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KINGSTON, Jamaica – Inflationary pressures in Jamaica experienced a significant resurgence at the close of 2025, reversing previous months of moderation as Hurricane Melissa’s enduring impact triggered sharp increases in food prices and electricity costs. The nation’s consumer inflation accelerated markedly in December, underscoring the vulnerability of small island economies to climate-related disruptions.

According to the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (Statin), the All-Jamaica Consumer Price Index (CPI) climbed by 1.3% during December, building upon November’s 2.4% advance. This consecutive monthly acceleration represents one of the most substantial back-to-back inflation movements recorded throughout the year. Director General Leesha Delatie-Budair emphasized that the December data provides the first comprehensive reflection of post-hurricane economic conditions, unlike earlier economic indicators that captured pre-storm activity.

The primary driver behind this inflationary spike was a 2.0% monthly increase in food prices, with particularly severe impacts on agricultural commodities. Vegetable, tuber, plantain, and pulse categories surged by 4.5%, while fruits and nuts jumped by 5.6%. These increases directly resulted from Hurricane Melissa’s disruption to agricultural production and supply chains, with the full effect taking several weeks to manifest in consumer markets.

Concurrently, housing and utility expenses exerted additional upward pressure, with the corresponding index rising 2.6% for the month. Electricity costs alone escalated by 5.4%, compounded by rising rental charges. The combination of food and housing expenditures accounted for the majority of December’s inflation outcome, intensifying concerns about household affordability and living standards.

Year-end analysis revealed that point-to-point inflation between December 2024 and December 2025 reached 4.5%, substantially higher than earlier annual lows. Food inflation emerged as the dominant contributor at 7.1% year-on-year, while housing and utilities increased by 3.5%. The restaurant and accommodation sector also experienced notable inflation at 3.9%, reflecting higher costs for meals consumed away from home.

Statin officials detailed the methodological adaptations employed to maintain data accuracy despite widespread operational challenges including damaged infrastructure, power outages, and business closures. The institution extended fieldwork periods and implemented international statistical techniques such as class-mean imputation for temporarily unavailable items, ensuring the CPI’s reliability amid difficult post-disaster conditions.

Geographic analysis indicated broadly consistent inflation patterns across regions, with the Greater Kingston Metropolitan Area recording 1.4% inflation, compared to 1.1% in other urban centers and 1.3% in rural areas. While headline inflation remains within the Bank of Jamaica’s target range, the December figures suggest mounting persistence in price pressures, particularly for essential commodities, potentially necessitating policy responses in coming months.

KINGSTON, Jamaica—A profound transformation in leadership and corporate governance is underway at the Jamaica National Group (JN Group), forming the crucial human element behind its comprehensive strategic restructuring. This internal revolution serves as the driving force for the financial conglomerate’s pursuit of stability following three consecutive years of operational losses and a damaging negative credit outlook assessment.

The most significant leadership transition occurred in July 2025 with the retirement of Curtis Martin as Managing Director of JN Financial Group (JNFG), the organization’s pivotal subsidiary. Succeeding him in an acting capacity is Hugh Miller, whose extensive background as former Chief Treasury & Investment Officer and Head of Asset Management signals a strategic emphasis on placing financial expertise at the forefront of recovery operations.

In an official statement, JN Group openly acknowledged that previous ‘managerial shortcomings’ contributed to recent challenges, confirming that subsequent organizational changes represent core components of their remedial strategy. Beyond individual appointments, the group has implemented substantial structural reforms, including comprehensive reorganization of group boards and management architecture.

According to the CariCRIS rating report, these changes have formally redefined power dynamics and oversight mechanisms. The restructured governance framework establishes a clarified chain of command where the board of directors and its sub-committees retain ultimate responsibility. Within this new structure, the finance committee assumes primary authority for group-wide risk management, supported by specialized risk and audit units—creating a robust system of checks and balances during this precarious financial period.

The revitalized leadership team now faces a definitive twofold mandate: ensuring that billions generated from recent asset sales effectively stabilize the weakened balance sheet, while simultaneously guaranteeing that the group’s substantial $1-billion digital transformation investment dramatically reduces its unsustainable 105.6% cost-to-income ratio. Ultimately, success will be measured not by organizational charts but by achieving specific financial targets: sustained profitability, reducing the cost-to-income ratio below 65%, and more than doubling critical capital reserves to regain a stable credit outlook.

MIAMI – Royal Caribbean International, the sole cruise operator with scheduled service to Haiti, has announced a significant extension of its suspension of voyages to its private destination in the Caribbean nation. The company confirmed it will halt all port calls to Labadee through the end of 2026, citing ongoing security concerns and escalating gang violence that has destabilized the country.

The decision represents a substantial extension of previous operational pauses, which had been set through April 2026. A corporate spokesperson characterized the move as “an abundance of caution” given the deteriorating security environment in Haiti, where criminal organizations continue to challenge the provisional government’s authority.

This security assessment aligns with the United States State Department’s Level 4 travel advisory – its most severe classification – which explicitly warns against all travel to Haiti. The advisory highlights prevalent armed criminal activities including kidnapping for ransom, carjackings, sexual assault, and robbery.

Labadee, Royal Caribbean’s privately leased peninsula on Haiti’s northern coast, typically offers passengers exclusive access to five secluded beaches, an 800-meter zipline course, aquatic attractions, and premium amenities. The resort maintains its own dedicated security force, though this has proven insufficient to mitigate broader regional risks that affect cruise operations.

The extended suspension through December 2026 reflects the cruise industry’s mounting concerns about passenger safety in destinations experiencing political instability and widespread violence. This operational decision will necessitate itinerary redesigns affecting numerous scheduled voyages and represents a significant economic impact to both the cruise line and local vendors who depend on tourism revenue.

Jamaica’s labor market demonstrated resilience with unemployment declining to 3.3% in October 2025, showing improvement from the 3.5% rate recorded during the same period in 2024. The Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) disclosed these findings in its latest Labour Force Survey released Thursday, providing crucial insights into the nation’s employment landscape.

The report indicates relative stability in employment levels with 1,413,200 persons employed in October 2025, representing a marginal decrease of 3,800 individuals compared to the previous year. Concurrently, the number of unemployed persons decreased from 51,300 to 48,800, contributing to the improved unemployment rate.

Notably, Jamaica’s labor force experienced a contraction, falling by 6,300 individuals to reach 1,462,000. This decline manifested differently across genders, with the male labor force decreasing by 11,900 to 777,200, while the female labor force expanded by 5,600 to 684,800. The overall labor force participation rate consequently edged down to 67.8% from 68.1% in October 2024.

The survey also recorded 693,800 individuals outside the labor force, marking an increase of 6,300 persons year-over-year.

STATIN emphasized that these statistics capture Jamaica’s labor market conditions immediately preceding Hurricane Melissa’s landfall on October 28, 2025. The catastrophic weather event significantly disrupted data collection operations, particularly in western parishes including St Elizabeth, Westmoreland, St James, Hanover, and Trelawny.

In response to these challenges, STATIN implemented modified methodologies, deploying an abbreviated version of its standard questionnaire to maintain data continuity while capturing essential labor market indicators. The institution extended both data collection and processing timelines by two weeks beyond the typical six-week period due to the hurricane’s extensive impact on field operations.