Young Caymanians face a higher youth unemployment rate than they did in 2024, according to a newly published guide by recruitment agency Nova. The Insights & Salary Guide says youth unemployment is worst for school leavers and graduates trying to enter the Cayman Islands labour market. Nova says the latest publicly available figures show overall unemployment in the Cayman Islands at 2.5%, while unemployment among people aged 15 to 24 is 13.5%.

Nova says the Cayman Islands labour market remains strong overall, but that many first-time jobseekers are still struggling to get a start in work. The guide says employers are increasingly seeking specialised skills, prior experience and immediate job readiness, pointing to a growing skills gap for young Caymanians.

Young people face a harder search

Nova Recruitment says the gap between the general unemployment rate and the youth unemployment rate shows that younger Caymanians face greater barriers as they try to enter the workforce. The report relies on publicly available unemployment figures and Nova’s own placement data but does not set out how representative those internal records are or how many employers and jobseekers they cover.

The report is based on publicly available unemployment figures and Nova’s internal placement data. On paper, the Cayman Islands appears to be performing strongly. But Nova says that picture does not reflect the experience of many young people who are still looking for their first full-time job after finishing school, college or university.

Many of those young people have studied overseas on scholarships or have completed courses locally, only to return home and find themselves without work. Nova says the same problem affects young Caymanians who have studied in the islands and are also looking for an entry point into employment.

Employers wanted more experience and job readiness

One of the main themes in the report is early-career hiring. Nova says employers are now more likely to ask for specialised skills, previous experience and a candidate who can start work with limited training, making it harder for new entrants to compete for roles that once helped them take their first steps.

Traditional administrative and support roles, which have historically served as entry-level jobs in professional services, have become less common. Nova says that has removed some of the simpler routes into the workplace for young people who are still building confidence and experience.

The agency says the challenge is not only a shortage of advertised vacancies. In its experience, there are often opportunities available that never reach formal recruitment campaigns. Employers are often willing to consider young talent after they have already seen a person’s abilities through internships, traineeships, work placements, temporary assignments or referrals.

This means the biggest obstacle is often getting that first professional foothold. Nova says once a young person has some experience, their long-term employability improves. The report says early workplace exposure can help build skills, confidence and professional networks.

Many routes into work remain hidden

From its recruitment work and wider discussions with candidates, students and employers, Nova says young Caymanians are regularly seen applying for roles in financial services, legal services, corporate services and hospitality. Many of those opportunities came through graduate, trainee and internship programmes run by larger employers.

Nova says another challenge is awareness. Many young people understand broad sectors such as law or finance, but do not always know the range of roles available inside them or how those careers can develop over time. The agency says greater exposure to workplaces and professionals would help them make better-informed decisions.

The report argues that access to reliable labour market information matters for jobseekers, employers and the wider Cayman community. Nova says this kind of information helps people understand salary expectations, hiring trends, workforce gaps and changing employer demand.

A report intended to guide the year ahead

Nova says the purpose of the guide is to support workforce planning and recruitment decisions in the year ahead. It is also intended to add to wider discussions about how Cayman can prepare young people for work and respond to the needs of employers.

For Cayman, the issue carries weight because the overall employment picture does not reflect the difficulty some young people face in beginning their careers. Nova says that mismatch is especially hard on school leavers, graduates and first-time jobseekers. Nova argues that the main challenge is getting that first foot in the door, rather than long-term employability. The report says early workplace exposure can help build skills, confidence and professional networks.

Nova says the goal is to give employers, jobseekers and policymakers a clearer view of the labour market so they can make better decisions. For young Caymanians, that could mean more targeted preparation, more early exposure to the workplace and a better understanding of which paths were most likely to lead to employment.