1. Douglas Forbes Director, Surveys Statistical Institute of Jamaica

2. Globalization and growth in ICT create demand for highly skilled and professional persons. Jamaica lost a high percentage of its professionals such as teachers, doctors and nurses to foreign labour markets resulting in a massive “brain drain”.

3. Jamaica retaliated by going on a recruitment drive of its own to recruit mainly health-care workers and other specialist. This was not very successful as the number that was leaving far surpassed the number that was being recruited

4. For over thirty years Jamaica has been a supplier of temporary seasonal low skilled workers to the USA and Canada. Over the years there has been a consistent decline in the number of workers who are being recruited for these programmes.

5. Approximately US$452.3 million were remitted to Jamaica in 2009. Approximately 67 per cent of the migrants sent money regularly to the households from which they were living. Reliable, accurate and relevant information critical to the region given the establishment of the CARICOM Single Market Economy (CSME)

6. 1. To give an overview of the Jamaica Labour Force Survey. 2. To present some of the main sources of migration statistics and discuss their limitations and challenges

7. From as early as 1968 to the present the Labour Force Survey (LFS) has been conducted in Jamaica by the then Department of Statistics which changed to the Statistical institute of Jamaica since 1984. The main objectives of the survey are: To provide data on the structure of the working age population

8. To determine the level and rate of employment and unemployment. To determine the participation rate of different sub-groups of the population.

9. The survey selects a national representative sample of 8,000 households from 508 Primary Sampling Units (PSU). The target population are persons living in private households who are 14 years and over

10. The survey also provides national estimates and information on a variety of issues related to the labour force, the level and pattern of employment, unemployment and the industrial and occupational structure of the economy.

11. Information collected also served as one of the macro-economic indicators for monitoring the current performances of the economy and to evaluate government policies and programmes.

12. It is argued that the Jamaica Labour Force survey can be redesign to collect additional labour related data such as labour related migration, trade union membership, child labour and issues related to gender discrimination among others.

13. There is no doubt that the inclusion of these additional topics will serve to: enhance and improve the understanding of the labour market situation in the country and improve the efficiency in the use of scarce resources and may eventually lower the cost per unit of information.

14. Some of the main constraints would be. Cost Respondent fatigue Timeliness Appropriateness Feasibility

15. Introduction Jamaica has a long history as a migration centre, with many of its people seeking employment opportunities in countries such as the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Since the 1970s and every decade thereafter there has been a gradual decline in the number of individuals migrating to other parts of the world

16. Jamaica like most developing countries has recognised the importance of providing quality, timely, relevant and appropriate data and statistics on migration. The need and purpose for sound migration data is required now more than ever given that the countries in the Caribbean have agreed to adopt the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME).

17. Uses of migration data To analyse the effectiveness of policies related to migration. To evaluate the contributions of Diaspora communities. To understand the impact on the labour market To raise public awareness and perception about migrants and migration

18. Main Data Sources Administrative records Border Statistics taken from ports of entry and departure Population Census Household Surveys Other Sources – Other countries

19. Administrative records In Jamaica there are many institutions which deal directly or indirectly with different labour migration statistics. Each of these institutions has its own data collection methods and is designed to produce information about specific subsets of international migration.

20. Challenges and Limitations of Administrative Records The data are collected and processed at different times in different places for different purposes. Each institution record migration information that is only relevant to their roles and objectives. As a consequence information cannot be accessed easily due to bureaucratic practices in the institutions that have the respective information. Also it is difficult to ensure the comparability and timeliness of the data.

21. Border Control Data The Statistical Institute of Jamaica uses migration forms collected from all arriving and departing passengers at the major ports of entry and exit in Jamaica to produce statistics on migration. From these forms an estimate of net migration over a year is calculated by subtracting the number of departures from the total number of arrivals.

22. Challenges and Limitation One of the main limitations of this method is that there are many types of international migration that are very difficult to identify and classify. In addition, there may be some inconsistencies with the classifications based on the duration of stay or the purpose of stay on the arrival form which may not coincide with the actual movements of the migrant. Finally the large volume of entries makes it difficult to process the data on a timely basis.

23. Population Census The census provides information on the population at a particular point in time which made it possible for the analysis of all population groups. It collects information at the individual level which enables the cross-tabulation of migration characteristics with other demographic variables such as age and sex to produce meaningful data on migration.

24. Challenges and Limitation of Population Censuses The high cost of the census. It is conducted every 10 years in Jamaica, which makes the data easy to get out of date and not easily updated. It only counts immigrants that are still living in the country at the time of the census therefore it excludes those who have emigrated before the date of the census

25. Household Surveys In Jamaica regular surveys such as the Labour Force Survey is not used directly to derive general information on labour migration. As a result special surveys to gather additional information on various socio-economic aspects of migrants are often conducted by international organizations and academic institutions. The limitation and challenges identified with that of the population census can easily be associated with household surveys.

26. Conclusion Jamaica can be proud of its track record in the collection of labour force data over the years. Better statistics are needed to assist policy makers to effectively manage migration at the national and international level. Efforts should be made to strengthen the mechanism of data collection and to harmonize the definition of migration.

27. Other specific actions such as: Using existing data more effectively Improving the quality and comparability of data to ensure a greater degree of confidence. Implementing a permanent follow-up system. Communication between source and destination countries to harmonize their data collection instruments. should be implemented.

28. Thank You