Unemployment rates have risen slightly in the last quarter of 2009 after staying unchanged in the first quarter of this year, the Central Statistical Office (CSO) said yesterday.

In its Labour Force Bulletin, the CSO said that while the number of unemployed remained the same, there was a decrease in the available labour force.

Since the unemployment rate is calculated as a ratio of the labour force, this accounted for the slight rise.

When compared to the corresponding second quarter for 2008-this shows up as an increase from 4.6 per cent to 5.1 per cent.

’The overall unemployment rate for Trinidad and Tobago edged up slightly in the second quarter 2009 to 5.1 per cent from the level of 5.0 per cent recorded in the first quarter 2009,’ the CSO said in a news release.

On the employed sector, the CSO stated: ’The survey data showed that persons with jobs decreased 1.0 per cent between the first and second quarters from 598,200 to 592,500. A comparison of the data for the second quarter 2009 with the second quarter 2008 showed a decrease in the total number of employed persons Trinidad and Tobago.’

The largest decreases were observed in the industries of transport, storage and communications, other manufacturing (excluding oil and sugar) and community, social and personal services.

The highest unemployment rate for males was seen in the 20 to 24 age group (8.6 per cent), while the highest unemployment rate for females was observed in the age group 15 to 19 (20 per cent).