Labour Market Survey

The Ministry is mandated under the Labour and Employment Relations Act 2013 to:

• Collect and publish information relating to labour relations, employment relations, unemployment, wages, and such other matters relevant.
• To conduct surveys and forecasts of the classes of employment required or available.

MCIL conducts Labour Market Surveys every three years for all formal private sector employers to ensure the above functions are fulfilled. This survey provides an update of labour statistics on the aspects of national employment trends, training needs & skills shortages, challenges and future plans of private establishments.

The ministry works in collaboration with Samoa Bureau of Statistics to conduct Labour Force Survey. This particular survey provides insights into labour market statistics in both formal and informal sectors, and assist our policy makers in decision making purposes,  formulating employment and labour market policies and active programs for economic growth and the betterment of Samoa.

The minimum wage for employees in the formal private sector is $4.00 tala per hour effective from 1^st July 2024.

The Division carries out periodical surveys of employment for all private sector to provide brief update on employment on a six-months-basis. This allows the ministry to have a quick update on employment numbers and status.

The Ministry in conjunction with its development partners and stakeholders commits to implement the Samoa National Employment Policy (five-year policy) under the governance of the Government of Samoa. The first policy ended in 2020 while the current SNEP-2 started in the financial year (FY 2021/2022 – FY 2025/2026).

This second policy aims to “Recover, Increase and Sustain” Samoa’s employment numbers and standards to pre-COVID-19 levels. The SNEP-2 has three overarching Pillars: (1) Strengthen Labour Market Demand; (2) Strengthen Labour Market Supply; and (3) Strengthen Employment Policies, Institutions and Regulatory Environment. Moreover, these Pillars are channeled through 16 Policy interventions encompassing 34 Objectives.