The Tribune

FIGURES released by the Department of Statistics this week show there was a decline in both the hourly wage and the number of people employed in New Providence’s hospitality industry.

However, there was an increase in wages and employment in this sector in Grand Bahama and the Family Islands.

The Bahamas Occupations & Wages in the Accommodation and Food Services Industry report gives data on persons working in to hospitality industry in the Bahamas. It contains information on occupation, sex, average hours worked and average basic wages per week for the year 2012.

According to the report, in 2012 the number of workers in the accommodation and food service activities industry dropped nationwide by 1.3 per cent.

The department said that this had a negative effect on average weekly wages which declined by 0.5 per cent.

In New Providence, the number of employees decreased by 1.8 per cent and average weekly wage fell by 0.3 per cent.

In the Family Islands, including Grand Bahama, the number of employees in the industry grew by nine per cent, this growth in the number of employees had a positive effect on average weekly wages which increased by 0.6 per cent.

Within the industry both males and females worked an average of 39 hours per week. Service and sales workers was the largest occupational group, accounting for 35 per cent of all workers in 2012.

Managers earned the highest average weekly wage of $829 per week, which was $18 more than the average wage for 2011. In 2012 the lowest average weekly wage, $242, was earned in the elementary occupational group.

“The data for 2012 show that for males, the overall average weekly wage decreased by $3.00 over 2012. The largest decrease in their weekly wage was $38 which occurred in the clerical support workers group, and the largest increase, $24, was in the managers occupational group,” the report said.

For women, the overall average weekly wage decreased by $1.00 over the previous year.
This decrease ranged from $45.00 in the technicians and associate professionals group to $4.00 in the plant and machine operators and assemblers group.

Growth in the average weekly wage ranged from $33.00 in the professionals category to $2.00 in the elementary occupational groups.

The information provided in the document was obtained from the major employers in the industry, accounting for 50 per cent of everyone employed in hospitality in the country.