Central Statistics Office in need of enumerators to complete census

The Central Statistics Office (CSO) commenced a search for interested persons to serve as temporary enumerators for the territory’s ongoing census exercise.

According to a bulletin issued by the office on Wednesday, October 23, enumerators are needed for the West End vicinity. Persons were invited to apply through the Virgin Islands government website or via email to cso@gov.vg. Applications can be collected from the CSO directly at the Raphael Stoutt Building, Wickham’s Cay 1, in Road Town. This recruitment campaign follows reports from the Director of the CSO, Raymond Phillips, that persons were being uncooperative and unkind to the enumerators. Phillips stated in June this year that he hoped to complete the census by this year, following the implementation of legislation forcing individuals to provide information to enumerators.

He added, at the time, that the census was 40 percent complete and hoped to have it finished within six months of the law being passed. Enumerators had been in the field since last year but were yet to wrap up the data collection exercise because many residents had been unwilling to share information. The law in question empowers authorities to ticket residents who choose to withhold their data from enumerators. Uncooperative persons will be given a seven-day notice and can choose to provide the census information during this time. If they still refuse to share their information after seven days, they will be ticketed. Instead of $5,000, which lawmakers initially proposed as a penalty, persons may be fined $3,000 for withholding the information.