Poll finds 12% of residents have lost a job in the past 12 months
Twelve percent of residents have lost a job in the last year, according to a new poll.Most of those who had their jobs axed were black men and the biggest out of work age group was 45 to 54 year olds.The statistics came from a Mindmaps poll conducted for The Royal Gazette in July.It comes after announcements that more than 150 jobs were to be axed and Economy Minister Kim Wilson said: “The reality of the harsh economic climate cannot be ignored.”A total of 105 jobs are to go at Citi Hedge Fund Services as the company relocates to North America to save money and 46 full and part-time posts will be lost at the Willowbank Resort when the hotel closes its doors at the end of November.The poll found that 16 percent of blacks questioned had lost their jobs compared to five percent of whites.The latest figures also show that more men than women had been affected by unemployment with 14 percent of men and ten percent of women saying they had been laid off.The poll showed job losses were hitting all ages, but the young to middle-aged had been worst affected.Eleven percent of those quizzed in the 18 to 34 and 35-44 age groups had lost their jobs, 20 percent aged 45-54, seven percent aged 55-64 and three percent aged 65 and above.People had been laid off in industries across the board, with construction, banking/finance, retail, hospitality, trades, and information technology being the most frequently mentioned.Other industries listed by those out of work include administration, accounting, child care, Government, healthcare, housekeeper, hairdressing, legal and warehouse.The same poll showed that out of the 12 percent of residents who had lost a job in the last year, just eight percent had found new employment.Several had found new jobs in construction, retail and hospitality, while others mentioned new work in industries including healthcare, Government, landscaping, self-employment, custodian, boating and pizza driver.Premier Paula Cox said the survey results were to be expected, adding that Government was doing everything it could to help those in need.She said: “Job creation is a key element that the Government is heavily focused on. Also equally important is the need to provide opportunities to assist those who need help.“It is important that the Government continue to help people through these challenging times. We need jobs so diversification, expanding with new and green technologies and retooling and retraining are all key aspects”.Shadow Finance Minister Bob Richards said the latest findings were “no surprise at all” as there “were quite a high number of residents out of work”.He suspects figures “to grow even further” after the two announcements of layoffs this week at Citi Hedge Fund Services and the Willowbank Resort.Mr Richards said: “Those out of work has slowly been rising since the recession about three years ago, I think today's figure is probably a lot higher than we think.“The problem is that we have never really had a proper measure of those out of work.“Government has been playing games with the number. They have only counted Bermudians out of work, when no other country measures it like that. There are a lot of guest workers who have also lost their jobs”.Mr Richards believes a lot of Bermuda's unemployed had been working in the construction industry and the middle aged would find it particularly difficult to find new jobs.He said: “We overbuilt in the first place during the good times and now we have no choice but to downsize.“But it's not easy, these people can't simply transfer from a job in construction to a job at an exempt company”.United Bermuda Party leader Kim Swan said: “Behind the statistics are Bermudian people living the worst that this economic nightmare has to offer.“It is a difficult time for many families and I am supportive of emergency financial considerations to meet extraordinary social circumstances never experienced in Bermuda before in recent decades”.The Mindmaps poll quizzed 405 Bermuda residents.All were registered voters aged 18 or above, and the data was weighted to be representative of Bermuda's population on race, age and gender. The margin of error for the study was 4.9 percent.
Conyers Dill and Pearman: Thirteen people, including lawyers and support staff, were axed in January.Ace: The reinsurer cut 17 posts at the start of the year to “make its global financial management operations more efficient”.Belco: Twenty-six people found themselves out of work in early 2011 after the electricity company made job cuts.Bermuda Press (Holdings) Ltd: 14 people were let go early this year from the commercial print division due to a restructuring of operations.Allied World: About 15 employees worked their last days at the company in January.BTC: To save money the phone company reduced its staff by about 25 employees in March.Butterfield Bank: In March, 25 employees were made redundant because of internal reorganisation.Butterfield Fulcrum: Ten staff were axed from the Bermuda office following a review of the distribution of work.Appleby: Twelve people lost their jobs at the law firm between May and September.Department of Education: A total of 42 teachers lost their jobs in July, including 30 paraprofessionals and 12 unqualified or unregistered teachers.The Berkeley Institute: Twenty posts were cut in the summer to save money at the high school.CedarBridge Academy: Twenty-seven posts were eliminated at the end of the school year.Saltus Grammar School: Eight staff lost their jobs at the end of the school year because of declining enrolment.HomeZone: Fourteen employees were made redundant when the business closed as a result of the economic downturn.Furniture Flair: Three people were left out of work when the company changed ownership.Government golf courses: At least six staff were laid off at Port Royal and Ocean View golf courses in June.Aircraft Services Bermuda: 35 workers lost their jobs in July when the company closed certain departments because of the local economy and financial pressures.M3 Wireless: The company merged with CellularOne in May and got rid of three workers.HWP: Twenty-one people were laid off after a fire swept through the car showroom in Pembroke in August.Bacardi: Thirteen Bermudians lost their jobs last month in what was called a “reorganisation” of its Bermuda operations.Willowbank Hotel: Trustees announced that 46 full and part-time staff would be axed when the hotel closes on November 30.Citi Hedge Fund Services: Announced this week that there would be 105 job losses as they were relocating to the US and Canada.
