The Office of the Director General (ODG)
The organization is headed by the Director General who has overall responsibility for the operations of the Institute. The Director General is assisted by the Deputy Director General who has responsibility for the technical divisions. The responsibilities of the ODG include monitoring of the Institute’s efficiency in carrying out its functions and ensuring that the Institute operates within various legislations and governing policies.
Divisions
The Administrative Statistics Division
The primary responsibility of the Division is to provide detailed statistical data and analyses in economic activities such as International Merchandise trade, and Indices and Price Analyses.
The Division currently has two units:-
-
Indices and Price Analyses
The Unit is responsible for the compilation of the monthly indices for the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and the Producer Price Index (PPI). Annual Reports are also produced for these indicators.
The indices are a significant input into the system of National Accounting and are used for the deflation of some current price estimates. Additionally, the CPI and PPI are used by government agencies responsible for overall planning, policy determination and monitoring. These indicators are also used by the private sector, researchers and international organizations.
-
International Merchandise Trade
The Unit is responsible for the collection, compilation and analysis of data relating to imports, domestic exports and re-exports of merchandise goods by types of commodities, volume and value, as well as, by partner country. Monthly bulletins and an Annual Report are published. Data on trade are used for economic planning, market analysis and monitoring, GDP compilation and balance of payment compilation. The trade statistics are used extensively by government, the private sector, researchers and international agencies.
Research, Design and Evaluation Division
The Research, Design and Evaluation (RD&E) Division has primary responsibility for improving the quality and technical soundness of the Institute’s statistical output. The major functions of the RD&E Division include:
- determining and implementing the research agenda of the Institute;
- ensuring the application of appropriate standards and methods to statistical work;
- overseeing the development and maintenance of classification systems;
- the development and maintenance of frames for social and economic surveys;
- overseeing the development and maintenance of robust sample designs and statistical
methodologies;
- the design and development of new statistical products; and
- implementing and managing the data quality framework for the Institute.
Surveys Division
The Surveys Division is responsible for compiling Labour Market indicators as well as undertaking all household surveys. The Division consists of three (3) Units:-
- Household Unit
- Establishment Unit
- Special Projects Unit
Household Unit
The Household Unit is responsible for the delivery of two major surveys:
-
The Jamaica Labour Force Survey
The Jamaica Labour Force Survey is a quarterly survey that provides detailed information on a variety of issues related to the labour market such as the level and pattern of employment and unemployment. This survey targets members of the civilian, non-institutional households who are 14 years old and over in all the parishes of Jamaica.
-
Jamaica Survey of Living Conditions
The Jamaica Survey of Living Conditions is a household survey which is conducted annually since its inception in1988. It provides data on demographic characteristics of households, household consumption, health, education, housing, social protection and other social indicators for tracking Jamaica’s social development.
Establishment Unit
The Establishment Unit has responsibility for the following:
- Employment, and Earnings Survey which collects data quarterly from establishments employing 10 or more persons.
- Production Statistics Survey which compile statistics on the nature and values of production in Jamaica.
Special Project Unit
The Special Projects Unit manages surveys that are undertaken by STATIN on a contractual basis. It conducts surveys on behalf of the government of Jamaica, including Ministries, Agencies and Departments, international organizations such as the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), International Development Bank (IDB), International Labour Organization (ILO) and other private institutions.
Information and Technology Division
The Information and Technology Division is responsible for all information systems and technology within the Institute. The Division has special responsibilities for:
- managing the organization's hardware, software, network and communication infrastructure
- Providing technical support
- Designing and developing information systems
- Offering advice and making recommendations regarding IT investment decisions
The Information and Technology Division consists of two units:-
- The Network, Communications & Technical Support Services Unit which manages the ICT infrastructure which supports employees at head office and in the field offices.
- The Systems Development Unit which oversees the communication and networking environment of the organization.
Field Services Division
The Field Services Division is a support division within the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN). The division consists of three units: Data Collection, Survey Services and Geographic Services.
The Data Collection Unit (DCU) has responsibility for the collection of data through
the use of two methods:
- Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI) method
- Paper and Pencil Interviewing (PAPI) method used:
- with some ad hoc surveys
- when the CAPI method is not recommended for use in a particular ED
The Survey Services Unit has responsibility for:
- Preparation of assignments for all household surveys
- Electronic editing and coding of these surveys.
- Verification of data.
- Preparation of reports for the use in other units that are needed in the calculation of weights.
- Preparation of the sample (second stage).
The Geographic Services Unit (GSU) has responsibility for:
- Creating and maintaining a hierarchy of statistical divisions (Enumeration Districts/EDs and Special Areas).
- Census and survey mapping.
- Maintaining and updating Enumeration Districts (EDs) network through the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and supporting systems and software such as GPS, Google Earth and other Imagery sources.
Corporate Services Division
The Corporate Services Division provides support services to the core areas of the Institute. The role of the Division is to provide a high standard of corporate support and leadership in the areas of strategic, financial and human resource management; communications and marketing; library services; office maintenance and general services to assist all divisions in achieving the Institute’s mission and goals.
The Division is comprised of five (5) functional areas, namely:
- Corporate Planning which has responsibility for Strategic Planning, Corporate Reporting – Corporate and Operational Plans, Annual, Quarterly and Monthly Reports.
- Human Resource Management which has responsibility for Staffing, Orientation, Benefits Administration, Performance Management, Training and Development, Personnel Records Management, Discipline Administration, Compensation Management.
- Finance and Accounting which is responsible for the preparation of financial statements, Inventory Management, Fixed Asset Management, Budget Management, Payroll, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Project Accounting, Procurement Administration.
- Communications and Marketing responsible for the Internal/External Communication, Website Information Management, Library Services, Printing Services, Event Planning, Sales of Publications and Public Relations matters.
- General Services Unit which is in charge of Office Administration, Vehicle Management, Telephone Services, Photocopying Services, Records Management, Disaster & Safety Management.
Economic Accounting Division
The Economic Accounting Division is responsible for developing and analysing national accounts statistics relating to the economic life of Jamaica. The single most widely used indicator of economic performance, Gross Domestic Product or GDP, is compiled by the Division. The GDP of a country is the total unduplicated value of the goods and services produced in the country during a given period e.g. monthly, quarterly or annually.
The Economic Accounting Division has responsibility for the following programmes:
- Annual National Accounts
- Quarterly National Accounts
- Supply & Use Tables (SUT)
- Tourism Satellite Account (TSA)
National accounts statistics are used for:
- Monitoring the performance of the economy
- International comparison of economic performance
- Formulation of economic policies and assessment of these policies
- Market research and business analysis
Statistics published by the Division are used by the private sector, government agencies, international agencies, researchers and students.
Censuses, Demographic and Social Statistics Division
This division is responsible for the planning, implementation and management of all censuses undertaken by the Institute and also for research and analysis on demographic, social and environment statistics.
The two units within the division are:
- Population Studies
- Environment Statistics
Population Studies
This unit calculates the annual data on estimated population in the Demographic Statistics reports and also has the main responsibility for producing annual social statistics reports.
Environment Statistics
The unit has responsibility for the collection, compilation and analysis of environment statistics and indicators as well as publishing an annual report.