Hundreds of Bermudians will be facing the Christmas holiday and the new year with reduced or no income -- the lingering effects of a recession that for some people will just not go away.

Government figures through to the end of October, according to the Labour Minister, the Hon. John Irving Pearman, are "consistent with the rest of the year. There's been no major increases at all according to the Government Employment Office for persons who register as unemployed''.

But the Minister conceded: "Some people will suffer this Christmas, the same as last year and the year before. A lot of people are suffering. There is no doubt that if you are unemployed and you want employment, then there is some hardship. One sympathises with it.

"But as a percentage compared with any per capita employment population in the world, although our unemployment is probably larger than historically it's ever been as an over-employed society, it is still extremely low, I would think.

"But none-the-less, there is still a person unemployed, who wants to be employed and that is a hardship, and we have to have an empathy with that.'' The latest report shows that some 533 people registered with the Government Employment Agency in October. That still does not even approach three percent unemployment, which is considered to be full employment in industrialised countries.

The Bermuda situation has always been different, because the success of the Country brought over-employment until the recession, with Bermudians able to hold down more than one job. It also led to the importing of upward of 20 percent of the labour pool.

Compared to those days, more and more Bermudians have faced economic problems in recent years.

July's peak employment period brought some respite with lower unemployment numbers, but before the season began the number was above 600.

Mr. Pearman said: "During the summer months the number declined down to as low as 370, as against 600 in March and now it has crept back up to 533 at the end of October.'' Out of that number, 236 people had not worked for two months or more prior to registering, 106 of them said that they haven't been employed for more than two months.

Mr. Pearman said: "But the largest group out of that 106, some 42 are casual workers.'' The Minister said that as the colder months arrive, he was not necessarily expecting the numbers to get higher because other sectors were creating more demand. New figures are being collected right now for the month of November.

He said that hotel workers often took their vacation periods at this time of the year, and he pointed to the closure of Sonesta Beach Hotel, where a number of the workers were being used for other jobs as the hotel is being renovated and refurbished.

Mr. Pearman said: "We've been living with this since the recession and it appears to have improved itself a bit, but you are right, there are people in various categories who are unemployed.

"The larger group of the list of the registered unemployed that comprises 533 are casual workers, people who take on odd jobs. They are saying that they haven't got any jobs now, although they may have had one for two months.

That's 72 people alone.

"There are some 50-odd labourers listed here. There are house painters, associated with construction, also on this list. A lot of this unemployment is related to the construction industry. There are truck drivers.

"We think that if you broke out the numbers of people, they are very much biased by the amount of construction workers that are unemployed.

"And on the basis of that as we can hopefully get the new school going soon and Government continues with its "make-work programme'' it will help to absorb more and more of these people.'' Mr. Pearman said there are also clerical workers who remain displaced. He said that the improvement in technologies have impacted on clerical functions.

Companies are using more technology to replace human labour.

LABOUR MINISTER -- The Hon. John Irving Pearman said: "Some people will suffer this Christmas, the same as last year and the year before. A lot of people are suffering. There is no doubt that if you are unemployed and you want employment, then there is some hardship. One sympathises with it.''