The Central Statistical Office (CSO) is defending its rigorous data collection and analysis methods against claims that the country’s recently released unemployment figures have been falsified. According to the latest report from the Office of the Prime Minister, Saint Lucia’s unemployment rate has dropped to 8.5%, marking the lowest level in over three decades.
Deputy Director of the CSO, Richard Harris, emphasized that it is nearly impossible for the agency to manipulate employment statistics, as both local and international bodies closely scrutinize the figures produced.
“It’s impossible. We do not generate and compile these statistics solely for our CSO or the government of Saint Lucia. We are consistently monitored by international partners who rely on these figures to build their own databases,” Harris explained.
He further highlighted that Saint Lucia’s statistical reports play a crucial role in determining the country’s eligibility for international funding, grants, and economic support from global financial institutions.
“Partners like the IMF and the World Bank require this critical data to assess Saint Lucia’s creditworthiness and determine loan and grant allocations. As such, the information we provide must be absolutely robust,” he stressed.
Harris dismissed any notion that the country could produce misleading statistics, adding:
“The IMF, the World Bank—none of our partners would allow us to get away with producing spurious statistics.”
The Deputy Director underscored that the latest drop in unemployment reflects the strongest job market Saint Lucia has seen since the 1980s, when single-digit unemployment rates were last recorded.
“I think we are now approaching the lowest unemployment levels on record. In the 1980s, we saw single-digit unemployment, and now, just in the last quarter, it has once again dropped into single digits,” he stated.
Harris attributed this improvement to increased economic activity across multiple sectors.
“The decline in unemployment is supported by real, observable economic activity. We see a surge in construction projects, a thriving tourism industry, and overall heightened business activity. The economic momentum on the island is undeniable,” he added.
With the latest unemployment figures reflecting historic lows, the CSO remains firm in its commitment to providing transparent, verifiable, and internationally recognized data to guide national policy and economic planning.
