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Rios encourages businesses to complete PWS survey
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Posted on Mar 02 2023
Joseph S. Rios
Acting Department of Commerce secretary Joseph S. Rios Jr. is encouraging all businesses and employers in the CNMI to complete the 2023 Prevailing Wage Study survey that started yesterday. Businesses only have until March 15, 2023, to respond to the survey.
In response to Saipan Tribune’s inquiries, Rios said yesterday that businesses’ participation is important so that the CNMI has a comprehensive coverage of all sectors and industries that is currently active in the Commonwealth’s economy.
“The more participants we have, the better it will be reflected within the survey, and thus the accuracy of CNMI’s prevailing wage condition,” he said.
This, Rios added, would provide CNMI’s policymakers the proper tools when deciding on future policies governing the CNMI’s economy.
The CNMI Department of Commerce has notified all businesses and employers to log on to the Commerce’s Central Statistics Division Data Collection Portal and complete the Prevailing Wage Study survey questionnaire. Businesses and employers from both private and public, and with no employees, have until March 15, 2023 to complete the survey.
The Data Collection Portal Link is: http://cnmidata.commerce.gov.mp
Rios said the PWS study is a requirement under the CNMI Workforce Act to conduct such a survey and its submission to the CNMI Department of Labor.
Secondly, Rios said, the U.S. Department of Labor requires survey results for CNMI’s foreign laborers (CW-1) visa renewals and approvals.
He said in essence, the survey’s significance is heavily tied to the CNMI’s workforce environment and needs.
He urged everyone to meet the March 15 deadline, but the Commerce’s Central Statistics Division PWS team can work with individual organization on a case-by-case basis to help complete the survey if additional time is needed.
Rios said a report needs to be submitted to the U.S. Department of Labor by May and they need the data in as soon as possible to allow Commerce’s Central Statistics Division PWS team enough time to clean the data and compile the report.
He said they also need to publish the report on July 1, 2023.
With respect to the 2022 PWS, Rios said the survey had a 61% coverage rate, with a total of 924 businesses that registered on the data collection portal.
