Samoa Conducts Labour Force Survey
Minister Of Finance
Photo: Government of Samoa
The International Labour Organization (ILO) Office for Pacific Island Countries, in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), has been assisting with Samoa’s third Labour Force Survey (LFS) 2022.
The original work commenced in September of last year and is expected to see completion by April this year. The work began with designing the questionnaires, along with enumerator manuals, sampling, coding, and survey solutions.
The LFS 2022 includes new sections that will cover the impact of Covid-19, as suggested by ADB, as well as the inclusion of child labour.
With Samoa's Bureau of Statistics (SBS) spearheading the survey, the ILO Office provided technical support to ensure it aligns with not only ILO standards but also meets Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) indicators through relevant and timely market information for reporting.
The Samoa LFS is an important household survey conducted every five (5) years. It provides statistics of work, employment, and labour under-utilization. In addition, the survey also gathers labour market information such as working population numbers, employment and unemployment rates and other labour market details of the situation in Samoa. The first Labour Market Survey was for the period 2012 – 2017, and the second Labour Force Survey covered 2017 to 2022. The current and third Labour Force Survey is for 2022 –2027.
Its main objectives are to strengthen the technical and institutional capacity of Samoa in the regular gathering and analysis of labour market data, and to meet SDG decent work indicators through the implementation of the LFS. This is crucial information required by Government and stakeholders for policy decisions, particularly in light of stimulus packages to businesses and workers in the period between pre-pandemic economic conditions through to national Covid-19 lock-downs and the eventual reopening of international borders.
The total cost of the LFS this year is SAT $302,000. ILO contributed SAT $51,000 while the remaining balance was funded by ADB. ILO continues to work with the Samoa Bureau of Statistics and the Ministry of Commerce Industry and Labour to provide technical assistance through designing, collection, microdata cleaning, and analysis of the final report.
The Implementation Agreement (IA) for ILO was signed by the Honorable Minister of Finance and Acting Minister for the Samoa Bureau of Statistics, Afioga Mulipola Anarosa Ale Molio’o, and the Director of ILO Office for Pacific Island Countries, Mr. Matin Karimli, to officiate the support of ILO to Samoa on matters pertaining to the labour market. The Samoa Bureau of Statistic is conducting the field work, with the LFS expected to be launched in April 2023.