Government lacks a comprehensive database on Solomon Islands’ formal workforce, prompting plans for a national labour survey
The Ministry of Commerce, Industry, Labour and Immigration says the Government does not yet have a single, comprehensive database showing the size of Solomon Islands’ formal labour workforce.
The issue was raised during the Public Accounts Committee’s examination of the ministry’s 2026 Supplementary Appropriation Bill.
PAC member Peter Shanel Agovaka asked whether the Government has reliable figures showing how many people are formally employed in the country.
“Do we have data that tells us how many people in Solomon Islands are properly or officially employed so that we can have that data?” Agovaka asked.
Permanent Secretary Riley Mesapitu told the committee that the Labour Division does not currently have a complete database capturing the country’s labour workforce.
“Currently I must say that I think there is no real data that we have to actually capture the labour workforce that we have in this country,” Mesapitu said.
Mesapitu said the Government receives some employment-related information from sources such as the Solomon Islands National Provident Fund, but the available information does not provide a complete picture of the national labour workforce.
He said the ministry is working to develop a labour database survey to improve the information available to the Government.
“We are working during our work programmes, policies have been put into place and our Commissioner of Labour and his team are working very hard to do the labour database survey,” Mesapitu said.
The ministry’s position is that employment information is available from various sources, but there is no single system that comprehensively captures the country’s labour workforce.
The issue is significant for workforce planning, employment policy and the development of government programmes and services.
The committee’s questioning focused on the information currently available to the Government and the ministry’s plans to improve the collection and management of labour data.
Mesapitu said information generated through the planned labour database would go through the appropriate Government processes before any release.
The proposed database is expected to provide a more comprehensive picture of employment in Solomon Islands and support future workforce and economic planning.
By: Steven Kamoa
