USAID Armenia Social Protection
Systems Strengthening Project
18 Baghramian Avenue
Yerevan
Tel: (37410) 54 26 11
Email: nyes@spss.am
Groundbreaking Seminar on Labor Force Statistics Held in Armenia
Yerevan – An unprecedented working meeting/seminar dedicated to labor
force statistics was held on June 19 at the RA National Statistical
Service headquarters in Yerevan.
Organized by the National Statistical Service and the USAID Armenia
Social Protection Systems Strengthening Project, the training session,
titled `The Value and Uses of Labor Force Data,’ brought together some
40 experts from a number of key Armenian-Government agencies and
ministries. Institutions represented at the seminar included the
Ministry of Labor and Social Issues, Ministry of Finance and Economy,
National Statistical Service, State Fund for Social Insurance, State
Employment Service Agency, National Institute for Labor and Social
Research, State Labor Inspectorate, Nork Information Analytical
Center, Social Protection Administration Project, and Armenia CJSC.
The event sought to foster a greater understanding of labor market
data as powerful tools for social and economic policymaking on the one
hand, and the operations of organizations concerned with social
protection on the other. Emphasis was placed on how such data are used
by government agencies, international organizations, and private
sector organizations, and how enhanced collection, analysis, and
utilization of data could lead to improved management and policies
within Armenian governmental organizations.
In her welcoming speech, Amy Ramm, who heads the USAID Armenia Social
Protection Systems Strengthening (SPSS) project, underscored the
critical importance of project coordination with the RA Ministry of
Labor and Social Issues and other government bodies engaged in the
gathering, analysis, and use of labor force data.
The USAID Armenia SPSS Project, implemented by The Services Group
Inc., is a six-year initiative that was launched in October 2006. It
aims to strengthen Armenia’s social protection systems, assist the
Government of Armenia in institutional and human capacity development,
and enhance the capacity of social-service NGOs.
The seminar featured presentations by Frank Szumilo, USAID Armenia
SPSS Project expert in Household Survey and Labor Force Statistics;
Christopher Hartwell, PA Specialist; Sona Harutyunyan, Head of the
State Employment Service Agency; and Vardan Marukyan, Head of the
National Institute of Labor and Social Research.
Harutyunyan delivered the opening remarks. She thanked USAID and The
Service Group for actively contributing to Armenia’s bid for social
and economic reform, and credited the National Statistical Service for
its close cooperation with the State Employment Service Agency. In her
overview of current conditions in the Armenian labor market,
Harutyunyan emphasized the need for bolstering labor data collection
and analysis efforts.
Opening remarks were also delivered by Marukyan, who pointed out the
inextricable link between effective social policies and accurate labor
force data.
Data accuracy and reliability were among the several themes and topic
tackled by Szumilo and Hartwell, the seminar’s main speakers. In their
respective presentations, Szumilo and Hartwell illustrated optimal
methodologies of gathering, analyzing, and disseminating labor force
data, and expounded the critical value of such data in economic
policymaking, social reform, and attracting foreign investment. Both
presenters emphasized the fact that Foreign Direct Investment, which
fundamentally hinges on labor force indicators, is essential to a
country’s growth, the creation of employment, and strengthening of its
labor force.
Hartwell added that as greater emphasis is now being placed on gender
differentiation by international organizations such as the United
Nations, labor force data provide the information necessary for
gauging a country’s relative need for involving both men and women in
development programs and policy decisions.
The seminar comprised audience participation and feedback on how to
improve labor force data gathering and utilization throughout Armenia,
focusing on unified standards and indicators, content, survey design,
quality control, analysis, data management, and dissemination within
the government and to the public alike.
According to The Services Group, such feedback is instrumental in
designing future training events and building on USAID’s collaboration
with the Government of Armenia and Armenian civil society
organizations. To this end, it is anticipated that refinements in
labor force data gathering and household surveys in the republic will
be aided by enhanced IT and administrative systems. The USAID Armenia
SPSS Project will contribute to these efforts by also providing
targeted trainings and technical support.