MEDIA RELEASE
Cook Islands baseline data on labour force and youth has commenced
In September 2014, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, with support of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Cook Islands Statistics Office, commenced work on improving the Cook Islands baseline data relating to the labour force and youth.
“These two areas were selected to provide evidence to inform finalization of a revised national youth policy and to address the scarcity of information in the labour market,” stated Secretary of Internal Affairs, Bredina Drollet.
UNFPA consultant, Ms Jessica Gardner, spent three weeks on Rarotonga from 2-26 September to collect relevant data, commence data analysis and to meet with stakeholders from within and external to Government. The final report is expected before the end of 2014 with a planned return visit by Gardner in late November to run a number of workshops targeting relevant government agencies that have statistical functions in these areas.
As this work is looking at establishing good baseline information for both labour and youth, it will largely be based on information taken from the 2011 Census. Information in the Census will be cross-tabulated to find greater in-depth relationships than is possible from just simply looking at the published tables.
Expected information in the Labour Force Monograph will include industry specific characteristics in relation to average wage levels, local to foreign worker ratios, industry labour size and public versus private sector comparatives.
The Youth Monograph is expected to focus on relationships between variables in the Census such as education levels, workforce participation, health, household composition. Stakeholders also expressed information that may show factors of youth resilience and various youth experiences.
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Contact:
Bredina Drollet, Secretary
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +682 29370