~Households Across St. Maarten to be surveyed between July and September~
PHILIPSBURG:--- After an eight-year gap, St. Maarten's Department of Statistics (STAT) has officially launched the 2026 Labor Force Survey (LFS), a nationwide exercise that will determine the country's official unemployment rate, labor-force participation, employment levels, and provide policymakers with one of the most important economic snapshots since before the COVID-19 pandemic.
The survey, which runs from July through September 2026, is the first full Labor Force Survey conducted since 2018, restoring what the government says should be a regular two-year cycle after years of disruption caused by the pandemic, staffing shortages, and budget constraints.
The findings are expected to influence future government decisions on employment policy, education, workforce development, inflation measurement, and economic planning.
Eight-Year Gap Leaves Policymakers Without Updated Labor Data
The last Labor Force Survey conducted in 2018 recorded an unemployment rate of 9.9 percent.
The planned 2020 survey was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and labor market information was instead collected through the 2022 Population and Housing Census, which reported unemployment at 6.5 percent. However, officials noted that staffing shortages and limited financial resources prevented the Labor Force Survey from taking place again in both 2023 and 2025.
According to STAT, the Department now has the personnel and funding necessary to resume the survey's intended biennial schedule.
Survey Measures More Than Just Unemployment
The Labor Force Survey will provide the government with detailed information on:
- Official unemployment levels;
- Labor-force participation;
- Total employment;
- Education and training;
- Occupations and industries;
- Income sources;
- Household demographics.
Beyond employment statistics, the survey will also collect information on household spending, which will be used to update the weighting of the Consumer Price Index (CPI)—the country's official inflation indicator.
In addition, respondents will answer questions designed to assess how prepared St. Maarten's workforce is for the growing impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on the labor market.
New International Standard Changes Employment Definition
One of the most significant changes introduced in the 2026 survey is the adoption of the International Labor Organization's (ILO) international employment standard.
Under the previous methodology used in 2018, individuals generally needed to have worked at least four hours during the reference week to be classified as employed.
Beginning with the 2026 survey, anyone who worked at least one hour for pay or profit during the reference week—as an employee, self-employed worker, or contributing family worker—will now be counted as employed.
STAT cautioned that because of this internationally recognized change, the 2026 unemployment figures cannot be directly compared with previous surveys, as some individuals who would previously have been considered unemployed will now fall within the employed category. As a result, future changes in unemployment may reflect both actual labor-market developments and the updated statistical methodology.
Interviewers Will Visit Selected Households
Beginning this month, trained STAT interviewers carrying official identification will visit a scientifically selected sample of households throughout the island.
Officials stressed that all information collected remains strictly confidential, will be used only for statistical purposes, and will be published solely as aggregate figures rather than individual responses.
The Department emphasized that public participation is critical to ensuring reliable and accurate national statistics and thanked residents in advance for their cooperation.
Key Economic Indicator for Government Policy
The Labor Force Survey remains one of the country's most important economic measurement tools. Updated employment statistics are widely used by government ministries, businesses, international organizations, investors, and researchers to inform decisions on job creation, education, workforce planning, and social policy.
Once data collection and processing are completed later this year, the official results will be released publicly by the Department of Statistics, providing the first comprehensive labor market update for St. Maarten in nearly a decade.
