by Linda Straker
- Domestic care work and or unpaid domestic labour will be included in 2021 census
- 2021 census begins on 15 September
- Census information to be collected includes educational achievement, fertility, income category, internal or domestic immigration and internet access
The contribution from people involved in domestic care work and or unpaid domestic labour will be included in the 2021 census which will begin on 15 September. The exercise is scheduled to conclude by 31 December 2021.
“The findings from this will reflect or show the contribution they are making to the country,” Rachel Jacob of the Statistics Department told members of the media when the Department conducted its first educational outreach session on Monday, 14 June 2021.
She explains that the questionnaire will have 2 sections. The first looks at housing population and the other individual population which must be completed by each individual in a household. To be counted in a household, a person must be normally residing in that household or sleeping the majority of the nights of the week in that house.
“So, if that person is sleeping 4 of the 7 nights in a house in St George’s, that person will be counted in St George’s and not for example St David where that person will sleep for 3 nights,” Jacob said in response to a question which ask to explain the term “usual residency.”
“That is to avoid double counting,” she said.
Some of the information to be collected in the census will be educational achievement, fertility, income category, internal or domestic immigration as well as internet access.
Statistics Minister Gregory Bowen officially launched the Population and Housing Census last week Friday and described it as the most important and accurate source of data about the people and on the housing stock of any country as it is based on factual data collected on each individual in the population.
“It is the only source of data that covers essential characteristics about the entire resident population and reports this information at community level which is the smallest geographic subdivision,” Bowen said during the virtual launch.
“This information is in high demand, frequently used by many, and is only captured during a census. It also provides a robust source of statistics for the work of the National Statistical Systems, being used as benchmarks, for household survey programmes,” he said.
Bowen who also serves as the Minister for Finance under which the Statistics Department falls said that “when this population data is coupled with Geographic Information System, it provides a rich source of geospatial information for planning and monitoring as well as solving development challenges and addressing crises brought on by natural disasters. This is so crucial for building a resilient nation.”
