As the country inches towards completion of its 15th population and housing census after missing several deadlines, the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (Statin) on Thursday attempted to soothe ruffled census takers who flooded its online platforms during a press briefing to air their grouses.

According to Statin Director General Carol Coy, the processing of payments to workers has taken longer than anticipated “for several reasons, including the fact that some census workers have not completed the processes needed to facilitate payments”.

“Some census workers have expressed concerns regarding remuneration. With the completion of the main data collection by contract workers, efforts are now focused on the processing of all outstanding payments to census workers. For those yet to be compensated, the non and partial submissions or inconsistencies of the visitation record, which is a critical part of the data collection process, pose a significant challenge. Statin, however, has put in place internal measures to address this issue,” Coy said at the entity’s quarterly press briefing.

She said that once visitation records are completed and tablets which were assigned to workers returned, all final payments will be made.

“Just sending in the questionnaires is not the final part of completing. The visitation record is one of the areas we are having issues with; persons have to submit a properly done visitation record, this is what we use as a check, along with the questionnaires. This is one of the challenges we have been facing; the visitation records have not been completed correctly and have not been done satisfactorily. Once this is done, all payments will be made. The contract we made with census supervisors was that your zones will have to be completed,” Coy emphasised.

A visitation record is a documentation of all buildings and dwellings visited in enumeration districts.

Statin required 7,000 people to undertake the 2022 Population and Housing Census which began in September 2022. The census entails the collection of data from all 14 parishes — 6,611 enumeration districts (EDs). The data collection process for the census was initially set to be completed in December 2022. However, after challenges with recruitment, a new date of March 2023 was set, but there have been further delays and the process is yet to be completed.

On Thursday, Statin officials were mercilessly heckled by purported census takers and supervisors on their online platforms. They demanded to be told the timeline for the payment of outstanding monies.

“After you drop the ball you keep on moving the payment goal post and making new stipulations as to not pay us. This is the worst census and there is no accountability,” one individual complained.

Another asked what was the recourse in instances where supervisors did not get enough census workers to complete the zone.

“You had sufficient census takers and census supervisors; you just did not care to pay them. It is not easy for you to go out daily in the sun and not being paid on time and fairly,” another said.

“Complete all ED from 2022 and no money all now,” one census taker complained.

“Mi nuh understand why, after one year and four months, we still can’t get pay,” another added.

“I know several persons who wanted to work but we not willing with the poor management, yet you are talking about labour market,” another said.

“We worked, where is our pay?” another demanded.

“Looking so unbothered, smh, a mi money mi want,” another scoffed.

“As a Jamaican citizen I believe my country has failed me and as a young individual I rather to be unemployed,” another said.

The flood of complaints on Thursday forced Statin to engage “subscribers only mode” on its
YouTube platform. The briefing, which was recorded, was initially made unavailable following the forum. However, an edited version was subsequently uploaded.

Statin, in the meantime, said while it has stopped main face-to-face data collection, it is now assessing the coverage and carrying out supplemental data collection exercises as needed.

“Statin is committed to reaching as many individuals as possible in this census. We remain steadfast in our commitment to ensuring the accuracy and completeness of the census data and continuous improvement of our processes for future censuses,” Coy said.

In the meantime, she said the major challenges encountered during this round of the census included resignations and retirement of key personnel and difficulties replacing them.

“The staffing and recruitment issues were further compounded by a very tight labour market in which the census was executed. As unemployment declines, persons are less inclined to take up more strenuous and short-time jobs like data collection. A significant number of persons indicated that they were no longer interested or they’d found other means of employment, deemed that the work would be too hard, and some persons failed the minimum training requirement,” Coy told the briefing.

“These issues have had a cascading effect on the operations of the census, including recruitment, training and payment delays. The institute was able to adjust and treat most of these issues; however, the negative publicity, particularly around payment delays and the high drop-out rate of census workers, has had a significant impact on the progress of data collection,” she said.

The census, Coy said, was also affected by heightened concerns about privacy, security, and the proliferation of gated communities.

“Access to gated communities was a significant problem. Additionally, respondents in some communities were less than cooperative with the census takers and supervisors,” she said, noting that the COVID-19 pandemic amplified the challenges countries usually face in executing the censuses.

“It is important to know that the extended data collection and the short form will introduce certain limitations in the use of the data. Certain indicators will no longer be available at the ED or community levels. However, this is a necessary compromise as we seek to preserve the most important aspects of the census,” Coy said.

Last week Opposition spokesman on finance, planning and the public service, Julian Robinson said of the just under three million Jamaicans, fewer than one million have been counted in the census.

“So after $4 billion, two years after the deadline, my information is that we have not counted one million people,” Robinson said in lashing the Government and Statin for their approach in conducting the census, including the way workers’ concerns were treated.

On Thursday Coy said it was not the practice to release figures until the exercise is completed.