Despite a small decline in the number of workers in the accommodation and food service activities industry in New Providence, the Department of Statistics "Occupations & Wages In The Accommodation and Food Service Activities Industry In New Providence" report for 2014 -- released yesterday -- revealed that the average weekly wage rose by 14 percent mainly due to longer average hours worked.

In 2013 the total average hours worked was 39, but in 2014 it was 40. And despite women being a slight majority of the "managers" and "technicians and associate professionals" -- two of the three highest paying categories in the industry -- men on average still outearned women. Men earned an average of $408 per week, while women averaged $386 per week. Within the industry both males and females worked an average of 40 hours per week.

The report, prepared by Carmen Dawkins, deputy director, Leona Wilson, deputy director and the staff of the Labour Market Information Unit, shows that for males, the overall average weekly wage increased by $64 over 2013, with an average weekly wage increase in all the occupational groups except in plant and machine operators and assemblers, which fell by four percent in 2014.

Dawkins, Wilson et al reported that females saw increased average wages in all the occupational groups. The increases ranged from $218 in the managers group to $8 in the plant and machine operators and assemblers and the elementary occupations category. Still, managers and professionals, science and engineering professionals earned the highest average weekly wage of $827 and $683 respectively per week, which was $312 and $138 higher than the average in 2013. Service and sales workers was the largest occupational group, accounting for 36 percent of all workers in 2014.

According to the Department of Statistics, the report provides data on persons employed in the Accommodation and Food Service Activities Industry in New Providence. The information provided in the document was obtained from an administrative data source of leading accommodation and food service activities establishments which account for approximately fifty percent (50 percent) of total employment in these establishments operating in New Providence in 2014.
The report identifies 10,862 people working in the industry in 2014: 5,361 men and 5,501 women.

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