Shining a light on the pay gap
A policy proposal to introduce pay transparency legislation is now open for public consultation
Government is set to shine a light on whether people are getting paid fairly for the same job.
A policy proposal to introduce pay transparency legislation is now open for public consultation.
Introducing the paper today, Labour and Economy Minister Jason Hayward says persistent wage disparities, particularly along racial, gender and nationality lines, continue to affect workers. (WATCH above)
Prompted by media questions, Minister Hayward in particular touched on discrepancies between guest workers and Bermudians in terms of housing allowance…
View the full policy paper below, and add your thoughts at forum.gov.bm.
Youth unemployment up in early 2025
Latest employment snapshot shows fewer jobs among 16-25 year-olds, and incomes up for non-Bermudians
Overall unemployment was up very slightly around this time last year – although youth unemployment had risen significantly.
That’s one key takeaway from the May 2025 Labour Force Survey, released today.
Bermudian unemployment was up by a half-percent, with underemployment on the rise.
Median gross annual incomes had shot up among non-Bermudians. Bermudian incomes had risen slightly, but black workers had seen a slight drop.
The LFS employment snapshot is published twice a year, with this report based on 1,090 household responses for a reference week in May last year.
Because this is based on estimates, Labour and Economy Minister Jason Hayward has warned not to see the numbers in the LFS as absolutes, but rather to observe the employment trends.
According to the report, from May 2024 to May 2025 unemployment rose a fraction of a percent from 1.6% to 1.7%.
Bermudian unemployment was up from 1.6% to 2.1%, while youth unemployment, ages 16 to 24, had jumped from 2.4% to 9.3%.
The overall employment rate had nudged back from 81.4% to 80.7%, with the year-on-year Labour Force participation rate down from 82.8% to 82.2%.
Underemployment, which includes those who don’t believe they are working enough hours, earning enough or in a job meeting their skills, had risen by about a third – from 1,901 to 3,048.
Overall median gross annual income was up from $73, 157 to $77,573.
Note that these figures are not adjusted for inflation.
Bermudians, about 70% of the working population, saw nearly a three-thousand dollar annual increase in median incomes from $69,912 to $72,776; non-Bermudians, including Spouses of Bermudians and PRCs, saw the average leap by nearly fifteen-thousand from $90,676 to $105,499.
Categorised by race, year-on-year median incomes among black workers fell by around two-thousand from $69,199 to $67,220; white workers saw a rise of nearly five-thousand from $98,501 to $103,358; and mixed or other races were up $9.4K from $68,002 to $77,411.
Women earned about five-thousand more than men on average, with the men’s median at $75,279, and the women’s at $80,269.
For more figures, take a look at the report below.
Dollar fades as oil retreats from highs with US blockade in effect
Both Brent and U.S. crude had retreated from one-week highs hit earlier in the session, however, and gains in the dollar faded with oil prices
International News via Reuters:
The dollar eased from earlier highs on Monday and was on pace for a sixth straight daily decline after peace talks between the U.S. and Iran broke down, while the Hungarian forint rallied after the center-right Tisza Party defeated Viktor Orban in a landslide election victory.
U.S. crude rose 2.32% to $98.81 a barrel and Brent rose to $98.92 per barrel, up 3.91% on the day as the U.S. military began a blockade of ships leaving Iran’s ports, while Tehran threatened to retaliate against ports of its Gulf neighbors.
Both Brent and U.S. crude had retreated from one-week highs hit earlier in the session, however, and gains in the dollar faded with oil prices.
The dollar index, which measures the greenback against a basket of currencies including the yen and the euro, shed 0.18% to 98.54, with the euro up 0.15% at $1.1737. The greenback is coming off its biggest weekly percentage drop since mid-January and the six-session run of declines would be its longest of the year.
“Given that we could be on the verge of a major escalation, I’d say the market is showing a lot of restraint,” said Marc Chandler, chief market strategist at Bannockburn Capital Markets in New York.
