The Central Statistical Office is collaborating with the World Bank Human Capital Resilience Project on a Labour Market Needs Assessment Survey. The results from this survey are expected to identify the skills gap on the island and provide recommendations to policymakers to address the labour market requirements.
Over 500 local businesses will participate in this survey. Focusing on a Labour Market Needs Assessment, this survey is part of the broader World Bank Human Capital Resilience Project. Dr. Justine Pierre, Director of Research and Business Development with the Canadian research firm Dunn Pierre Barnette and Company Canada Ltd., said that the assessment will evaluate the existing skills, resources, and certifications currently available on the island.
“What we have been seeing is that there is an absence or lack of proper data and in order for us to make decisions as to the future of Saint Lucia as to what type of training we need, what type of skills we need, it’s important that we collect the data. Officially, we’re looking to do about 550 this is done with the collaboration of the Statics Department, the Ministry of Education, the Procurement Office, and the Project Coordination Unit, together with Dr. Rufina and all of the stakeholders. It’s a national endeavour that is sponsored by the Government of Saint Lucia, the Ministry of Education, and also supported by the World Bank,” Pierre said.
A training exercise was conducted on Friday, June 21, 2024, to familiarize enumerators with the questionnaire, tools, and techniques for conducting the survey. Deputy Director of Statistics, Richard Harris, expressed hope that enterprises will recognize the survey’s value to both the country and their own businesses.
“Essentially we have substantial experience in the conduct of these types of surveys. We hold a quarterly labour force survey that essentially collects information from the supply side of things. So we go to the households which supply labour to the establishments. This particular survey looks at the demand side, so we go to the establishments and ask for details concerning the labor demand,” Harris said.
Martha Joseph from the Central Statistical Office, one of the workshop facilitators, noted that despite the short time frame for conducting the survey, they aim to complete the enumeration process within two and a half to three months by leveraging modern technology in the field.
“It’s quite a while we’ve moved away from paper. We’re now into computer-assisted and this is where we use the software so definitely they’re going to use the tablet to collect the information,” Joseph said.
The enumerators will be equipped with a standardized uniform, a photo identification card, and a signed letter, all bearing the logo of the Central Statistical Office for easy identification.