Grenada’s Foreign Affairs Minister says unemployment rate is 7.5%

Foreign Affairs Minister Joseph Andall has declared that Grenada’s unemployment rate has dropped to a “historical low” of 7.5%, but figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show the jobless rate for the most recent published period was significantly higher.

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Speaking on the adjournment of the 19 November 2025 sitting of the House of Representatives, Andall said the country had reached a record single-digit unemployment rate. He did not specify which labour force survey supported his statement.

“The unemployment rate in Grenada has hit a historical low of 7.5%,” Andall told Parliament. “And most of the people who are not working, they are either unqualified for the available jobs or they simply prefer not to work.” He added that the only time in Grenada’s history when employment was lower was “during the days of slavery or forced labour.”

However, the CSO’s second-quarter labour force survey for April to June 2025—published on the Central Statistics Department’s website—shows an unemployment rate of 10.8%. The survey places Grenada’s economically active labour force at 57,359, starting from ages 15 to 65 and older, while the economically inactive population stands at 32,366, making the total working-age population 89,745.

According to the CSO, “economically active” refers to people who are employed or unemployed but actively seeking work. This category includes employees, the self-employed, employers, and members of the armed forces. In contrast, “economically inactive” individuals are neither working nor looking for work. That group typically includes students, retirees, people with long-term illnesses, those caring for relatives or homes, and individuals who are not job-hunting because they believe no suitable work is available.

The Ministry of Economic Development, under which the Central Statistics Office falls, has not issued any update to confirm a 7.5% unemployment rate for 2025.