or from the Dutch-sponsored Trust Fund managed by the World Bank. These programmes were the big difference in mitigating negative social consequences compared to other hurricane-hit islands, so those who took the initiative and made it happen deserve credit for their foresight.
