HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — A total of 50,410 working-age civilian Guam residents said they “did not want a job” when surveyed by the government of Guam in September 2021, out of 54,190 residents who were not in the labor force at the time.
The other 3,780 said they wanted a job during the survey period but did not look for work, mostly because of “family responsibility” or they believed there’s no available job or they “cannot find work.”
These are all part of the Guam Department of Labor’s latest unemployment report that the governor’s office released Wednesday.
The governor’s office also highlighted an improvement in Guam’s unemployment rate, from a pandemic-induced 19.4% in December 2020 down to 8.1% or 5,660 in September 2021, in part because there were fewer people who were looking for jobs.
Also, the unemployment rate only counts as jobless the working-age island residents who are actively looking for jobs but were unsuccessful in gaining employment.
Despite improvements from a year ago, Guam’s latest unemployment of 5,600 remains well above the 2,580 reported in September 2019, months before Covid-19 hit.
But based on GDOL’s Bureau of Labor Statistics data, more of Guam’s 16 and older population did not want a job.
In June 2020, there were 47,040 surveyed civilian residents who said they did not want a job.
By September 2021, the number of working-age residents who did not want a job went up to 50,410 or by 7%.
The number of persons who wanted a job but did not look for work also increased from 1,880 in June 2020 to 3,780.
Difficulty finding job
But there are those who said no matter how hard they try to find an employer including by walk-ins, attending job fairs, and applying online, they still couldn’t get hired.
“I applied to many that are hiring and it seems I’m not getting any feedback,” Sierra Nicole Keremius, in her 20s, said.
Gina Canto, 40, said she has experience in the food and beverage industry, from being a cashier to server, prep cook and kitchen helper.
“I have been to many interviews and went to job fairs. I applied online and did walk-ins,” she said, but still no luck. One of the restaurants she applied for, she said, told her she’s overqualified so she wasn’t hired.
What’s worse, she said, is that many others are also looking for a job.
“Which makes like 10 times harder for everyone,” she said. “They put sign-ups, have job fairs but for what? Every interview I go on, I say ‘please I just want to work, will do whatever’ but I keep hearing from friends and family that are around my age group say they rather hire the younger ones. I’m old enough to know what’s right and wrong. I sure do know how to follow directions, so what’s the problem.”
More than half unemployed
Guam had 124,110 working-age residents in September 2021 and more than half were not employed.
The survey showed fewer working-age Guamanians were working, at 54.8% in September 2021, from 57.5% in June 2021 and 57.3% in September 2019.
The September 2021 survey was around the time the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance claims filing was ending. GDOL later said PUA claimants made more money than if they were employed.
Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero, in a statement, said despite the challenges of the pandemic, the government has ensured that job creation and economic development remain top priorities.
“Our steadily decreasing unemployment rates symbolize the resilient progress our people have made to date,” she said. “Through skilled labor boot camps, pre-apprenticeship programs, and thoughtful investments, we have made great efforts to provide our community with ample opportunities to secure employment. These latest rates present promising evidence and urge us to continue on the road to recovery.”
Lt. Gov. Josh Tenorio, in the same statement, said with gainful employment on the rise and the gears of the economy grinding in tune, Guam is seeing positive growth.
“Still, there remains more work left to accomplish,” he said. “We are reimagining and revitalizing our tourism industry to welcome a robust return of visitors. We are diversifying our economy to create even more jobs and a sustainable workforce that will weather the challenges of the future. We are actively working to meet these goals and many more, and we continue to make progress.”
Guam’s estimated Census 2020 population was 153,836, inclusive of military personnel.
Staff from the Agana Heights Mayor’s Office and members of AmeriCorps distribute bags of groceries and fruits in this Nov. 5, 2021 file photo.
