The International Labour Organization (ILO) Office for Pacific Island Countries, in partnership with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), has been assisting with Samoa’s third Labour Force Survey (LFS) 2022.
The original work started in September 2022 and is expected to be completed by April 2023. The work began with designing the questionnaires, along with enumerator manual, 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 Bureau of Statistics (SBS) leading this 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 the 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 lockdowns 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.