It is always been one of the more popular Overseas Territories, and now definite proof of that widely held belief has come in the form of news that the number of work permits and government contracts issued to non-Caymanian workers in the Cayman Islands has now reached the highest numbers reported by their immigration department since the third quarter of 2008.
As of the beginning of this month, 25,870 permits had been issued by the department. This comes on the heels of a report of a growth rate of 2.4% in GDP for 2017 as well as falling unemployment rates for the local population and low inflation.
By the numbers
The Cayman Islands Immigration Department has also provided a breakdown of work permit holders by nationality. The islands are now home to at least 1,000 work permit holders belonging to the following nationalities: Jamaican, Filipino, British, Canadian, American, Indian, and Honduran. Due to the proximity of the island of Jamaica and its historic ties to the Cayman Islands, this group still makes up the largest number of work permit holders at almost 42%. They are followed by those from the Philippines then Britain and Canada.
