Crawford warns Jamaica's workforce is being undermined by low tertiary enrolment

Damion Crawford, Opposition Spokesman on Education, has raised alarm about the state of Jamaica's workforce, telling Parliament that only 19 per cent of citizens between the ages of 19 and 24 are currently pursuing tertiary studies. By his calculations, that leaves more than 219,000 young people outside of higher education altogether.

Speaking on Tuesday during his presentation in the Sectoral Debate at Gordon House, Crawford argued that the figure is well below what is typical of healthy economies, where enrolment usually sits between 40 and 50 per cent.

"The comparative figures for Barbados and Trinidad are 65 per cent and 36 per cent respectively," he said.

Crawford pointed out that just 16 per cent of the labour force holds a university degree, while the share of young people disconnected from school, work and training keeps climbing — a category that now exceeds 124,000 Jamaicans.

"Neither the elevator nor the stairs appears capable of facilitating the transition of graduates at the required scale. The labour force reflects this failure," he remarked.

The legislator further noted that the population of working-age Jamaicans without any formal qualifications has expanded sharply, climbing from roughly 727,000 in 2020 to 887,000 in 2025.

"This represents a structural weakening of the economy, where participation is increasing, but capability is not," he said.