Labour Minister Vincent Wheatley shared that statistic in the House of Assembly on Tuesday — the clearest data given on the success of the programme to date.

Wheatley, who was responding to questions from Opposition Leader Marlon Penn, said 2,920 jobseekers registered since the programme started on August 21, 2019.

“Of those 2,920 registered, 162 have occurred under the programme; specifically, 55 males and 107 females with the majority being between the ages of 16 and 25.”

But how many of those persons who received jobs under the programme managed to keep their jobs considering the economic downturn and subsequent job cuts caused by COVID-19?

Wheatley said he does not know.

“Of those 162 persons, it remains undetermined how many persons remain unemployed as this information relies solely on employers and job candidates reporting changes in employment status to the department,” the minister stated.

In the meantime, Wheatley said registrations for the programme saw an increase after the government’s mandated lockdown of territory because of the pandemic last year.

He said the reported numbers of job seekers may not be accurate due to “low reporting” to the Labour Department from employers and job candidates.

The minister said he hopes to address that matter “very soon”.

By BVI news’ tally, a little more than 600 days have elapsed since the programme rolled out. It is expected to be completed around April of next year.