Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2016, published 106th ILC session (2017)

Labour Statistics Convention, 1985 (No. 160) - Panama (Ratification: 1996)

The Committee notes the information supplied by the Government in reply to its previous request concerning the calculation of the consumer price index (Article 12 of the Convention), statistics on occupational injuries and diseases, and also on industrial disputes (Articles 14 and 15).

Article 7. Statistics of employment, unemployment and underemployment. The Committee notes the information provided by the Government in its report regarding the compilation of ongoing statistics of the economically active population, employment, unemployment and visible underemployment, so that they are representative of the country as a whole. The Government regularly supplies statistics on the economically active population and methodological information to the ILO Department of Statistics for publication in the ILOSTAT database. The Committee invites the Government to indicate whether any action has been taken to implement the Resolution concerning statistics of work, employment and labour underutilization (Resolution I), adopted by the 19th International Conference of Labour Statisticians (in October 2013).

Article 9(1) and (2). Compilation of statistics of average earnings and hours of work. Compilation of statistics of time rates of wages and normal hours of work. Communication of statistics. The Government indicates that in the context of statistical studies geared to enterprises, such as the survey of non-financial enterprises and the survey of employment, sales and production, the variables in average earnings are studied but calculations are not updated. The Committee notes that statistics of hours usually worked derive from the public labour market survey. The most recent statistics, disaggregated by sex, are for 2014. With regard to Article 9(2), the Government indicates that the statistics of time rates of wages and normal hours of work are not being compiled. The Committee requests the Government once again to supply up-to-date statistics as soon as they are available and up-to-date information on the definitions and methodology used for the collection of statistics of wage rates actually paid and normal hours of work. The Committee also requests the Government to take the necessary steps to compile statistics of time rates of wages and normal hours of work.

Article 10. Statistics of wage structure and distribution. The Government indicates that in the context of statistical studies geared to enterprises, such as the survey of non-financial enterprises and the survey of employment, sales and production, neither earnings nor employee hours of work but the productive and financial structure of enterprises are studied. The Committee requests the Government to take the necessary steps to compile statistics of wage structure and distribution covering workers and employees in important branches of economic activity, in conformity with the provisions of Article 10 of the Convention and Paragraph 5(1) and (2) of the Labour Statistics Recommendation, 1985 (No. 170).

Article 13. Statistics of household expenditure. The Government states that the survey of household income and expenditure is carried out every ten years. There is no plan to reduce the interval between surveys. The next survey is planned for 2017–18. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on any developments regarding the reduction of intervals between surveys and to provide the results of the next survey of household income and expenditure as soon as they are available.