Residents are increasingly reporting job losses as the Island continues to suffer at the hands of the economy.Telecommunications, construction, international business and retail have taken a number of hits according to the latest poll by Mindmaps, which found 14 percent of registered voters had lost a job in the past 12 months; of those, 80 percent are still out of work.When people were asked the same question in April, 12 percent said they’d lost a job in the previous year.In the latest survey, 400 people were interviewed between June 26 and July 3. Eight of them said they had lost jobs in telecommunications, six in the construction industry, six in international business and six in retail.Four people lost hospitality jobs, four in banking and four in insurance. Two lost jobs in law and two in education, with one each in administration, bartending, carpentry, human resources and landscaping.The poll showed whites were more likely than blacks to lose their jobs, representing a turnaround to the findings in the April survey.Eighteen percent of whites had lost a job in the previous year, compared with 11 percent of blacks. Three months ago, the figure was 16 percent for blacks and eight percent for whites.The 55 to 64 age bracket was the most badly affected, with 21 percent reporting a job loss, more than one in five.Among those people who managed to find work again, retail and security proved to be the most popular source of a new job.Government recently launched a registration drive to try to find out the extent of the unemployment problem, with anecdotal evidence from employers suggesting the number of people out of work has soared during the economic crisis.In January this year, Bermuda Employers’ Council estimated the Island had lost up to 3,000 jobs since 2009.Yesterday, director Martin Law said BEC had received less calls about potential redundancies so far this month, but warned against reading too much into that.“The economy is still struggling and we are still seeing some job losses,” Mr Law told The Royal Gazette.“Whether these losses are at the same level as previously experienced is unclear. In July we have fielded fewer inquiries about potential redundancies than we have experienced previously. It is far too early to determine if this is a trend.“We still need to do everything we can to stimulate the economy and support businesses that provide employment.”Mindmaps’ new survey has also shown five percent of people are confident with the direction the economy is heading, with 70 percent not confident.The poll has a margin of error of 4.9 percent.l Useful websites: www.mindmaps.bm