Some census workers still not paid as process continues to face delays

By Halshane Burke   

 

The Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) has admitted that some census workers are yet to be paid for work done on the Population and Housing Census.

 

The census has been plagued with issues ranging from insufficient workers in the field to collect data to the information not being turned over to the agency for verification.

 

Jessica Campbell, Director of Research Design and Evaluation at STATIN, says payment has been made to the majority of workers:

 

"Payments have been ongoing. Data collection started in September, and checking of the work started in November 2022. So we were paying at two-week intervals, so as soon as persons would have completed a set of questionnaires and synchronised, we check on the completeness of the work and then would pay the monies that are due to them."

 

Ms. Campbell said since main data collection ended in December 2023, some workers have been paid, whether in full or partially. 

 

"What's left now to be paid are the persons whose work need to be completed, finalised, reconciled. We have paid about 60 per cent of the persons already, so we have about 40 per cent left to reconcile," she conceded. 

 

When asked about a timeline for the completion of payment, Ms. Campbell said she could not say. 

 

"We understand that the census takers cannot go back into the field, and we know the lag in payment is an issue, and persons are disgruntled, right? But we also have to ensure that we are paying for questionnaires that are due payment.... So I won't say in the next three months or in the next two months, because I am not sure." 

 

She was addressing this week's sitting of the Public Administration and Appropriations Committee of Parliament.

 

Societal shift affecting census  

 

Meanwhile, Leesha Delatie-Budair, Deputy Director General of the Statistical Institute of Jamaica, said several emerging trends have been identified during the execution of the current housing and population census.

 

The STATIN Deputy Director General said there has been a shift in the society. 

 

"The persons are increasingly concerned about privacy. For example, a new question that gives us trouble is your age. That used to be a standard question, now people don't want to disclose their age. Additionally, too, we realise that with security concerns, what you have is persons are less open to responding to somebody knocking at a gate. So these are some of the lessons that we have learned," she disclosed.

 

As it relates to staffing considerations, she cited a waning interest in civic responsibility, noting that while census taking is "very hard work", those more efficient at data collection are ageing. 

 

Ms. Delatie-Budair said there has to be increased use of technology in collecting data during a census. 

 

"We know we have to move towards leveraging technology. We know that we have to move towards data integration. It's a topical issue. How can we leverage existing data sources to supplement some of our data collection? How can we introduce new statistical techniques in order to move away from the traditional surveys? So generally, we're moving towards more administrative data. And we are also increasing and improving our partnerships with other state agencies who have administrative data."

 

 

Still, opposition parliamentarian and PAAC member Fitz Jackson urged the Statistical Institute of Jamaica to quickly conclude the ongoing census.

 

Mr. Jackson described the circumstances surrounding the delay in collating the information as messy.

 

Data collection for the census was completed in December last year, however, the information remains outstanding.

 

Mr. Jackson said it is time for definitive timelines to be established. 

 

"In the same way that you had a projected four-month exercise for data collection, you must have some set period for census takers to submit. If they fail to submit, then you have certain action that you take thereafter, rather than wait indefinitely. Suppose they never come? The whole thing will never end," he contended. 

 

"So the field workers have to submit claim for payment and turn in tablets, you set a time. Number two, if the supervisor has certain responsibility to reconcile some information from the field worker, the supervisor too must be given some deadline. You must have some next immediate consequences that flow. This should have been closed within three months after the field exercise is completed. Everything should have been long closed, and we're more than double that time," Mr. Jackson lamented.