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Labour Force Survey compulsory

Labour Force Survey Project Manager and Deputy Director for Household, Welfare and Labour Statistics at the Namibia Statistics Agency, Daniel Oherein, Deputy Commissioner of the Namibian Police Peter Ndokosho, Deputy Director of Strategic Communication of the Namibia Statistics Agency, Iipumbu Sakaria and Deputy Chief of the City Police, Nathaniel Nendongo. (Photograph by Hilmah Hashange)

Labour Force Survey Project Manager and Deputy Director for Household, Welfare and Labour Statistics at the Namibia Statistics Agency, Daniel Oherein, Deputy Commissioner of the Namibian Police Peter Ndokosho, Deputy Director of Strategic Communication of the Namibia Statistics Agency, Iipumbu Sakaria and Deputy Chief of the City Police, Nathaniel Nendongo. (Photograph by Hilmah Hashange)

The Namibian Police as well as the City Police issued a stern warning this week to residents who refuse to participate in the ongoing Annual Labour Force Survey conducted by the Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA).

The survey roll-out started on 30 September and ends on Sunday, 13 October.
According to Deputy Commissioner Joseph Shikongo of the Namibian Police, the police is ready to offer its support to the successful implementation of the survey and therefore called on the public to cooperate with the field staff when conducting the survey.” We will bring the culprits to book and arrest them if necessary, therefore we call on the public to particate and not refuse the field staff entry to their premises,” he said.
Shikongo was reacting to reports about some households who refused field workers access to their houses and farms to conduct the survey. The incidents are said to have occured throughout the country and in Windhoek atleast 20 incidents of refusal to participate in the survey have been reported. “The NSA together with the police force have called on the public to colaborate with the field staff or face the wrath of law,” he said.
Deputy Director of Strategic Communication at the NSA, Iipumbu Sakaria added that refusal to be interviewed by officialy appointed staff of the NSA is a criminal offence which may carry a fine or imprisonment or both.” We would therefore like to encourage each and every one to contribute to this national exercise that is meant to access our situation and assist our national developmental planning,” Sakaria pleaded.
Sakaria also cautioned the public to be aware of criminals who exploit unsuspecting residents and who might take advantage of this opportunity to camouflage themselves as officials of the NSA to illegally enter households and commit crimes.
“Our staff is clearly identifiable with official tags and representation. If in doubt of someone the public is encouraged to call any police station and inform them about the situation at hand,” he said.
Deputy Chief of the City Police of Windhoek, Nathaniel Nendongo echoed Sakaria’s sentiments and said that some criminals are very sophisticated and might even attempt to use the Labour Force Survey as a ruse, pretending to be field staff to gain infomation about households only to rob them later. “Do not just stay quiet and let matters go when you come accross such incidents, call the police on any toll free number like 10111 for any suspicious activities,” he said.
The survey, which is the first to be conducted on an annual basis, covers a sample of 9108 households and 40,000 people are expected to be interviewed during the survey period. The survey is conducted to provide policy makers in the public and private sectors with up-to-date information on developments in the labour market. The NSA said the unemployment rate is one of the most widely used indicators obtained from the survey to assess the health of the economy and the labour market.
The NSA has however noted that the survey will not be extended beyond the final date. The final results of the survey are expected to be released in March 2014.

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