GUYANE - Employment
From 1996 to 2001 employment increased on average by 1.3% per year. At the beginning of 2001 there were 46 000 jobs in French Guiana compared to 43 000 at the start of 1996. Over this period the number of self-employed decreased by 5.4% per year, which was compensated by a 3% annual average increase in employees. The share of self-employed over this period fell from 19.5% in 1996 to 13.3% in 2001.
84% of employees work in the services sector
At the beginning of 2001 84% of all employees in French Guiana worked in the services sector. The public service, central and local, account for 42% of all jobs in the region. In the market services sector, the majority of employees work in services to businesses sector (13.3%), distributive trades (10.3%), and services to households (8.6%). Over the period 1996 to 2001 the number of employees working in the services sector as a whole increased by 1.6%.
7.5% of all employees in French Guiana work in industry. Over the period 1996 to 2001, the number of employees in industry decreased on average by 2% per year. At the beginning of 2001, nearly two-thirds of all employees of the industrial sector (excluding the agri-food industry and energy) worked in the production of intermediate goods (65%), 25% for the production of capital goods and only 10% worked in the production of consumer goods.
At the beginning of 2001 6.1% of employees worked in construction and 2.5% in agriculture. Over the period 1996 to 2001 the number of employees in construction decreased on average by 2.7% per year and those in agriculture increased by 2.4%.
One in four is unemployed
Despite a favourable economic context employment remains a big problem. Reaching 25.7% in 2000, the unemployment rate has stabilised. Recent trends are more favourable, with a decrease in the number person registered at the employment office (ANPE). At the end of 2001 there were 11 700 job seekers. Those aged between 15 and 24 years accounted for 11.8% of all job seekers in French Guiana, whereas the national average was close to 20%. Accounting for nearly 52% of all job seekers, women in French Guiana are slightly more affected by unemployment than men. The proportion of job seekers registered for more than one year (31.8%) is very close to the national average (31.7%). However, the proportion of job seekers aged between 15 and 24 year olds who have been seeking work for more than a year (12.0%) is a good three points lower than the national average.
High wages and salaries
French Guiana stands out among the French regions for its high average wage level. The average net wage paid in 1999 by private and semi-public sector employers in French Guiana was 19 688 Euro per year. This puts French Guiana second on the national scale, after Ile-de-France. For each occupational category the wages and salaries are considerably higher than the national average, except for unskilled manual workers that are roughly on a par. For some categories the salaries are even higher than in Ile-de-France, notably for business directors and managers: 42 514 Euro per year against 40 655 in the region of Paris. But the exceptionally high average wages in French Guiana hides very large wage disparities.
Lowest gross disposable income in France
The high rate of unemployment maintains difficult social conditions, as is demonstrated by the 8 600 people receiving the social minimum revenue from the state. The average household in French Guiana had a gross disposable income per capita 44% lower than the national average in 1997. Of the regions of France the inhabitants of French Guiana have the lowest gross disposable income with 7 560 Euro per capita.
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