Many youths turned out on February 9, 2012 at the Career and Job Fair seeking employment and over 200 commitments for jobs were given. However, even a close figure of the Territory's unemployment rate is not known with available statistics dating back some 11 years ago. Photo: VINO/File

This news agency tried to get an updated figure but was told that the Department is awaiting the compilation of the census report that was concluded in 2010.

Interestingly, one of the initiatives undertaken by this Government through Education Minister Hon. Myron Walwyn was the Youth Unemployment Register (YUR), which allowed students to register and attend work readiness seminars aimed at matching youths with best suited jobs based on their aspirations and personalities, promote good work ethic and understand appropriate work behaviour.

In the end, it seemed to bear fruit because on February 9, 2012, Hon. Walwyn revealed at a Career and Job Fair that some 200 job commitments were given at various levels including 58 for apprentices with some youths already attending interviews and securing jobs.

But attempts for an update on the YUR have been futile so far up to the time this article was published.

Many have continued to express concerns with the lack of up-to-date statistics in the Territory in several areas, and the unemployment statistic that dates back to 2001 is seen as highly "unacceptable".

Just recently on “Straight Talk” host Donald deCastro had complained about his painstaking wait in getting snippets of information, and the “ridiculous policy of a one man job”.

“Somebody goes on vacation in a Government office, nobody else can assist until he or she returns, but if that person dies and don’t come back to work that work goes down the drain because nobody knows nothing about it. It’s annoying, and it’s disrespect to the people of this Territory who want information,” he told listeners on May 16, 2012.