Saint Lucia Modernizes Labour Force Survey to Better Capture Today’s Workforce Data

Saint Lucia is taking a significant step toward strengthening how it measures employment and labour market trends, with the launch of a two-week technical training programme aimed at modernizing the country’s Labour Force Survey in line with updated international standards.

Led by the Central Statistical Office (CSO), the initiative brings together statistical professionals from Saint Lucia and across the region. The training, which commenced on April 13, is supported by the International Labour Organization, the OECS Commission, and the World Bank’s Data for Decision Making Project.

Director of the CSO, Sean Mathurin, described the transition as a major milestone in the country’s efforts to produce more accurate and relevant labour market data.

“Under this new approach, we are refining what we count as employment. Work is now defined narrowly as activities carried out for pay or profit. This means that unpaid activities such as subsistence farming, fishing for own use, or household work will no longer be classified as employment. Instead, they will be measured separately under a distinct category: own-use production work,” Mathurin explained.

The transition from the 19th to the 21st International Conference of Labour Statisticians (ICLS) standards will align Saint Lucia with global best practices. The updated methodology will also provide a more comprehensive picture of labour underutilization by capturing individuals who are willing and able to work but are not actively seeking employment, as well as those who are underemployed.

Mathurin emphasized that any changes in reported figures should not be interpreted as a decline in economic performance.

“Rather, they reflect a more precise, transparent, and internationally aligned way of measuring our labour market. Ultimately, this transition positions Saint Lucia to continue producing high-quality, internationally comparable data,” he noted.

Project Manager in the Office of the Director General at the OECS Commission, Sherma Beroo, highlighted the importance of the updated harmonized labour force instrument in supporting evidence-based policymaking across the region.

“The OECS labour force survey harmonized instrument represents a major step toward how we understand, measure and respond to labour market dynamics across our member states. It provides the foundation for producing reliable, comparable, and policy-relevant labour force indicators,” Beroo stated.

She added that the training goes beyond technical instruction, fostering stronger regional collaboration and building capacity across national statistical systems.

Senior Labour Statistician at the ILO, Antonio Discenza, reaffirmed the organization’s ongoing support to countries in the region.

“You are not alone; we will support you from beginning to end, from survey design to the dissemination of results,” he said.

The training marks Saint Lucia’s transition from the pilot phase to full implementation of the updated Labour Force Survey framework. It also includes participation from regional counterparts, including representatives from Turks and Caicos, contributing to the development of a stronger community of labour statisticians across the Caribbean.

Officials say the modernization of the Labour Force Survey will enhance the country’s ability to generate reliable data to inform policy decisions, support inclusive growth, and improve the overall well-being of citizens.

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This press release is courtesy of the Saint Lucia National Competitiveness and Productivity Council.