BPSA chief ‘not surprised’ by economy state, worried about outlook Article by May 1, 2021 Declaring that he is not surprised by the sobering Central Bank report card on economic decline so far this year, Chairman of the Barbados Private Sector Association Edward Clarke said Friday he is worried about the outlook. The key highlights of the first-quarter review included a near 20 per cent shrinking of the economy, projected growth of about three per cent for the rest of this year, $2.6 billion in international reserves – the equivalent of 43.1 weeks of imports – and a decline of $86 million, unemployment of 13.6 per cent at the end of December 2020 and price increases of an average two per cent during the 12 months ending March 31.