The Philippine Statistics Authority Regional Statistical Services Office 7 (PSA – RSSO 7) conducted the six-day Second Level Training of the January 2019 Labor Force Survey (LFS) with Family Income and Expenditure Survey (FIES) – Visit 2 as rider survey. It was held at Golden Peak Hotel and Suites located along Gorordo Ave., Cebu City last 16 – 21 December 2018.

The training was participated by representatives of the four provinces in the region. It was conducted by Supervising Statistical Specialist Felida O. Generoso of Negros Oriental and Senior Statistical Specialist Myrna Trinidad T. Cataluña of the Regional Office.

The first two days of the training focused on the Labor Force Survey (LFS). As a background, the stability and growth of a country’s economy hinges on its ability to produce goods and services for both domestic and international use. Labor represents an important factor of production, hence, the improvement of the quality of the labor force and efforts to make it more productive and responsive to growth are necessary for the development of the economy. A clear knowledge and understanding of the size, composition and other characteristics of the segment of the population is a big step in this direction. A continuing supply of the data on labor force is indispensable to national and local development and planning. The LFS is a nationwide quarterly survey of households conducted by the PSA nationwide to gather data on the demographic and socio-economic characteristics of the population. It aims to provide a quantitative framework for the preparation of plans and formulation of policies affecting the labor market. Specifically, the survey is designed to provide statistics on levels and trends of employment, unemployment and underemployment for the country, as a whole, and for each of the administrative regions. The survey involved the collection of data and socio-economic characteristics of the population in general. The reporting unit is the household which implied that the statistics emanating from this survey referred to the characteristics of the population residing in private households. Persons who reside in institutions are not within the scope of the survey. Starting January 2017 round, Computer Aided Personal Interview (CAPI) using Tablet was utilized in the LFS enumeration. Together with this round a set of questions regarding functional difficulty in seeing, even if wearing eyeglasses; hearing, even if using hearing aid; walking or climbing steps; remembering or concentrating; self-care such as washing all over (bathing) or dressing; and in communicating (understanding, understood by others are added to be asked by the interviewers to all sample households nationwide. It aims to produce data on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The remaining four days of the training was devoted to the discussion of the 2018 Family Income and Expenditure Survey (FIES) – Visit 2. It is the second visit to the sample households nationwide by the interviewers. FIES is a nationwide survey of households undertaken every three years. It is the main source of data on family income and expenditure, which include among others, levels of consumption by item of expenditure as well as sources of income in cash and in kind. The results of FIES provide information on the levels of living and disparities in income of Filipino families, as well as their spending patterns. The FIES enumeration will be conducted twice the first visit last July 2018 having January to June 2018 as its reference period; the second visit this January 2019 with July to December 2018 as its reference period. The same set of questions is asked for both visits. Starting 2012 FIES, the survey adopted the 2009 Philippine Classification of Individual Consumption According to Purpose (PCOICOP). The 2009 PCOICOP is the first standard classification of individual consumption expenditure in the country.

After the second level training, the participants will then hold their respective third level training in their respective provinces to be participated by all hired Statistical Researchers (SRs) and other PSA personnel who will also assist in the conduct of the January 2019 LFS with FIES - Visit 2. PSA is asking all sample households nationwide to welcome the SRs in their respective households and to answer the questions that will be asked to them completely and truthfully. PSA assures the respondents that under Sec. 26 of RA 10625, that any individual data furnished by a respondent to statistical inquiries, surveys and censuses of the PSA shall be considered privileged communication and as such, shall be inadmissible as evidence in any proceeding. The PSA may release aggregated information from statistical inquiries, surveys and censuses in the form of summaries or statistical tables in which no reference to an individual, corporation, association, partnership, institution or business enterprise shall appear. Enumeration period for the January 2019 LFS with FIES – Visit 2 is from 9 to 31 January 2019.