The risk-sensitive Australian dollar strengthened 0.44% versus the greenback to $0.7091 and the New Zealand dollar was up 0.53% to $0.5864.
RISING CRUDE PRICES TRIGGER ECONOMIC CONCERNS
The war in the Middle East has pushed crude prices up about 40% since the end of February, when the fighting began, heightening concerns about higher inflation and lower global growth, also known as stagflation.
Chicago Federal Reserve President Austan Goolsbee said oil futures markets are pricing in an expectation the surge in oil prices related to the Iran war will be short-lived, and that as long as this is the case, the impact on the U.S. economy may be limited.
The dollar has tended to climb when tensions between Iran and the U.S. have risen, given its status as a safe haven and the relative insulation of the U.S. to imported energy-price inflation.
Against the Norwegian krone,, the dollar weakened 0.73% to 9.456 and the Canadian dollar strengthened 0.28% versus the greenback to C$1.379 per dollar, with both currencies sensitive to movements in crude prices.
“Beneath the surface, today’s price action looks less risk-led and more driven by relative terms of trade shifts,” said Goldman Sachs analyst Teresa Alves in a note.
HUNGARIAN FORINT RISES
The Hungarian forint surged after veteran nationalist leader Viktor Orban lost power to Peter Magyar’s Tisza Party in Sunday’s national election after 16 years in office.
The currency jumped 3.69% versus the dollar at 308.81 after touching 308.57, its strongest level since February 2022.
“The polls showed Orban was going to lose, that he actually did lose and conceded is a good sign, but this is not like a shift to some kind of left position,” said Chandler.
YEN WEAKENS
Against the yen, the U.S. dollar was up 0.28% to 159.74 as yields on Japan’s benchmark 10-year government bonds advanced 3.2 basis points to 2.496%, the highest in nearly three decades.
Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda said on Monday that economic and price developments were moving roughly in line with the bank’s forecasts, but called for vigilance over the impact of the conflict in the Middle East.
Reporting by Chuck Mikolajczak; additional reporting by Gregor Stuart Hunter in Singapore and Samuel Indyk in London; Editing by Kirsten Donovan, Hugh Lawson, Ros Russell, Rod Nickel
France’s Macron holds talks with Venezuelan opposition leader Machado
Machado has remained outside Venezuela since leaving the country to collect the Nobel Peace Prize last December and is currently visiting various countries in Europe
International News via Reuters:
French President Emmanuel Macron hosted talks on Monday in Paris with Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado and both discussed a democratic transition in her country, he said in a post on X.
“Together, we discussed her commitment to freedom and the importance of achieving a democratic, peaceful transition in Venezuela that respects the will of its people,” Macron said.
Machado has remained outside Venezuela since leaving the country to collect the Nobel Peace Prize last December and is currently visiting various countries in Europe.
She will take part in a gathering at Madrid’s downtown Puerta del Sol square on Saturday, she said on X.
Machado is under investigation in Venezuela and interim president Delcy Rodriguez has said Machado should have to “answer” for her support of U.S. military action against Caracas.
In an interview over the weekend with Spanish newspaper El Pais, Rodriguez’s brother, legislature president Jorge Rodriguez, said that the crime of calling for foreign intervention was not included under an recent amnesty law, though he would not be drawn on whether Machado would be arrested if she returned to Venezuela.
The United States captured Venezuela’s longtime leader Nicolas Maduro in January.
Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta and Inti Landauro, Editing by Timothy Heritage and Chizu Nomiyama
Education Ministry responds to concerns over rising student needs
The Government has outlined a series of measures to support teachers and students, following concerns raised by educators about the growing complexity of student needs in public schools
The Ministry of Education acknowledges the concerns raised by educators regarding the increasing complexity of student needs across our public school system. These challenges are real, significant, and not unique to Bermuda. We recognise and value the ongoing commitment of educators and staff who support our young people every day under increasingly demanding circumstances.
We do not accept that there is a disconnect between Government and classroom realities. On the contrary, the experiences being shared are the very issues that have informed and continue to shape the actions we are taking.
