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Recruitment hurdle blamed for census delay

Published:Wednesday | January 18, 2023 | 12:26 AMNeville Graham/Business Reporter

Jamaica’s census exercise has been delayed by a 31 per cent shortfall in field workers but the extension is not expected to significantly impact the $2-billion budget, Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) Director General Dr Carol Coy has said.

The agency disclosed in December a new soft deadline of first quarter in 2023 for data collection but has not given a specific completion date.

Coy revealed on Tuesday that the census, which was rolled out on September 12, 2022, has been hobbled by a “number of administrative challenges”, including a labour shortfall that has caused islandwide deployment to sputter.

“In the initial phases of the project, there were issues with administrative processes. However, most of these have been resolved and we continue to address the additional concerns as they arise,” Coy told a quarterly briefing of the Statistical Institute on Tuesday.

Coy said the data-collection agency set an employment target of 7,000 field workers but only 4,800 turned up. The agency is on the hunt for 2,200 collectors.

“Several census takers have also opted out of the job for varying reasons. STATIN is, therefore, redoubling its efforts with targeted recruitment, training, and onboarding of census takers in specific communities that currently have shortfalls, as we seek to identify candidates that are best suited to perform the tasks required, until everyone is counted,” Coy pledged.

She said that STATIN will be ramping up its public education campaign to increase awareness and participation.

At the same time, the data-collection agency is seeking to collaborate with various groups, including community associations, justices of the peace, municipal corporations, strata bodies, faith-based communities, and private-sector organisations.

Census takers are deployed with a photo ID issued by STATIN, according to Coy.

Coy declined to divulge how many persons have been counted so far, emphasising that it is not the practice of the data-collection agency to make those disclosures.

The director general has few concerns that the $2-billion budget will have to be increased because of the extension.

“The impact of data collection on the budget will not be significant. There will be other costs, but as with any budget, there are savings in other areas,” Coy said.

Gated communities have, in the past, featured heavily in the difficulties in collecting data, according to Coy, but she said that STATIN has found workarounds to minimise the effects of the problem.

She said that teething pains involving computers and software have been ironed out.

A census is an official count of all persons living in Jamaica. It is conducted every 10 years and provides important information on the population, including demographic and socio-economic conditions and housing stock.

Jamaica’s last population and housing census was done in 2011.

neville.graham@gleanerjm.com