Social Security figures shed new light on pandemic job loss

Friday 09 October 2020

New data has shone a light on how many jobs in Jersey may have been lost due to the pandemic.

While more than 1,500 individuals are officially recorded as actively seeking work, recently published figures from Social Security have suggested that the impact of covid on the workforce may be even greater.

At the start of lockdown between March and April, 2,738 people stopped making Social Security contributions. 

By the end of June, there was a drop of more than 5,000 people compared to the previous year.

The figures surfaced this week following a written question from Deputy Kirsten morel to the Social Security Minister.

Pictured: The figures come following a written request in the States from Deputy Kirsten Morel.

When Express asked the Deputy Chief Minister, Senator Lyndon Farnham, for the data during a press conference last month, he said that he did not have them to hand and committed to providing them. The figures were still not provided in response to several follow-up requests.

The figures are broken down into two categories – Class 1, which counts contributions from anyone earning from an employer, and Class 2, which counts for anyone who is self-employed.  

Looking at the June 2019/2020 comparison, Class 1 contributors were down by 8%, from 51,010 to 47,165. Meanwhile, Class 2 contributors were down by 34%, going from 4,198 people down to 2,773. 

Subsequently, contributions themselves have gone down – whereas the B quarter of 2019 took in £60,174,000 in total social security contributions, this year’s B quarter has only seen £55,493,000.  

The Social Security Minister's response notes that the numbers for 2020 are “subject to a higher degree of variation and uncertainty because employers and Class 2 contributors were able to defer payment of these contributions for up to two years.” 

It comes as the latest weekly economic indicator report showed that as of October 2^nd, 1,600 islanders are registered as actively seeking work. 

The weekly report also reveals that currently, there are a higher number of women actively seeking work than men, with the 920 females tallying at over a third more than the 680 males registered.