For the second consecutive year, Jamaica has been positioned among the Caribbean’s lowest-paying markets for entry-level positions, according to the comprehensive PayPulse 2025 Survey released by the Caribbean Society for HR Professionals (CSHRP). The island nation now finds itself in a comparable salary bracket with Belize and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, while regional leaders The Bahamas, St. Kitts and Nevis, and Barbados continue to dominate compensation benchmarks for executive and specialized roles.
This sustained positioning represents a notable reversal from Jamaica’s 2023 performance when it ranked as the region’s third-highest paying country. The extensive survey, now in its fourth edition with enhanced data analytics and expanded coverage, examined compensation trends across 137 distinct job roles within 34 industries throughout 20 Caribbean nations.
The research reveals a persistent regional disparity: executive positions including CEOs, CFOs, and general managers command premium salaries across all markets, while entry-level and support roles such as groundskeepers, bartenders, and receptionists remain consistently at the lower end of the pay scale. The report notes varying degrees of salary growth for key positions including accountants, auditors, and HR managers, attributing these differences to evolving market dynamics, inflationary pressures, and cost of living variations across the region.
Sector analysis identified human resources, banking, financial services, insurance, and hospitality/tourism as the most lucrative industries. Conversely, education, childcare, retail, wholesale, and certain public sector positions were highlighted as fields requiring significant salary reform.
A groundbreaking addition to the 2025 survey is the inaugural Affordability Index, which measures average monthly salaries against fundamental living costs including housing, food, utilities, and transportation. Belize emerged with the highest affordability score at 233.99%, followed by Guyana (138.63%) and Grenada (136.56%). Jamaica, along with The Bahamas and Antigua and Barbuda, registered within the moderately affordable range. Alarmingly, eight nations including Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, and St. Lucia scored below 100%, indicating that average salaries in these countries fail to cover basic living expenses.
Vaughn McDonald, Deputy Chairman of CSHRP, emphasized the critical importance of reliable compensation data amid ongoing challenges of economic volatility, digital transformation, and the persistent threat of brain drain. The survey, compiling data from approximately 206 companies, aims to provide organizations with strategic insights for informed salary structuring while empowering both employers and employees to make decisions that could reshape the Caribbean’s labor landscape.