Census on public and semi-Govt. sector employment to be held tomorrow

By Chamodi Gunawardana

The Census and Statistics Department expects to hold its 11th census in public and semi-Government sector employment tomorrow.

The survey will be conduct tomorrow from 9.30 a.m. to 11.30 a.m. and the employees of public and semi-Government institutions should complete a questionnaire which carries detailed questions regarding personal information such as age, sex, details of appointment, salary, leave, language proficiency, educational qualifications, residence, transport used for commuting to work, knowledge on information communication technology and details on non-communicable diseases.

Speaking to the media, Census and Statistics Department Director General Dr. Amara Satharasinghe said the objective of this census was to enumerate all employees of the public and semi-Government sector and to compile the demographic and socio-economic information of these employees. 

He added that information gathered through this census will be used for policymaking and further improving the quality of the public service.

Dr. Satharasinghe said that approximately 1.2 million of employees (900,000 from the public sector and 300,000 from semi-Government sector) will be covered by this survey. He said the department has identified 28,000 public and semi-Government institutions to conduct the census. Therefore, the institutions under the Central Government such as all line ministries, departments, statutory boards, Government corporations and Government companies will be included in the survey.  In addition, institutions of the Central Government which do not belong to any ministries (such as the Presidential Secretariat, Parliament, Independent Commissions and Presidential Commissions) will also be included.

Furthermore, the institutions under the Provincial Government such as Provincial Ministries, Provincial Departments and affiliated institutions, institutions established by Provincial Ordinances, Provincial level semi-Government institutions, Provincial Revenue Department, Provincial Public Service have also been included under the census. However, the subsidiaries of semi-government institutions such as Mobitel ltd will be excluded from the survey.

Dr. Satharasinghe said that employees should fill the questionnaire within two hours in their genuine location of work. Employees who are working in different locations on some days of the week, such as field officers, should fill the questionnaire based on his/her main location. 

Dr. Satharasinghe stressed that one employee couldn’t fill two or more questionnaires with separate locations. 

Employees should have to keep ready details regarding their leave entitlements, leaves obtained during 2015, National Identify Card number, previous months’ salary, date of appointment and relevant codes. He said that all the codes which required for filling the questionnaire have been already been provided to all institutes.  

Accordingly, all staff in the above institutes who work on a temporary, casual, substitute and contract basis will be covered by it. Dr.Satharasinghe stated that estate workers would also be included in the survey.

However, trainees without formal letters of appointments, students of national institutes of education, outsourced employees such as cleaners, private security officers, man-power company employees, external lecturers of universities and members of the Director Board of semi-Government institutions will be excluded from the survey. 

The official website of the department (www.statistics.gov.lk/EMP2016) has softcopies of census documents such as questionnaires, guidelines and instructional videos in three main languages, explaining how to complete each and every question in the census.

Commenting on the employees who are unable to be present at office tomorrow to fill the questionnaire, Dr. Satharasinghe said they could filth questionnaire today. In case employees are out of the country or gone on leave, the coordinating officers appointed to regulate the survey should fill their questionnaire on their behalf.