The Department of Commerce is expected to complete a prevailing wage survey in the Commonwealth this March.<\/p>\n
Alfonsis Sound, director of the department\u2019s Central Statistics Division, confirmed that the wage survey was started on Jan. 12 with a completion target by the end of March.<\/p>\n
The Central Statistics Division is spearheading the survey.<\/p>\n
Sound, in a telephone interview, said the March deadline might still be affected by possible delays, such as businesses that might not send in their survey forms on time.<\/p>\n
Sound said the survey is now 65 percent complete, with the remaining 35 percent of respondents (including businesses on Tinian and Rota) currently being \u201cencouraged to participate in the survey.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOur enumerators are still out on the field conducting the survey,\u201d Sound said.<\/p>\n
March 11 was set as the deadline for Saipan, while March 18 and March 21 were the designated deadlines for Rota and Tinian, respectively.<\/p>\n
\u201dI am optimistic we can complete the survey by the designated target,\u201d Sound said, adding that other stakeholders in the wage survey such as the Department of Labor and private groups like the Saipan Chamber of Commerce are eagerly awaiting the results of the survey.<\/p>\n
The prevailing wage survey is needed to enable local businesses to successfully petition H1 visas for their employees, according to the Department of Commerce.<\/p>\n
The U.S. Interior\u2019s Office of Insular Affairs is funding the prevailing wage and workforce assessment study.<\/p>\n
Among the questions that are being asked in the survey relate to job description, the going rate for that job, and the type of benefits received by the employee of that certain job.<\/p>\n
Saipan Chamber of Commerce president Alex Sablan said that, unlike in 2013 when both the Chamber and Commerce conducted two separate surveys, the island\u2019s biggest business organization this time would be depending on the government to do the prevailing wage and workforce assessment study by itself.<\/p>\n
\u201dIt\u2019s being conducted by the CNMI government as it should be. It should be a government function,\u201d Sablan earlier said.<\/p>\n
He said the CNMI developing its own prevailing wage study is important because using the prevailing wage in Guam \u201cis unfair and detrimental to the local economy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe wages for an H1 employee in the CNMI is segued to Guam\u2019s prevailing wage, which is much, much higher. Our economy is different than Guam and the wage scale is different regardless of the situation. We have a different economy and we need to determine what scale we have so companies won\u2019t inadvertently be impacted here with a scale that has no relevance,\u201d the executive said.<\/p>\n
Sablan said the only way the CNMI can have access to more H1 workers is for the prevailing wage and workforce assessment study to be conducted every two years as required by the federal government.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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