Stats body starts wage survey

By Nitz Arancon
Correspondent .

THE Philippine Statistics Authority has started the three-month Occupational Wages Survey across the country, PSA-10 regional director Janith Aves said.

Aves said they launched the survey through an “Establishment Forum” here in the city which was attended by officials of the Department of Labor and Employment. Industry officials and business establishment owners across Northern Mindanao also attended the forum late last week.

Aves said the survey aims to map out the wages in the region to aid government agencies, especially DOLE, in the drafting of government policy on employment and wages across industries and business establishments.

The Occupational Wages Survey generates statistics for wage and salary administration and for wage determination in collective bargaining negotiations. This nationwide biennial survey covers establishments employing at least 20 workers.

Aves added that the survey will also look into the industries and business establishment wages and occupational safety of their employees.

The OWS is one of the designated statistical activities in Executive Order 352 (s. 1996) that designates those critical for decision making by the government and the private sector.

The data category average monthly occupational wage rates in selected occupation is among those listed by the Philippine government under the Special Data Dissemination Standard (SDDS) of the International Monetary Fund. The SDDS serves as reference to member countries in the dissemination of economic and financial data to the public.

Aves said the survey will last until November this year.

The data that they will collect, Aves explained, will be submitted to their central office in Manila, which will be the one that will disseminate the nation-wide results of the survey.