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There's no heavy layoffs yet, but a spokesman for one of the country's largest concrete suppliers says the market decrease in construction has been evident for the past four months. The slowdown is expected to last throughout 2010. Overtime hours have been cut and it's just a matter of time before the dreaded pink slips come in.

Dwindling air arrivals prompted layoffs at the Fairmont Southampton Princess last month - one of the largest hotel employers. It doesn't bode well for Bermuda. The writing is on the wall people - we're in for a rough Christmas.

Retailers are now in a second year of grappling with declining sales as we approach what's traditionally the busiest shopping season. Some store owners may opt to close altogether.

Continued declines could also mean more layoffs in a sector that employs a lot of women - many of whom are single parents. With no pay cheques coming in, consumers will tighten up.

Consumer Price Index figures show sharp increases in rent and food costs. When I last checked a loaf of Roman Meal bread was one quarter away from six dollars - SIX DOLLARS! And as the good book says: "Man cannot live by bread alone."

Despite early warnings of the spinoff effects of the global economic downturn, I've heard very little about the numbers of unemployed Bermudians. What I have heard is an increasing number of complaints by people born and raised here, who have been out of work and searching for gainful employment, some for nearly two years.

I've also heard a local economist say "the GDP is arguably not the best indicator of how Bermudians are faring," adding "Bermudian employment has declined by over 900 jobs since 1999 whilst total employment numbers have risen by over eight per cent." I get the feeling there are more Bermudians out of work these days than ever before.

The silence is deafening. It may have a lot to do with pride. Bermudians are a proud bunch, we like to keep up for the sake of appearances even when the picture is bleak. And we generally don't speak up for the collective good. These days it's more about "Me, Myself and I."

Of course, there's the argument that locals don't want the unskilled jobs available because they don't want to work. That may be true for some, but for the majority it has more to do with not being able to live on the salaries those jobs pay.

Bermudians generally don't get rent subsidies from their employers, or transporation, not to mention the landlords who only rent to non-Bermudian tenants and charge them by the head.

Perhaps it's time for the real numbers on unemployed Bermudians. It's difficult to ascertain with no real system in place to figure it out. Efforts are underway to get a handle on that but meanwhile, the questions lingers: 'How do you begin to address it without knowing the extent or magnitude of it?'

Not speaking up where it matters doesn't help, either.

Bermudians still don't document the job rejections at the ministry charged with handling them.

The natives in so-called paradise are getting restless and money is getting tight. Selfishness may feel good now but it won't last - it's not sustainable.

The late great Robert Nester Marley put it best when he said: "Everyday the bucket goes to the well, one day the bottom of it drops out."

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