ILO Decent Work Team and Office for the Caribbean May 2014, Grenada

PROMOTING DECENT WORK FOR ALL

ILO Decent Work Teamand Office for the

CaribbeanMay 2014, Grenada

" Development of Labour Force Surveys in the

Caribbean: Recent Issues


What we will discuss

•LFS in the Caribbean•Reviews/revisions and issues•Developments in the OECS region•Use of the LFS results•19th ICLS decisions: implications•What is next


LFS in the Caribbean• Where are we? • Limits of the survey approach in the region

• Economies of scale• Limited Capacity

• We use the proxy-respondent method (benefits and challenges)

• Linkage with the Pop Census• Sample frame• Infra-structure• Training ground• Comparison


Reviews/revisions and issues

• Overview:• 2002-2004 CLMIS (ILO & US-DOL/BLS) • 2008-2009 ILO selected NSOs:• Other reviews and revisions

• Integration of IT• Sampling


2002-04 reviews and revisions

• Enhancement of Questionnaire design• Review/revision of Sampling• Two “approaches” ILO & BLS


2008-09 reviews and revisions • Focus on harmonisation (selected

countries (Bah, Barb, Jam, St Lucia Trinidad and

Tobago): • Concepts and definitions

• Application of international standards• Harmonisation regional series • Standardised database of LFS rounds/share micro

data• Inclusion of informality (first step in 123 method)

and under-employment• Group consensus …. Report to SCCS• Implementation:

• Country preparations for project design• Implementation relied on country

initiative/funding


Integration of IT

• Data input technology: • Scanning

• Benefits• Challenges

• Handheld Computer aided interviewing• Benefits• Challenges• Cartography

• Mobile phones an unsed option?• Dissemination

• Web sites• Micro-data files


Sampling• Variation in quarterly/annual

estimates• Linked samples design (to reduce variance):

• Response rates repeatedly visited HH in small societies• Does not really work with annual surveys

• Larger Samples• Experimented with “Moving average” in Suriname

• Annualised data• Simple average of rounds• Annualise at the level of the sample design … having a

master sample may • Still “strange movements” … Non-

sampling errors• Data collection … impact of IT • Data processing … imputation


LFS Plus• Housing info• Migration• Poverty measurement• Challenges

•Applying the 19th ICLS resolution•What is the limit


Developments in the OECS region• Harmonised questionnaire:

• Informality• Underemployment• Limited income measurement

• Extensive field manual … will do the same for data processing

• Standardised tabulation datasets/sharing of micro data

• Harmonised output/tabulation plan• Sub-Regional pool of experts


Use of the LFS results• Employment/labour market analysis• National Accounts/Productivity• Social policy• Macro-economic policy


19th ICLS decisions: implications

• Objective: Revised framework for Work & Labour Force Statistics

• Two main conceptual issues: • employment/work 5 categories of “work”• Under-utilisation

• How does this relate to us• Measurement level• What next


Narrow the scope of “Employment” definition• Economic activity as defined in SNA:

Production of goods and services• Market units • Non-market units (i.e. government and non-profit institutions• Households

• Classification of the working population according to labour force status, using the short reference period:• In employment (para 27): a) at work and b) not

at work• In unemployment, as defined in paragraph 47• Outside the labour force (para 16): a) potential

labour force” or b) “not-potential labour force” (para 51)


Narrower scope “Employment” definition• New conceptual approach promotes two

notions or basic forms of work:• Income-generating work as the core

definition of work • Other non-income forms of work to be

understood, measured and presented separately:• Work/production for own use (of goods and of

services)• Unpaid trainee work• Volunteer work


Measuring forms of work in the LFS• No major challenge

• Income generating work• Unpaid trainee work and Voluntary work

• Most challenging … work of own use producers (sub-category of Subsistence foodstuff producers):

• Is integrated into LFS … but no exact separation possible:• Based on definition of “employed”• Probing questions to capture for informal work for own

consumption • Based on required information Separate

module


Major issues measuring Own use producers• Mayor issues in measurement:

• Working time of own-use producers (by each relevant activity cluster collected using short time units (such as minutes or hours according to the source)

• Estimated value of the goods produced and/or consumed/retained by the household(s)

• Estimated amount and/or value of any part or surplus sold or bartered

• Expenses incurred in relation to this production


Major source for measuring work• Integrated LFS or LFS with modules

on:• Own-use production work• Unpaid trainee work • Volunteer work

• Specialized household surveys:• time-use, • education and training, • volunteering, • agriculture, • child labour • labour migration


In Summary


Five categories of work• Economic activity as defined in SNA

• Intended destination of the production (for own final use; or for use by others, i.e. other economic units)

• Nature of the transaction (i.e. monetary or non-monetary transactions, and transfers)

• New conceptual approach two basic forms of work:• Own-use production work goods & services for own

final use• Employment work for others in exchange for pay or

profit• Unpaid trainee work for others without pay to

acquire workplace experience or skills• Volunteer work non-compulsory work performed for

others without pay• Other work activities (not defined in this resolution)


Labour Under-utilisation• Limit Unemployment concept to seeking

“income generating work” (paid employment) while • Highlighting (time related) under-employment • Limiting the relaxation of the “seeking” requirement • Introducing non-seeking persons in the analytical frame work

indicating their labour market market attachment• Three forms of Labour under-utilisation:

• Time-related underemployment• Unemployment • Potential labour force


Definitions• Time-related underemployment: when the working time of persons in employment is insufficient in relation to alternative employment situations in which they are willing and available to engage• Unemployment:Reflecting an active job search by persons not in employment who are available for this form of work• Potential labour force, Referring to persons not in employment who express an interest in this form of work but for whom existing conditions limit their aactive job search and/or their availability



How does this relate to us

• The region’s approach to unemployment• Slow job creation and High, structural

unemployment• Employment … large informal sectors … own

production own final use • Follow resolution and develop measures

applicable to the local conditions while referencing to the international standards


Measurement level• Using existing LFS instruments re-

classifying and/or approximating new concepts

• New or additional measurement instruments

• Short term focus on • New limited employment concept

• Re-classify based on existing measurement• Align measurement of unemployment to “new

approach” • Unemployment:

• Re-classify based on existing measurement• Align measurement of unemployment to “new

approach”


Next Steps• Resolution seems flexible in its approach to

(immediate) implementation • Review new conceptual approach and

identify challenges and opportunities to apply it

• Develop a regional strategy/approach to:• revise/design additional measurement

instruments• Develop tabulation based on existing

measurement• Regional Task Force?


Decent Work

Thank you!

The International Labour Organization

ILO Decent Work Teamand Country Office for the Caribbean

www.ilocarib.org.tt

Documents

ILO Decent Work Team and Office for the Caribbean May 2014, Grenada