Trinidad and Tobago - Economic sectors



Once the mainstay of Trinidad's colonial economy, agriculture accounted for only 2 percent of GDP in 1998, as opposed to 6.9 percent in 1972. The sector is still an important source of employment, however, employing 8.1 percent of the workforce, or 40,000 people, in 1999. Sugar is the main commercial crop, with most production geared towards the guaranteed European Union market.

Communications
Country Newspapers Radios TV Sets a Cable subscribers a Mobile Phones a Fax Machines a Personal Computers a Internet Hosts b Internet Users b
1996 1997 1998 1998 1998 1998 1998 1999 1999
Trinidad & Tobago 123 534 334 N/A 20 3.9 46.8 28.20 30
United States 215 2,146 847 244.3 256 78.4 458.6 1,508.77 74,100
Venezuela 206 468 185 25.8 87 3.0 43.0 3.98 525
Uruguay 293 607 241 N/A 60 N/A 91.2 38.34 300
a Data are from International Telecommunication Union, World Telecommunication Development Report 1999 and are per 1,000 people.
b Data are from the Internet Software Consortium ( http://www.isc.org ) and are per 10,000 people.
SOURCE: World Bank. World Development Indicators 2000.

Industry is the dominant sector within Trinidad and Tobago's economy. The oil and gas industries are the most important, contributing 25 percent of GDP in 1999 and accounting for 73.1 percent of total exports. The petroleum sector is not, however, a major employer, providing jobs for only 3.2 percent of the workforce, or 14,000 people. Other manufacturing employs many more workers (11 percent of the workforce or 60,000 people) and contributed 8.1 percent of GDP in 1999. In 1998, industry's overall share of GDP stood at 44 percent.

Services accounted for 54 percent of GDP in 1998, encompassing transport, retail , government services, and

tourism. Of these, personal services and retail were the most significant employers, providing jobs for 28 percent and 16 percent of the workforce, respectively. Tourism is a minor source of revenue and employment in Trinidad, with Tobago earning more in this sector.

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