Mining in the region focuses on gold, silver, copper, nickel, iron ore, and bauxite. Bauxite is theprimary mineral extracted in the Jamaican region. Jamaica is the world’s third largest producer ofbauxite, in 2020, Jamaica produced 10.2 million tons of bauxite. Suriname primarily producers’ gold.In 2020, Suriname produced 25.2 tins of gold, making it one of the largest producers of gold in SouthAmerica. Gold and Silver are the primary mining products of the Dominican Republic, and gold isdominant in Guyana. Trinidad and Tobago are focused primarily on natural gas and oil. Haiti,Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, and the Bahama’s are not major mining economies.While the Caribbean region has a variety of minerals and natural resources, the mining industries inmany of the island nations is focused on the extraction of sand, gravel, and crushed stone for localuse.The informal job market and increase in inflation has impacted the Caribbean mining job market.While unemployment fell to 7.2 % in 2022, the labour market is still heavily weighted towardsinformal employment which is usually associated with low wages, instability, and no socialprotection. Caribbean mining recruitment plays a key role in formalising employment within themining sector.
