WHERE HAVE THE WORKERS GONE?

Belize City, June 25, 2026 — Belize's unemployment rate has fallen to a record-low 1.9 percent but so has the number of Belizeans with jobs.

New figures released by the Statistical Institute of Belize (SIB) show that employment has fallen by more than 23,000 persons since April 2023, even as the country's labour force continues to shrink.

The latest Labour Force Survey shows that 166,894 Belizeans were employed in April 2026, down from approximately 190,037 in April 2023—a decline of 23,143 persons, or 12.2 percent. Over the same period, the labour force contracted from 195,596 persons to 170,056, meaning 25,540 fewer Belizeans are either working or actively looking for work.

The figures suggest that Belize's declining unemployment rate is occurring alongside a steadily shrinking labour market rather than an expanding workforce. While the unemployment rate edged down from 2.1 percent in April 2025 to 1.9 percent this year, employment also declined by 12,611 persons over the same period, with much of the statistical improvement reflecting fewer people participating in the labour force. The SIB attributed the latest decline largely to lower labour force participation among women.

The data also shows that in April 2021, SIB reported 161,416 persons employed. As of April 2026, that figure is 166,894—an increase of roughly 5,478.

The Reporter has previously highlighted the downward trend. In December 2024, both SIB Director General Diana Trejo and economist Dr. Philip Castillo called for further research into the country's contracting labour force, pointing to possible explanations including discouraged workers, demographic shifts and the extension of compulsory schooling.

Eighteen months later, the trend has continued.

Nearly half of Belize's working-age population—145,965 persons, or 46 percent—is now classified as being outside the labour force. According to the SIB, the largest share cited personal or family responsibilities as the main reason for not participating, while others were attending school or training. Women continued to experience significantly lower participation rates than men.

The latest survey therefore raises the same question posed nearly two years ago: whether Belize's historically low unemployment rate reflects a strengthening labour market, or whether it is increasingly being driven by a smaller pool of Belizeans participating in the workforce.