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CNMI prevailing wage report now nearing completion
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Posted on Apr 06 2012
The Central Statistics Division of Commerce, headed by director Perry Inos Jr., reported to the prevailing wage team members last Tuesday on the status of the CNMI Prevailing Wage and Workforce Assessment Study.
The team, which includes Commerce Secretary Sixto Igisomar, WIA executive director Edith Deleon Guerrero, and Labor Secretary Gil San Nicolas, were selected early last year to assist former CSD director Ivan Blanco and now deputy Commerce secretary, to get a CNMI prevailing wage report before September 2011 but were delayed due to lack of federal funding.
Although the first prevailing wage study was completed by the Saipan Chamber of Commerce, the team decided to proceed with a prevailing wage report that will be a comprehensive report with broader population base and to also include key component “workforce assessment study” that will be useful to the Department of Labor and the Workforce Investment Agency. This study complements SCC’s earlier prevailing wage study.
Based on the preliminary 16 page “pullout” narrative report, Wil Maui of Data Talks stated that CSD is ready to finalize the report by next week Thursday and it should be ready for public viewing by the end of this month upon acceptance by the policy team. The final report should be a little more than 200 pages that will include appendices of SOC (Standard Occupational Classification) detailed average hourly wage rated excluding/including fringe benefits, hourly wage rates by SOC detailed and broad occupation, and minor and major groups.
Although the report is still undergoing final refinement, the prevailing wage team is only able to disclose general data figures on the total businesses and workers in the CNMI that were considered “in-scope”; around 2,340 establishments (business owners, corporations, or entities) were considered “in-scope” and around 1,200 of the “in-scope” establishments reported a little more than 14,400 employees. (Office of the Governor)
