105,500 - Population continues to soar

Friday 22 June 2018

Jersey’s population has hit a new high, increasing by 1,300 over the last year and 11,500 over the last decade, while the amount of skilled workers coming to the island has doubled.

In a report released today detailing the annual change in the island’s population, it was revealed that Jersey’s population now stands at 105,000 - and it's still on the rise, but so is the number of “higher skilled” employees coming to live and work here.

The report shows that, of the 1,200 people who came to Jersey in 2017, 400 were ‘licensed’ workers and 800 were ‘registered’ (formerly non-qualified) employees. 

Video: A video explaining how worker permissions can affect the island's population

Statistician Daniel Edmunds told Express: “The one thing that was noticeable this year compared to last year is that there was an increase in the migration caused by licensed staff. We’ve got these two groups: the registered and the licensed group. The licensed one is the one that jumped up from last year – it represented about 400 of the total 1,200, while it was 200 the previous year.

“What we actually saw was that the migration due to registered staff dropped off a little in comparison to last year. The overall change was very minor, but it was different categories of people – the licensed staff tend to be the sort of higher skilled, key worker type people.

“If you’re going to contribute a certain amount to the economy is one of the assessments – doctors, nurses would be given a licensed status rather than a registered status, so it’s interesting that’s the area where it’s grown and the registered side of things has slightly reduced."

Jersey's population was estimated at 105,500 at the end of 2017 - take a look at our infographic for the key figures pic.twitter.com/rhUWaOXDqB

— Statistics Jersey (@JsyStats) June 22, 2018

Although migration accounts for the majority of the growth of Jersey’s population, the number of ‘licensed’ employees doubled between 2016-17.

Jersey’s population now stands at 105,500, which marks an increase of 11,500 over the last decade, with net inward migration accounting for 77% of this total population increase.

It's a stark contrast to the situation in Guernsey. A report last week revealed Guernsey’s flatlining population figures, which are projected to fall below 60,000 by the year 2065. 

Pictured: Jersey's resident population has increased by 11,500 people over the last decade (Statistics Jersey)

Responding to the latest figures, Connétable Chris Taylor said: “The Council of Ministers has already met to discuss population, as this is one of the most important issues facing Jersey. We need a sustainable way of managing migration so we deliver a good quality future for all Islanders, while also supporting and working with business. 

“I have been asked by the Chief Minister to support him in this work, which I expect to be an important part of the new Council’s plans in the Autumn. We will develop these plans in consultation with States Members.”

The long-awaited Migration Policy which proposes criminal record checks and photographic registration cards in order to control levels of migration into the island suffered several false starts in 2017.

It was finally 'officially' presented in March this year, including migration combatting measures such as work permits and criminal record checks for those moving to Jersey.

The policy is now due to be debated in the States on 11 September.