A sample survey of households to study employment problems will be conducted on a quarterly basis in Belarus in 2012. "This will provide a complete "portrait" of labor force," the Head of Employment Policy and Population of the Ministry of Labour Nickolai Kohonov stressed and added that the survey would help to get information about the economically inactive people.
«Currently there is information about the people who work, study, serve in the army, are in prison, out of job. But economically inactive people are behind the scenes — there is no possibility to receive information about this population regularly: sex, age, education, place of residence, sources of family income, whether they are making attempts to find a job or get a specialty, whether they don’t leave the country to work abroad,» the expert said, BelTA informs.
The survey will provide comprehensive information on the status and trends of changes in the labor market, the qualitative composition of the workforce, the structure of the actual unemployment rate (including information on citizens not registered as unemployed), as well as on the unemployment reasons, the methods and duration of job search, intentions and readiness for employment. Data on the composition of employed, unemployed and economically inactive people on sex, age, educational attainment, professional qualifications and territorial distribution will be provided.
This will allow government bodies to have reliable information and analytical framework, that meets international standards, to make management decisions on improving public policy in employment and involvement of the unemployed population in the economic sphere, the expert explained.
A trial sample survey of households in the context of employment will be held in 2011.
Government Decree № 1605 of November 1, 2010 defines the organization and terms of financing costs for this kind of survey in the republic. For example, from 2012 the National Statistical Committee will draw 200 people on the basis of civil contracts on a quarterly basis for a sample survey. Each worker will be paid a lump sum of 25 basic units (BV — Br35 thousand).
Ministry of Finance will provide funds for the survey within the draft national budget for next fiscal year on the basis of calculations, presented by Belstat.
Resolution of the Council of Ministers will enter into force after its official publication.
