Saipan— The CNMI government has announced the beginning of data collection for the 2020 CNMI Prevailing Wage Study, utilizing an online data collection portal system.
Secretary of Commerce Mark O. Rabauliman noted that this online portal is in line with the administration’s move toward online public services and the use of technology.
“Upon entering the portal, businesses and employers will be prompted to create a username and a password. After creating a username and password, you will begin the survey by providing your company information and information for each of your employee. Be sure to allow yourself time to review and understand the survey instructions provided on the portal before proceeding to complete the survey,” Rabauliman said.
The NMI US Workforce Act of 2018 requires the CNMI to publish a prevailing wage report annually for CW-1 visa determination and approval by the U.S. Department of Labor. Additionally, the 2020 PWS data will also be used to publish a separate report detailing the survey methodology with a more detailed occupational wage statistics for PERM, H-1B and H-2B determination and approval by the U.S. Department of Labor.
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“While the Covid-19 pandemic presented some challenges for our government operations, we ask our private sector partners, businesses, and employers for their patience and to take some time and complete this important survey. This will be our fifth round of a prevailing wage survey, but it is our second year in a row to conduct and publish a CNMI Prevailing Wage Report on an annual basis as mandated by the NMI US Workforce Act of 2018,” CNMI Gov. Ralph Torres said.
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Rabauliman emphasized the importance of completing the survey and thanked the Saipan Chamber of Commerce, businesses on Rota and Tinian, and other CNMI community-based organizations for putting out the word on this important survey.
“The success of the 2019 PWS that was conducted by the Saipan Chamber of Commerce using mass email encouraged our plans to go digital with this type of survey," Rabauliman said.
He said preparations began early this year for this data collection portal. However, he added, the Covid-19 outbreak has created some setbacks. Click here to subscribe to our digital monthly edition