Island census reveals the current shape of workforce

Friday 27th January 2012, 2:59PM GMT.

Polish people are the least likely to be unemployed

POLITICIANS grappling with record levels of unemployment were given an unprecedented insight today into the make-up of Jersey’s workforce.

The latest release of data gathered by the census compiled from 27 Match 2011 has revealed a raft of figures showing, for example, in which age-groups and sections of the community unemployment is rifest.

Not only does it show that eight out of ten of the 2,534 people who said that they were unemployed had been in the Island for ten years or more, but half were Jersey-born.

And the unemployment rate across the whole adult population was 4.7 per cent. For Jersey-born Islanders, that rate rose to 6.2 per cent.

Polish Islanders were the least likely of all nationalities to be out of work, while one in ten of the jobless had been in the Island for less than 15 months, and 60 per cent were male.

1
WORKSHY

January 27, 2012 at 3:34 pm

the POLISH are least likely to be unemployed because they WANT TO WORK, and when they work THEY WORK HARD……and work WELL….. simples!

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2
Kermit

January 27, 2012 at 3:50 pm

“Polish Islanders were the least likely of all nationalities to be out of work”

It s funny that when you can’t rely on your family or the States to survive, you do somehow manage to find some work….

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3
Jersey born

January 27, 2012 at 4:10 pm

And what can we deduce from this? That locals are the laziest and most poorly skilled demographic? Discuss…….

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4
TheMoaningOldBugger

January 27, 2012 at 4:11 pm

you can use these figures in any way you like
1) Polish Islanders were the least likely of all nationalities to be out of work…they are prepared to work anywhere….whist half were Jersey-born…were too lazy to get a job

or…………half were Jersey-born..and there are no job cos Polish Islanders were the least likely of all nationalities to be out of work,,,have got all the jobs!!!!

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- Mark
  
  January 28, 2012 at 8:52 am
  
  You can certainly ‘use these figures in any way you like’. Statistics interpretative a la JEP journalistic style. Nothing too sophisticated there.
  
  Many of the local born unemployed will have been in traditional finance industry post which have down sized, hence are now unemployed.
  
  The Poles are hard working, nothing wrong there. They are bound together by a strong immigrant community bonding. I know of a local who was frozen out of a fulfillment industry job because he was not park of the workplace Polish community.
  
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- Islander
  
  January 29, 2012 at 8:56 pm
  
  In the last 14 years of knowing spud farmers I still have yet to see a local (who is not the farmer themselves) planting or picking spuds! That is one of the reasons (like it or lump it) why we have Polish on the island, they were invited here to do the work the locals would not do. Now the bubble has burst we have the many indignant moaning about the immigrants being here! If the bubble had not burst nothing would be mentioned and the people of Jersey would be happy with all the menial workers doing their menial tasks!
  
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5
Nate

January 27, 2012 at 4:25 pm

Very interesting reading, thank you JEP et al. but I am not sure this is a particular meaningful statistic – or at least I think it could be misinterpreted. Naturally someone who has not been here for some time would not be able to afford to live in Jersey and would be forced to leave!

It’s fairly self evident for instance than only 1 in 10 of the jobless surveyed were in the island for less than 15 months – they wouldn’t be eligible to claim benefits so unless they have vast savings, it would be impossible to stay much longer without working! To put it another way – I wonder how many people have come to Jersey looking for work and been unsuccessful?

According to the article, the overall rate of unemployment across the whole adult population is 4.7% – for Jersey born islanders this rises by 1.5% – so to say that someone is more than twice as “likely” to be unemployed if they are Jersey born has to be put in this context, particularly given that typical industries in which immigrants work and those in which locals work are different.

Moreover the article states that these figures are a survey of people who identify as jobless – yet the number of people registered unemployed AND actively seeking work is much lower (1,310 as of March 2011).

So it is really more true to say that a Jersey person is more likely than a non Jersey born person not to bother signing on at the Job centre!

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6
proper

January 27, 2012 at 5:07 pm

Sounds like propaganda to me!

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7
Pete

January 27, 2012 at 5:38 pm

Does this include jersey people who are “jobless” because they have chosen not to have a job but are supported in another way (ie stay at home mothers supported by their partner)?

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- me
  
  January 27, 2012 at 8:32 pm
  
  I am registered unemployed but do not have the brass neck to ask for handouts even after working here for 20 years and paid my way, I am entitled to assistance. I am now a stay at home mother
  
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8
bella

January 27, 2012 at 6:06 pm

It wouldn’t have any-thing to do with lower pay would it?

An employer can now negotiate on how much to pay an hour,the lowest one gets the job.-simple.

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9
old jersey girl

January 27, 2012 at 7:27 pm

Local people in Jersey seem to think somehow, that most jobs are beneath them, unless it is banking! I once was a manageress of a supermarket and people would ask me, why do you employ so many Portugese, my answer was the Jersey people never applied for the jobs, and if they did they thought they were doing you a favour, I don,t suppose things have changed.

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- Beaumont
  
  January 28, 2012 at 9:34 am
  
  I’m afraid you’re right. Finance has brought a change in attitude of local people, and also we are an island where status is the bedrock of our society. Many younger people believe that unless you work in finance, you will never achieve a good living here.
  I’m not jumping on the bandwagon and agreeing with that, finance has brought many good things to Jersey. However, the mentality it’s created, is having a long-term detrimental impact on our youth
  
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10
Proud non local

January 27, 2012 at 10:31 pm

No 1 – spot on !!! But please dont forget the SA’s – we are not used to hand outs and also work hard.

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11
jenny

January 28, 2012 at 11:21 am

The reason for this is simple. Polish people will work for a much lower wage, and they are recruited to come here with the guarantee of work whilst many local school leavers I know of apply for job after job and don’t even get interviews.

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- Dave C
  
  January 30, 2012 at 9:41 am
  
  Jenny,
  Your statements above may be true but they may also be unrelated. The consensus of opinion so far, appears to be that the 2 groups of which you speak, are not applying for the same jobs and are therefore, not in competition with each other.
  
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