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
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
2
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
3
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
4
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.)
5
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!
6
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
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
8
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
9
Topics Covered
Using Household Surveys to…
1.
2.
3.
4.
Estimate Migration Flows and the Size and
Demographic Characteristics of Migrant
Populations
Estimate Social and Economic Characteristics of
Migrant Populations and Migrant Integration and
Inclusion
Measure the Impact of International Migration on
Development with Special Emphasis on Countries
of Origin
Measure Hard-to-Count Migrant Populations
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-toCount Populations
6. Data Quality Issues for Estimating Migration Using
Surveys
7. Sampling Frame and Sample Design Issues for
Measuring Migrant Populations
11
Suitland Working Group:
Additional Information
SWG has a web site hosted by UNECE.
Final conference report, presentations:
http://unece.org/stats/documents/2009.03.migration.htm
12
Contact Information
Victoria A. Velkoff
Assistant Division Chief
Estimates and Projections
Population Division
U.S. Census Bureau
Phone: 301-763-7070
Email: Victoria.A.Velkoff@census.gov