Over the past year, the Ministry has advanced targeted measures to strengthen support for students, including expanding access to school-based services and programmes designed to address complex and diverse needs. We are also improving coordination across education, health, and social services to ensure students receive more timely, consistent, and integrated support.
The 2026/27 Budget reflects this priority, with expanded funding to strengthen system-wide capacity. This includes increased investment in support staff and essential services, alongside significant capital funding to modernise and improve school infrastructure. These investments are intended to ensure that our schools are equipped to deliver high-quality, safe, and sustainable teaching and learning environments.
Our immediate focus is on execution—ensuring that these resources are deployed efficiently and without delay. Ongoing public service hiring reforms are a critical part of this effort, aimed at enabling schools to access the personnel and supports they require in a timely manner.
We remain committed to meaningful engagement with educators, including the Bermuda Union of Teachers, as well as with parents and the wider community. Their perspectives are essential as we continue to strengthen the system.
The Government is resolute in its commitment to ensuring that every student is supported to succeed. We will continue to listen, to act decisively, and to invest strategically to meet the evolving needs of Bermuda’s children.
Media release supplied by the Government of Bermuda, Department of Communications.
Trump says Iranian ‘fast-attack’ ships that come close to US ‘blockade’ will be eliminated
Trump said a U.S. blockade on vessels entering and departing Iran had gone into effect at 10 a.m. EDT (1400 GMT) on Monday
International News via Reuters:
President Donald Trump warned on Monday that any Iranian “fast-attack” ships that go near a U.S. maritime “blockade” on Iran would be eliminated, and he said the U.S. would not allow Tehran to “extort the world.”
Trump said a U.S. blockade on vessels entering and departing Iran had gone into effect at 10 a.m. EDT (1400 GMT) on Monday.
Describing Iran’s navy as “completely obliterated” during the six-week-long war between the U.S. and Iran, Trump had earlier posted on Truth Social: “What we have not hit are their small number of, what they call, ‘fast attack ships,’ because we did not consider them much of a threat.”
“Warning: If any of these ships come anywhere close to our BLOCKADE, they will be immediately ELIMINATED, using the same system of kill that we use against the drug dealers on boats at Sea. It is quick and brutal,” Trump wrote.
Trump was referring to the dozens of U.S. strikes carried out against suspected drug boats in the Caribbean and Pacific since September in a campaign that has killed at least 110 people.
Iran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, cutting off a vital waterway that normally carries about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies, in response to U.S.-Israeli strikes.
“We can’t let a country blackmail or extort the world,” Trump told reporters at the White House.
Iran’s conventional navy has largely been destroyed. However, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps still has options to disrupt maritime activity, including fast-attack craft, mini submarines, mines and even jet skis packed with explosives, said Tom Sharpe, a retired Royal Navy commander, last month.
After agreeing to a two-week ceasefire that began last week, the U.S. and Iran held talks in Pakistan over the weekend aimed at a settlement to the conflict. But they failed to reach an agreement.
A U.S. official said on Monday that there was continued engagement between the U.S. and Iran and forward motion toward an agreement.
Trump told reporters that the U.S. is determined to curtail Iran’s nuclear ambitions and retrieve its fissile material, deal or not.
“If they don’t agree, there’s no deal. There’ll never be a deal. Iran will not have a nuclear weapon, and we’re going to get the dust back. We’ll get it back. Either we’ll get it back from them, or we’ll take it.”
Reporting by Doina Chiacu, Trevor Hunnicutt and Humeyra Pamuk; editing by Michelle Nichols and Cynthia Osterman
Hezbollah chief urges Lebanese government to cancel Washington talks with Israel
In a televised speech, Qassem said the armed group will continue to confront Israeli attacks on Lebanon
International News via Reuters:
Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem on Monday called on the Lebanese government to cancel a Tuesday meeting between the Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors in Washington, describing the talks as pointless.
In a televised speech, Qassem said the armed group will continue to confront Israeli attacks on Lebanon.
