SEMI-ANNUAL LABOUR FORCE SURVEY UNDERWAY

The Economics & Statistics Office will conduct its semi-annual Labour Force Survey starting Sunday October 12, 2008. This household survey programme was started in 1991 and is normally done twice yearly.

The household survey is generally a random, sample survey. This means that not every household will be surveyed and those selected are done so purely by chance. However, since all households have an equal chance of selection, the more often the survey is conducted, the higher the chance of repeat selection. It must be stressed that, the ‘sample selection’ is generated by computer and is completely random. The Economics & Statistics Office has always placed a high priority on confidentiality and is still committed to continuing this tradition. After the data is entered, questionnaires are kept for the required period of time before being destroyed. No information is ever entered which would allow someone to be able to link the data with the individual respondent.

The need to keep all information collected in the strictest confidence is also emphasized with interviewers. Most of the interviewers have had previous experience conducting surveys in the Cayman Islands and will have completed additional training prior to the start of the field work. All interviewers are required to take an oath or make an affirmation under the Statistics Law regarding confidentiality.  All interviewers may be identified by their photo identification card.

The survey will be conducted over three weeks, beginning Sunday, October 12, in Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman.

Interviews will be conducted by fourteen (14) interviewers in Grand Cayman, (2) in Cayman Brac and one (1) in Little Cayman. Most of the interviewers are employed during the day and must thus make the majority of their calls during the evenings and on weekends, as this is often the best time to find persons at home.

The Economics & Statistics Office is appealing for the public’s full cooperation. The Cayman Islands has maintained a high survey response rate since the inception of the programme and it is hoped that this tradition will continue. One of the major benefits from repeating the survey is the ability to look at trends. For the analysis of the labour force, the survey has been conducted during this same period since 1991. Interviews should take less than 15 minutes.

For further information on any aspect of the survey, contact the Economics & Statistics Office, Third floor, Elizabethan Square Building (Phase 3), telephone, 949-0940.