World Bank reveals SI lacks Labor Statistics

By LACHLAN EDDIE

World Bank Country Economist Lodewijk Smets has revealed that Solomon Islands lacks adequate labor statistics for both formal and informal employment sectors.

Smets made this disclosure during a media interview last week following the launch of the Pacific Economic Update, based on the publication titled “Employ Women, Empower the Pacific: A Strategy for Uncertain Times.”

The economist explained that the World Bank currently relies on National Provident Fund (NPF) contributions to scale the country’s formal employment sector.

“Labor statistics are actually lacking in the country. First of all, there is a need to work on the data side with the statistics office to ensure we have proper employment data.

For now, we rely heavily on NPF contributions to get an idea about the formal sector,” Smets said.

However, Solomon Islands also has an extensive informal sector where many women are employed in low-paying jobs.

When comparing this year’s findings to the World Bank’s previous report, Smets highlighted that women often lack control over economic resources. In agriculture, men typically make the key decisions despite women’s significant involvement in the sector.

“If women could have more empowerment to make key decisions in agriculture, that could benefit the economy and drive growth,” he explained.

Smets also emphasized the country’s tourism potential as another avenue for women’s economic participation.

“The country has potential in tourism. You have the largest coral reef in the world and the largest saltwater lagoon globally. Tourism is a sector where women tend to find employment, so promoting this sector could generate significant benefits for women,” he added.

The economist further noted that women in the informal sector could benefit from improved access to internet services for financial inclusion, representing another important channel through which female employment can contribute to economic growth.

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