Lebanon’s foreign minister said Beirut would use Tuesday’s face-to-face negotiations to press for a ceasefire in the war.
Reporting by Laila Bassam; Editing by Toby Chopra
First look: 2026 hurricane season
Researchers from Colorado State University are predicting a somewhat below-average season
How many storms will there be in the next Atlantic hurricane season?
It’s a question researchers endeavour to answer each year using models – and one that is always top of mind for many islanders.
A team within the Department of Atmospheric Science at Colorado State University is projecting 13 named storms.
Of those, they anticipate six to become hurricanes and two to become major hurricanes, defined as Category 3 or higher.
In total, hurricane activity is expected to dip to about 75% of the long-term seasonal average.
By comparison, last year’s hurricane activity was about 105% of the average season.
The CSU team cites the forecast of a “robust El Niño” as a primary factor in their prediction, along with mixed signals in Atlantic sea surface temperatures.
A media release explains, ““El Niño, a recurring climate pattern that is characterized by warmer than normal water in the eastern and central tropical Pacific, tends to increase upper-level westerly winds across the Caribbean into the tropical Atlantic. These winds result in increased vertical wind shear which is unfavourable for Atlantic hurricane formation and intensification.”
Researchers also included the probability of major hurricanes making landfall in 2026: 32% for the entire U.S. coastline, 15% for the U.S. East Coast, 20% for the Gulf Coast from the Florida Panhandle westward to Brownsville, Texas, and 35% for the Caribbean.
The CSU team says it will issue updates to this forecast on June 10th, July 8th, and August 5th.
The CSU forecast, now in its 43rd year, is intended to provide a best estimate of activity in the Atlantic during the upcoming season, not an exact measure.
Another key outlook will be released next month by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Hurricane season runs from June 1st to November 30th.
An average season has 14 named storms, seven hurricanes, and three major hurricanes.
Last year, the Atlantic basin produced 13 named storms, of which five became hurricanes, including four major hurricanes.
Bermuda got away relatively unscathed overall. However, Hurricane Imelda, a Category 2 hurricane, did make a direct hit, leaving more than 17,000 BELCO customers without power. Widespread structural damage was minimal.
Bermuda Walls makes the city its canvas
As bold and vibrant murals cover City of Hamilton walls, one artist says he has been feeding off the community’s energy
The Bermuda Walls festival brought a burst of color and creativity to the streets of Hamilton this weekend, as local and international artists transformed the city into a live canvas.
From bold murals to vibrant designs, the event created an energetic atmosphere, and closed on Sunday with an afternoon of music, art, and community spirit.
Over the weekend, we captured the artists in action as they brought their visions to life.
We also spoke with international artist Quake from Miami, who said he’s been feeding off the energy of the people while working alongside other artists.
Here’s a look at the vibrant scenes from Bermuda Walls.
BUEI seeks young environmental reporters for 2026 competition
The Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute is inviting young people aged 11–25 to submit original environmental journalism entries ahead of an April 16 deadline.
The Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute (BUEI) has announced the return of the Young Reporters for the Environment (YRE) National Competition, now in its fourth year on the island.
Young people aged 11–25 are invited to submit original work across four categories: article writing, photography, podcasts, and video reportage. Entries must be submitted by April 16.
This year’s theme is Food Security and Climate Change. According to BUEI, climate change is already influencing how food is grown, produced, and distributed — with impacts ranging from extreme weather affecting crops to changing ocean conditions that affect fisheries.
BUEI serves as the National Operator for the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) programmes in Bermuda and leads delivery of the YRE programme. Through YRE’s four-step methodology — investigating an environmental issue, researching solutions, creating a media piece, and sharing it with the community — participants develop critical thinking and storytelling skills, according to the institute.
Winning submissions in each category will go on to represent Bermuda in the YRE International Competition.
Educators interested in exploring the competition with their students can find resources on BUEI’s website at www.BUEI.org. Further information on YRE global guidelines and categories is available at the YRE Global website.
Media release supplied by the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute.
