Regional Workshop on Informal Sector Surveys for the Caribbean Subregion

Submitted by katharina on 28 October 2011 - 11:56am

This workshop was one of the culminating activities of the inter-regional project on the Measurement of the Informal Sector and Informal Employment. The project involved three United Nations commissions, namely, ESCAP, ESCWA and ECLAC. It was supported by the Development Account of the United Nations and the ECLAC component was conducted in the Caribbean subregion beginning in 2007. The project country in this subregion was Saint Lucia and this culminating workshop was aimed primarily at disseminating the results of the 1-2 survey of the informal sector which was carried out in Saint Lucia over the period April 2008 to January 2009. In addition, it had the following objectives:
(i) To exchange and learn from good practices in the conduct of informal sector surveys in the subregion using the 1-2 methodology;
(ii) To learn how to analyze the data resulting from this type of survey, in order to assess informal employment;
(iii) To demonstrate the use of the survey data to measure the ‘value added’ of the informal sector of Saint Lucia;
(iv) To identify a way forward for the use of the 1-2 methodology in the Caribbean subregion, to collect data for assessing the informal sector’s contribution to the GDP.

Key Information
12 October 2009 - 13 October 2009
Case Study
Background: 

The Informal Sector continues to play a leading role in the economies of the Caribbean subregion. Yet, standardized and accurate instruments to measure the impact of this phenomenon have not been developed. This new methodology presents some hope to be able to achieve this objective and to therefore have a standardized package to assess this very important sector of the economies of countries in this subregion. The development of this methodology will also contribute to the search for an objective and accurate mechanism to address the gap that currently exist in the SNA 2008 to measure the Informal Sector’s contribution to the GDP. The Regional Workshop was the final activity under the project Measurement of the Informal Sector and Informal Employment being conducted in the subregion since 2007. It was aimed primarily at disseminating the results of a 1-2 survey of the informal sector which was carried out in Saint Lucia over the period April 2008 to January 2009.

Results Achieved: 

The 1-2 Survey of the Informal Sector was carried out in Saint Lucia over the period April –January 2009. This forum provided the mechanism through which the results of this survey were disseminated. Several presentations were made at this forum ranging from background information about the entire project, information related to the wider Informal Sector and Informal Employment, as well as the key actual results of the survey that took place in Saint Lucia. Among these results, the Saint Lucian authorities informed the forum of the size of the Informal Sector of Saint Lucia and the percentage contribution to the overall GDP of Saint Lucia that the Informal Sector was accounting for. Member states present were also introduced to the 1-2 methodology that was used for conducting the survey. The fifteen participants also got some first-hand information from the Director of Statistics in Saint Lucia on his offices experiences with the implementation of the survey as well as challenges encountered in the process.

Main Activities: 

The main activities of this workshop were:
(a) Presentations by experts from the ILO and ECLAC on elements of the Informal Sector Survey;
(b) Country presentations on methods used to adjust National Accounts Statistics for the contribution of the informal sector to GDP;
(c) Presentations from representatives of the Central Statistical Office of Saint Lucia on the survey findings and lessons learnt.

Future Replicability
Lessons Learned: 

• Since this methodology used is very new to the subregion as it is to several other parts of the globe, there was some obvious suspicion with respect to its use and application in the Caribbean context;
• Despite this however, the challenges of acceptance of the new method were overcome and the results are historical. Saint Lucia has committed to a repeat of this survey, at appropriate intervals, using the new methodology in order to update estimates of the Informal Sector’s contribution to the GDP;
• The challenges related to the need for more intensive training and supervision of the survey field operations are fully recognized and much caution will have to be taken in ensuring that ample training be provided to all field staff, including the supervisors, and much more intensive and close supervision be done of the entire field operations. It is recognized that these measures are much more crucial than in the ordinary surveys especially since the questionnaire is very lengthy and requires considerable probing on the part of the interviewer, who also needs to be thoroughly familiar with all questions as well as the methodology.

Key to Success for Future Replicability: 

At least 2 countries have already expressed strong interest in utilizing this methodology to assess their Informal Sectors. Convincing other Member States to adopt this methodology was initiated at this workshop. However, this very important task requires much more in terms of Advocacy and the dissemination of technical information relating to the approach and to the potentially rich results. It is recognized that these factors must be promoted for the countries of the subregion to be fully comfortable with utilizing this methodology. Only through an intensive and focused approach will other Member States be most willing to adopt and use this methodology comfortably.

Recommended Follow-Up:
(a) ECLAC will move expeditiously to secure funding that would facilitate the hiring of a consultant to prepare a handbook on 1-2 surveys of the informal sector. This document will serve as a one-stop for information on the surveys in the subregion and will comprise an analytic and descriptive report of the processes and procedures for conducting 1-2 surveys. It will also incorporate Saint Lucia’s experience with the pilot survey;
(b) The countries represented at the workshop endorsed the survey methodology for conducting 1-2 surveys of the informal sector and proposed the formalization of the survey methodology;
(c) Work continues at the international level, supported by the United Nations, to refine the methodology. Specifically, work is continuing on reducing the length of the questionnaire and reducing the need for too many probes;
(d)The adoption and use of the International Household Surveys Network (IHSN) toolkit for metadata documentation will be promoted since it will assist with the production of documents that are compliant with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO);
(e) At the workshop and thereafter, the countries expressed the need to move forward with the production of a shorter questionnaire that would facilitate the conduct of more regular surveys. In that regard, the meeting endorsed the proposal made by ILO for the convening of a meeting with the harmonization group and other key partners, such as the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), ECLAC and CARICOM, that would look into the refinement and revision of the questionnaire as well as the sampling for the survey. This is in line with (c) above;
(f) The promotion of an approach for strategy and advocacy for data sharing of labour force statistics that targeted policymakers was reiterated. To that end, the meeting accepted the proposal made by the representative of ECLAC, Santiago, for the convening of a workshop or short course that would focus on the measurement, analysis and design of policies similar to what was done by PREALC for countries in Latin America.

Contacts: 

Focal point(s) in lead country/organization
Sylvan Roberts, Statistician, ECLAC, sylvan.roberts@eclac.org

Focal point(s) in other participating countries
Mr. Edwin St. Catherine, Director of Statistics of Saint Lucia
Edwin.st.catherine@gmail.com

Supporting UN agency focal point
Director of Statistics, UNESCAP