How many people work in the Caribbean Netherlands?
The net labour participation on the islands of the Caribbean Netherlands has increased during the period 2012−2024, most strongly on Bonaire. In 2024 there were 19.9 thousand persons aged 15 to 74 years in Bonaire, of whom 73.8 percent were in employment. On St Eustatius, 71.4 percent of 2.5 thousand persons were in employment and on Saba this was 67.2 percent of the total (1.6 thousand).
| Net labour participation | Bonaire | St Eustatius | Saba |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 68.5 | 70.1 | 63.1 |
| 2014 | 68.9 | 67.8 | 59.3 |
| 2016 | 69.9 | 66.2 | 61.6 |
| 2018 | 73.1 | 71.5 | 65.8 |
| 2020 | 69.8 | 71.0 | 73.4 |
| 2022 | 72.5 | 72.9 | 67.0 |
| 2024 | 73.8 | 71.4 | 67.2 |
On all three islands, labour force participation was relatively low among young people (15 to 24 years). On Bonaire 51.8 percent of the young population was in employment, on St Eustatius this was 29.4 percent and on Saba 42.9 percent. Participation was highest among people aged 25 to 44 years. In the group of persons aged 45 to 74 years, over 60 percent were in employment.
| Island | Age | Net labour participation |
|---|---|---|
| Bonaire | 15-74 years, Bonaire | 73.8 |
| Bonaire | 15-24 years, Bonaire | 51.8 |
| Bonaire | 25-44 years, Bonaire | 91.3 |
| Bonaire | 45-74 years, Bonaire | 65.0 |
| St Eustatius | 15-74 years, St Eustatius | 71.4 |
| St Eustatius | 15-24 years, St Eustatius | 29.4 |
| St Eustatius | 25-44 years, St Eustatius | 90.0 |
| St Eustatius | 45-74 years, St Eustatius | 68.2 |
| Saba | 15-74 years, Saba | 67.2 |
| Saba | 15-24 years, Saba | 42.9 |
| Saba | 25-44 years, Saba | 78.4 |
| Saba | 45-74 years, Saba | 63.2 |
Caribbean Netherlands: 1 out of 7 work in public administration and services
An approximately equal proportion of the workforce in Bonaire works in the following sectors: accommodation and food services, construction, health and social work activities and public administration and services.
On St Eustatius and Saba, a relatively large number of people work in the public administration and services sector. On Saba, education has the second largest share of the working population. On St Eustatius it is manufacturing.
Unemployment on the islands was relatively low in 2024, with rates ranging from 4.4 percent on St Eustatius to 1.4 percent on Saba. Bonaire had a 2.1 percent unemployment rate, equivalent to 320 unemployed persons.
| Economic activity | Public administration and services | Accommodation and food serving | Health and social work activities | Construction | Wholesale and retail trade | Education | Manufacturing | Transportation and storage | Renting and other business support | Financial services | Information and communication | Culture, sports and recreation | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bonaire | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 9 |
| St Eustatius | 17 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 12 | 13 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 12 |
| Saba | 27 | 7 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 15 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 11 |
Bonaire: large group does not work because of old age or retirement
Bonaire has by far the largest number of persons aged 15 to 74 years: 19.9 thousand. Just under 4.9 thousand of them were not in the labour force: they were either not seeking work or not available for it. In most cases, they were neither of the two.
A large group (40 percent) were unwilling or unable to work due to old age or retirement. 17 percent were not seeking work or unavailable for it because of disability or poor health. For 15 percent of those outside the labour force – young residents in particular – education was the predominant reason why they were not seeking work or unavailable for it. A smaller group were people unable to work because they had to take care of their families (5 percent).
The overall picture on the other two islands is similar to the situation on Bonaire, with the exception of Saba, where almost 1 out of 3 people were not seeking work or unavailable for it because they were in education.
| Bonaire | Population |
|---|---|
| Unavailable or not seeking work |
. |
| Available for work, but not seeking |
0.27 |
| Seeking work, but unavailable for it |
0.16 |
| Not seeking work, not available |
. |
| Want to work | 0.26 |
| Unwilling or unable to work due to: |
. |
| Family care responsibilities |
0.25 |
| Education | 0.72 |
| Retirement/ elderly age |
1.96 |
| Illness/ disability |
0.85 |
| Other reason | 0.44 |