The country has a full employment rate, with only 2.6 percent of the labour force out of work.

Other stats in the survey demonstrate the country’s continuing prosperity with over 97 percent of households owning one to three vehicles and more than 95 percent with at least one cellular phone.

Based on the survey of the labour force, which took place in April and June this year, the ESO said that the figure for the total estimated population represents a 0.9 percent decline compared to its findings in Fall of 2005 when the number stood at 52,465.

Mirroring that marginal decline in the overall population, the number of Caymanians also declined over the period, moving from 31,787 in 2005 to 31,549 to register a 0.7 per cent reduction.

The total labour force is 35,959, and of that number 943 are unemployed.

Caymanians account for 18,303 working persons, or 50.9 per cent of the employed labour force.

The ESO's Labour Force Survey covered 1,519 households in Grand Cayman and Cayman Brac.

Numbers by gender show an almost even split, with 26,652 females and 26,340 males resident in the Islands.

Some 34.1 per cent of employed Caymanians earn $3,333 or above monthly, and among non-Caymanians 20.3 per cent receive a salary of $3,333 or more.

96.3 percent of Caymanians are employed with only 682 people not working.

Most economists define the concept of full employment in a given population as being around 3 percent as at any given time members of the workforce will be in transition and therefore unemployed as a result of other reasons from an inability to get work.

With an unemployment rate among the full population of only 2.6 percent the Cayman Islands has full employment.

In terms of age, the highest unemployment rates were found among those aged 15-19 years of age (19.0 percent) and 20-24 years (8.2 percent).

The top five job classes comprise the following groupings:  professionals, technicians and associate professionals, who account for 23.9 per cent of the market; sales and services workers, 15.2 per cent; legislators, senior officials and managers, 12.1 per cent; craft and related workers, 12 per cent; and personal and protective workers, 11.9 per cent.

The construction industry is the highest employer, with 18.1 per cent of the workforce; followed by business services at 12.7 per cent; wholesale and retail 12.1 per cent; restaurant and bars, hotels and condominiums, 10.8 per cent; and financial services 9.2 per cent.

The average household size in the Cayman Islands is now according to survey results 2.3 persons.

The Cayman Islands Labour Force Survey (LFS) was designed to measure the characteristics, levels and trends of employment, unemployment and labour force in the Cayman Islands and has been conducted bi-annually since 1992. The full Cayman Islands Labour Force Survey Report, Spring 2006, can be found at the ESO website, www.eso.ky

(from Cayman Net News)