NBS to review labour force survey method

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has disclosed plans to review the methodology used to conduct the National Labour Force Survey.

Speaking during the National Sensitisation workshop in Abuja, the Statistician General of the Federation/CEO of NBS, Semiu Adeyemi Adeniran, said the new method of data collection for the survey would now produce headline of national estimates of unemployment and other interesting labour force data, using the new hourly definition of one hour a week.

“This new concept and approach of conducting the survey will add new questions on persons employed but not at work, long-term unemployment, job satisfaction, discouraged job seekers, and information on decent work.”

Adediran said the survey, which will be released next year, will have a fresh quarterly listing of selected clusters to avoid attrition.

• Kano approves N97m for completion of Kwankwaso road
• Senate panel alleges forgery in labour ministry’s N208m payment to trainees

“This new approach involves data collection from a carefully selected sample of over 35,000 households, spread over a period of 12 months, instead of the large 33,000 sample surveyed every quarter,” he stated.

The Country Director of the World Bank, Shubham Chaudhuri, said the use of data in Nigeria is very important for the government to recognize where the big problems and challenges are to direct resources and support.

On why the country is not generating enough revenue to meet its spending, he said there was lack of trust on what the government uses their taxes to do, thus, the need to get robust data that could be used to hold the government accountable.