Wednesday, June 19, 2013 10:57 
Labor Launches 2012 Quarterly Establishment Survey
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As part of its mandate to ensure that the citizens sustain themselves economically, the Ministry of Labor has launched the 2012 Quarterly Establishment Survey.
According to Labor Minister, Varba Gayflor, the Quarterly Establishment Survey seeks to provide information on the size and aggregate income of business establishments; hours of work, occupational injuries, and wages of employees; as well as future manpower projection.
Minister Gayflor disclosed that these parameters are critical in understanding the nature of employment and are critical to monitoring of fluctuations in the trends of formal and informal sector employment in Liberia.
The launch of the 2012 Quarterly Establishing Survey, the Labor Minister noted that it is in keeping with one of the ministry's mandates to monitor the performance of the Liberian labor market through the collection, analysis and dissemination of data.
Addressing a news conference over the weekend, Madam Gayflor disclosed that the conduct of Establishment Survey is in tandem with Regulation Number One under the Liberian Labor Practices Law which empowers the Ministry of labor to collect data on key labor market indicators both from the public and private sectors.
Minister Gayflor said the business statecraft requires formulation of goals and the creation of clear roadmaps for the implementation of government's policy. “The Ministry of labor in league with development partners seeks to develop a concrete database on the formal sector. This is essential in furnishing policy makers with information on conditions of work at major business establishments as well as small business entities,” Madam Gayflor pointed out.
Meanwhile, the Labor Ministry has called on all business establishments in Liberia including companies, NGOs, private businesses, educational and religious institutions providing jobs for at least five employees to go to the Ministry of Labor and collect their statistical forms. “These forms will be free of charge, meaning in clear terms that they will not be for sale. Personnel from the Ministry of labor will supervise the meticulous monitoring of this process both in Montserrado and the 14 counties to ensure full compliance, under the law, by all business entities and institutions,” she said.
Minister Gayflor said the exercise is squarely for statistical purposes and it shall inform research and policy formulation. She noted that in line with statistical ethics, all information collected from the individual establishments shall be kept strictly confidential; however, information on the characteristics of all businesses shall be disaggregated according to salient features of the Labor market and presented after completion of analysis, for the perusal and scrutiny of the public.
The Minister further disclosed that since 2007 the total number of businesses employing at least five employees was approximated at 4755 and envisaged that with an ambitious estimate of 10% growth rate of the Liberian economy, that an estimated 5000 establishments will be surveyed. She said this survey shall cover two months spanning from July 27, 2012 to September 27, 2012.
