THE unemployment rate hit 13.8 per cent three months ago.

There were 700 less occupied jobs last October than a year before, but 12,600 additional persons joined the labour force without getting employment.

Consequently, the number of unemployed rose from 159,600 (or 12.8 per cent of the labour force) in October 2011 to 172,900 a year later, according to the Statisitical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN).

The total labour force stood at 1.26 million in October 2012.

Agriculture, hunting, forestry and fishing actually saw an increase in employment figures — 94,000, or five per cent more persons were employed by the sector last October, when compared to a year earlier.

What’s more, occupations classified as ‘elementary’ as a group had 15,600, or 12 per cent more employed.

However, there were 21,000 less craft and related trades workers employd three months ago, than in October 2011.

STATIN’s survey showed that there were 6,900 less men working last October when compared to a year before, while 6,200 more women were employed.

Even then, males filled 618,000 of the 1.1 billion job posts, or 30 per cent more jobs than females.

Unemployment among the youth (persons aged 14 to 24 years) rose from 31.1 per cent in October 2011 to 35.3 per cent a year later.