The Suitland Working Group: Using Household Surveys to Measure Migration and Migrant Populations Victoria A. Velkoff Assistant Division Chief, Estimates and Projections Population Division, U.S. Census Bureau Presentation for the International Technical Meeting on Measuring Remittances World Bank June 11-12, 2009

2 Overview of Presentation Background  Conference of European Statisticians (CES) Work Plan on Improving International Migration Statistics Related Meetings on Migration Expert Group Meeting on the Contribution of Household Surveys to Measuring Remittances UNECE Work Session on Migration Statistics Suitland Working Group (SWG) Results of First Meeting: Using Household Surveys to Measure the Size, Distribution, and Characteristics of Migrant Populations

3 CES Work Plan on Improving International Migration Statistics Launched in October 2005 Cooperative effort of NSOs, IOs Ultimate goal: to improve the collection and use of statistics on international migration –Looked at things like missing, incomplete, inconsistent data –Identified a series of projects SWG outgrowth, expansion of the earlier CES work plan

4 The Contribution of Household Surveys to Measuring Remittances Meeting in January 2008 in Suitland, MD (headquarters of U.S. Census Bureau) Hosted by U.S. Census Bureau, UNECE, and the World Bank, under CES work plan Participants from NSOs, universities, international organizations

5 Topics Covered Types of remittance data needed by users from both a social statistics point of view and balance of payment framework Using household surveys to measure remittances in sending countries (e.g., Switzerland, U.S.A.) and receiving countries (e.g., Ghana, Honduras) Internationally coordinated efforts to measure remittances in household surveys (ILO) Data collection issues (e.g., sampling, questionnaire design, weighting, etc.)

6 Recommendation for Future Work Several issues related to the measurement of remittances in household surveys were identified during the expert group meeting Proposed working group focusing on measuring remittances in household surveys The Suitland Working Group was born!

UNECE Work Session on Migration Statistics Meeting in March 2008 Presented information on the remittance conference Discussion there led to a change in the focus of the Suitland Working Group Greater emphasis on the use of household surveys to measure a wider range of migration-related topics 7

8 Objectives of the Suitland Working Group Primary objective: improve the use of household surveys to measure migration SWG will focus on: –Facilitating international collaboration and the consolidation of existing knowledge –Developing a research agenda focusing on methodological issues where no clear guidance exists –Creating products accessible to widest audience possible

9 Using Household Surveys to Measure Migration United States has agreed to chair task force First meeting: March 2009 Goals of meeting: –Review how household surveys are being used to measure size, distribution, and characteristics of migrant populations –Define topics to be addressed by group –Complete work plan outlining projects

Topics Covered Using Household Surveys to… 1.Estimate Migration Flows and the Size and Demographic Characteristics of Migrant Populations 2.Estimate Social and Economic Characteristics of Migrant Populations and Migrant Integration and Inclusion 3.Measure the Impact of International Migration on Development with Special Emphasis on Countries of Origin 4.Measure Hard-to-Count Migrant Populations

11 Suitland Working Group: Projects 1.Literature Review of Methodologies Used to Estimate Emigration 2.Website Repository of Household Survey Questionnaires on Migration 3.Linking Registers and Other Sources of Administrative Data with Surveys 4.Questionnaire Module on Migration and Remittances 5.Categories, Definitions, and the Importance of Hard-to- Count Populations 6.Data Quality Issues for Estimating Migration Using Surveys 7.Sampling Frame and Sample Design Issues for Measuring Migrant Populations

12 Suitland Working Group: Additional Information SWG has a web site hosted by UNECE. Final conference report, presentations:

Contact Information Victoria A. Velkoff Assistant Division Chief Estimates and Projections Population Division U.S. Census Bureau Phone: