Business updates

1.      Employment of Mauritians is estimated at 549,900 at the first quarter of 2020 compared to 546,000 at the first quarter of 2019 and 557,200 at the fourth quarter of 2019.

2.      The unemployment rate for the first quarter of 2020 is estimated at 7.1%, compared to the rate of 6.9% at first quarter 2019 and the rate of 6.4% at the fourth quarter of 2019.

3.   The main characteristics of the unemployed at the first quarter of 2020 were:

(i)       The 41,900 unemployed comprised 18,000 males (43%) and 23,900 females (57%).

(ii)      18,700 or about 45% of the unemployed were aged below 25 years.

(ii)      Around 25,500 (61%) of the unemployed were not yet married. The majority of males (79%) were not yet married compared to 47% among the females.

(iii)     Some 20,400 (49%) of the unemployed did not have the Cambridge School Certificate (SC) or equivalent and among them, 4,200 had not even passed the Certificate of Primary Education (CPE) or equivalent.

(iv)     35,000 (84%) had been looking for work for up to one year.

(v)      11,600 (28%) were looking for a job for the first time.

(vi)     Around 18,700 (45%) were registered at the Employment Service Information Centre.

(vii)    There were 8,400 (20%) young persons aged 16 to 24 years, not yet married and looking for a first job. Some 2,200 possessed a qualification below SC.

(viii)    4,300 or 10% of the unemployed were heads of households.

(ix)      6,700 (16%) lived in households with no employed persons.

Source: Statistics Mauritius

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