Statistics helps policymakers and government officials to make evidence-based decisions. This was the sentiment expressed by Director of Statistics at the Central Statistical Office, Sean O’Brien during an interview outside their Frederick Street office as they observed Caribbean Statistics Day.
“In the absence of official statistics, you’re just left with gut feeling and with life experience and with your instincts. That has proven not to be sufficient in terms of governing over persons lives. What you need in fact is robust official statistics that are timely, accurate, and relevant.”
The CSO is the chief governing body which collects data across Trinidad and Tobago. These include figures such as the inflation rate, unemployment rate, GDP, birth rate, the death rate among others. The body is also widely known for conducting the census every 10 years; the last being conducted in 2011.
O’Brien explained how statistics can help policymakers in governing the country.
“Let’s take for example the census. The census would indicate how the population will be distributed across the municipalities. So if it is that government was interested in building let’s say a community centre and they were looking at a certain area where the population doesn’t really support such numbers in terms of expenditure then they would know, not by casual observation but they would know by the hard data provided by the CSO, okay this may not be the best area for that level of expenditure.”
One piece of data that O’Brien said may be surprising to some was the unemployment rate in the country which he said is because of the definitions they use to determine the parameters of their data collection.
“The unemployment rate as in the second quarter 2018, would be under four per cent. I think what the population needs to understand is that the CSO operates within certain international statistical standards and therefore certain concepts and definitions we have to apply as they are in terms of international best practice so that the definition of unemployed, I don’t think the average person knows. It is someone does not have a job but has sought a job within a specific reference period...we would look around and say how many people do not have a job—the unemployment rate must be high but to the extent that much persons are not seeking a job within the reference period, they cannot be classified as unemployed.”
The CSO is guided by the UN Fundamental Principles of Statistics and the UN Statistical Commission.
As part of their observance of Caribbean Statistics Day on October 15, the CSO partnered with the Tobago House of Assembly for awareness campaigns.
Last Friday, however, sixth and fifth form students from secondary schools in the vicinity of Port-of-Spain were invited to seminars at the CSO’s office on Frederick Street. They were introduced to the work of the CSO, shown the importance of statistical analysis, and told how they can engage the CSO for any assistance with their studies.