The Economics & Statistics Office (ESO) will be conducting the year-long Household Budget Survey (HBS) 2015 starting Sunday January 11, 2015.

“The HBS is one of the most important statistical activities in the Cayman Islands as it seeks to facilitate the accurate measurement of our cost of living,” stated the Minister for Finance and Economic Development, Hon. Marco Archer. “The HBS has the potential of impacting every household in Cayman. It will be used in updating the basket of goods and services included in the Consumer Price Index (CPI),” he also noted. The CPI is most commonly used for salary reviews in the public and private sectors; for electricity rate revisions and for adjusting pensions in the public sector.

“I therefore urge the full cooperation of all households that will be randomly selected to participate in the HBS,” Minister Archer further stated. Trained interviewers will visit the selected households in the three Islands from January to December.

“HBS is safe and confidential,” assured the ESO Director Ms. Maria Zingapan. “The interview process is protected by the Statistics Law (2011 Revision) which makes it an offence for interviewers to disclose individual information to any party outside of ESO,” she also emphasized. All interviewers will carry a photo identification which will be worn at all time for easy visibility. Households may also call the HBS hotline 515-3329 for verification.

For further information, visit the ESO website www.eso.ky

Photo caption: Photo: GIS:

The logo for the Household Budget Survey that is being conducted by the Economics and Statistics Office throughout 2015