Bureau of Statistics (BOS)

www.statsfiji.gov.fj

The BOS reports to the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of National Planning.

The Government Statistician supervises the Chief Statistician of Household Surveys and Deputy Government Statistician. The Deputy Government Statistician supervises four divisions: Social Statistics, Economic Statistics, Coordination Research and Development, and Corporate Services.

CORPORATE SERVICES

The role of the Corporate Services Division is to provide services that will enable the Bureau in the achievement of its strategic direction through the:
1. Administration and Records Management
2. Publication, Marketing and Fee-for-service
3. Financial Management
4. Information Technology
This division is managed by Subra Mani and supported by 4 section heads and 4 staff

ECONOMIC STATISTICS

The role of the Economic Statistics Division is to provide at regular Intervals - monthly, quarterly, annually or ad hoc - reliable and timely:
National Accounts Statistics

Input-Output data of establishments by type of economic activity

Balance of Payments data

International Trade data

Prices data


This is the biggest division within the Bureau and is managed by Nilima Lal with 5 sectional heads and 17 support staff. A number of vacant positions yet to be filled.

SOCIAL STATISTICS

The role of the Social Statistics Division is to produce coherent, quality and timely data on Fiji's:
Labor Force

Tourism and Migration

Demographic

Household Characteristics


This division is manged by Vasemaca Lewai and supported by 3 sectional heads with 13 staff

HOUSEHOLD INCOME AND EXPENDITURE SURVEYS

The role of the Household Survey Statistics Division is to collect, compile and publish Socio-Economic and Demographic data through household based surveys on:
Income and Expenditure

Employment and Unemployment

any population characteristics

any other strategic areas identified for investigation


This division is manged by Epeli Waqavonovono and supported by 3 sectional heads with 7 staff. Temporary staff are hired when the Bureau is conducting a survey.

COORDINATION AND DEVELOPMENT DIVISION

The role of the Coordination and Development division is to:

Coordinate all internal and external Statistical activities of FIBOS

Evaluate Statistical methodologies currently adopted

Carry out research, analysis and development work

Ensure the use of best practice standards

Promote the effective application of FIBOS products and services


This division is manged by Toga Raikoto and supported by 3 sectional heads with 3 support staff

The BOS is charged with prime responsibility for statistical production and coordination.

1. Collect, compile, abstract, analyse and publish statistical information relating to the commercial, industrial, agricultural, social, economic and general activities and conditions of the people of Fiji in a timely and coherent manner.
2. Collaborate with government departments and other agencies in the collection, abstraction, analysis and publication of statistical records.
3. Organise a coordinated scheme of social and economic statistics relating to Fiji.
4. Conduct a census of the population of Fiji as required according to the.

The Bureau of Statistics (BOS) operates independently under the Statistics Act ct 1978 revision (Chapter 71 of the Law of Fiji) which:

a) Specifies that the Government Statistician shall be appointed by the Public Service Commission (Clause 3)

b) Sets out the duties and responsibilities of the Government Statistician (Clause 4)

c) Establishes the authority of the Fiji Islands Bureau of Statistics to collect data (Clauses 8, 9 and 10)

d) Provides for the confidentiality of the individual data collected (Clauses 7 and 11)

e) Indicates the penalties incurred for failure to provide data as requested (Clause 11).

A schedule to the Act also lists the type of data the Fiji Islands Bureau of Statistics can request. The Act does not require to compile and publish any specific data.

Other units with responsibility for statistics are the Reserve Bank of Fiji (RBF), which collects banking data and is responsible for the Overseas Exchange Transactions data; the Ministry of Finance, which is responsible for government financial and debt data; and the ministries of Health and Education, which are the primary sources of social statistics in their respective areas. The Fiji Visitors Bureau conducts regular surveys of visitors.

A Macroeconomic Policy Committee, comprised of representatives of several economic ministries, the Reserve Bank, and the Bureau of Statistics, has operated for some time. It has succeeded in terms of coordinating forecasting work. In contrast, cooperation with several other departments and agencies of government has tended to be neglected and to be somewhat infrequent. A new Statistics Advisory Council has been established to address this need but has not yet met. The PFTAC review also recommended establishment of a Statistics Coordination Committee (of producers of official statistics), and the authorities agreed to this.

16 September 2007

Where the Minister has given his approval to, or directed, the collection of statistics relating to any matter, and where the Government Statistician is of opinion that there can be obtained from any Government records or documents or from any records or documents belonging to any local authority or to any person, information sought in respect of the matter in relation to which the collection of statistics has been approved or directed as aforesaid. or information which would aid in the completion or correction of such statistics, any person who has the custody of any such record shall grant access thereto to the Government Statistician or any authorised officer for the obtaining there from of such information as aforesaid.

The Minister and the Permanent Secretary of Finance and National Planning have 24 hours to comment on data prior to its release to the public. It is then released to all interested parties through the issuance of press releases. Advance release calendars are now being disseminated.

The BOS regularly produces press releases and hard copy publications of recurrent data, such as gross domestic product (GDP), index of production (IoP), the consumer price index (CPI), balance of payments, trade, and tourism data. The publications contain analysis of special characteristics and trends and methodological notes. In addition, there is a regular quarterly "Key Statistics." Unfortunately, many of these publications appear too late.

More occasional publications are also produced, including the population census reports, benchmark business surveys, and publications with the results of other occasional surveys such as the Household Income and Expenditure Survey. The website of the BOS contains some summary annual data but only references to the hard copy publications.
The Reserve Bank issues a monthly News Review, a Quarterly Bulletin and an Annual Report, containing a broad range of data series and commentary on economic developments. Their website also contains downloadable versions of these publications, including monthly summaries of money, banking, and other financial data.

English.

Paper.