PSA- Guimaras hits 52% of July LFS, 2022 APIS provincial target

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA)-Guimaras Provincial Statistical Office has reached 52 percent of its provincial targets (192 sample Households or HHs) for the July 2022 Round Labor Force Survey (LFS) and the 2022 Annual Poverty Indicators Survey (APIS).

“The Hired Statistical Researchers (SRs) of PSA- Guimaras had already enumerated 52 percent or 99 samples HHs for LFS-APIS, which started on July 08, 2022,” said Provincial Statistics Officer Nelida Losare.

The 192 pre-identified sample HHs were from various 12 Enumeration Areas (EAs) covering 11 barangays, namely: Avila (15HHs), Mabini (22HHs), and Tanag (12HHs), of Buenavista Municipality.

“In the Municipality of Jordan, the chosen sample HHs were from the barangays of Bugnay with 18 HHs, Sta. Teresa EA002 (22HHs), and Sta. Teresa EA003 (15HHs),” Losare said.

“Salvacion with 17 HHs, Calaya with 13 HHs, and Igdarapdap with 18 HHs were the sample barangays in the Municipalities of Nueva Valencia, and San Lorenzo, only the Barangay Sapal was chosen as the sample for 2022 LFS-APIS covering 17 HHs,” she added.

Losare also cited that at the end of the enumeration, HHs replacement for the sample Housing Unit (HU), which turned out to be vacant, destroyed, or demolished, be done.

“Likewise, if a sample household permanently moved out in the housing unit, a sample household is a non-permanent household occupying the housing unit had passed away are the other basis for the replacement,” Losare said.

The LFS is a monthly household survey that measures the country’s current labor market and is used, among other things, to calculate national and provincial employment and unemployment rates. It gathers data on the demographic and socio-economic characteristics of the population that aims to provide a quantitative framework for the plan preparation and formulation of policies affecting the labor market.

“It aims at providing a quantitative framework for the preparation of plans and policies affecting the labor market, likewise, it involves the collection of data on labor and employment. It also gathers the demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of the labor force,” Losare said.

The 2022 July round LFS was conducted by the PSA as mandated by Republic Act (RA) No. 10625, otherwise known as the Philippine Statistical Act of 2013. “Under Article 6, Rule 5 of the said RA, the PSA is mandated to prepare and conduct statistical sample surveys on all aspects of socio-economic life, including agriculture, industry, trade, finance, prices, and marketing information, income and expenditure, education, health, culture, and social situations for the use of the government and the public.

“The 2022 APIS is a rider survey to the July 2022 LFS. It is an annual household survey (except in years with the Family Income and Expenditure Survey), which are used in the generation of the non-income-related poverty indicators to monitor the poverty situation in the country. Also served as one of the bases for the policies and programs formulation to improve the standard of living of the populace,” Losare explained.

Losare also explained that the PSA Statistical Researchers (SRs) and Team Supervisors (TS) must undertake the surveys in several modes: through a phone interview, online interview, or face-to-face interview using Computer Assisted Personal Interview (CAPI) or Pen-and-Paper Personal Interview (PAPI), done with adherence to physical distancing and strictly following health protocols.

Meanwhile, Losare is soliciting the support of all the sample households to provide accurate and reliable data and guaranteeing that all information gathered will be treated with the utmost confidentiality. The data will be used solely as a reference for the levels and trends of employment, unemployment, and underemployment in the province.

“All information collected by the hired Statistical Researchers who were trained on June 27-30 and July 1-2, 2022 prior to their deployment in the field to interview the sample households, shall be kept strictly confidential and shall not be used for purposes of taxation, investigation or regulation as provided under Article 55 of Republic Act 10625,” Losare said.