PSA-Guimaras powers through April labor survey

The Philippine Statistics Authority-Guimaras successfully conducted the April 2026 Labor Force Survey across selected barangays in the province despite operational and environmental challenges during fieldwork.

“To ensure the smooth conduct of the survey, PSA-Guimaras conducted preparatory trainings for Statistical Researchers from March 31 and April 1, 6-7, 2026 at the PSA-Guimaras Conference Room,” Provincial Statistics Officer Nelida B. Losare said.

Enumerators were oriented on proper interview procedures, field protocols, data quality standards, and data privacy and confidentiality provisions under Republic Act No. 10173, or the Data Privacy Act of 2012, before deployment.

“Respondents were likewise assured that all information collected during the survey would be treated with utmost confidentiality and used solely for statistical purposes,” Losare said.

The April 2026 LFS covered 12 enumeration areas provincewide, with 192 sample households.

Covered EAs in Buenavista included New Poblacion, or Calingao, with 16 sample households; Bacjao with 12; Mabini with 13; Dagsa-an with 16; and Tacay with 17.

“Sapal with 19 and Cabungahan with 7 in San Lorenzo; Salvacion with 20 and Pandaraonan with 12 in Nueva Valencia,” Losare said.

“San Miguel in Jordan with 29; and Inampulugan with 5 and Ravina with 26 in Sibunag,” she added.

Losare said enumerators encountered extreme heat, repeated household callbacks, transportation challenges in island barangays, and system-related issues during data processing and enumeration.

“To address these concerns, interviews were scheduled earlier in the day to avoid heat exhaustion, while close coordination with barangay officials helped facilitate respondents’ availability and survey completion,” Losare said.

“Technical concerns were likewise elevated to the concerned programmers and focal persons for system improvements,” Losare added.

Out of the 192 target sample households, 181 interviews were completed.

“Remaining cases involved vacant housing units, permanently moved-out households, and other replacement categories based on LFS interview status guidelines,” Losare said.

PSA-Guimaras also underscored the need to update the system’s salary and wage references to reflect prevailing wage rates across occupations.

“Following completion of field operations and machine processing, the survey data were submitted on May 9, 2026,” Losare said.

The Labor Force Survey is a nationwide household-based survey conducted by the PSA to generate statistics on employment, unemployment, and other labor market indicators used for government planning and policy formulation.

PSA data show that persons in the labor force consist of Filipinos 15 years old and older who are either employed or unemployed, with the March 2026 labor force participation rate recorded at 63.3%.