Abstract

This presentation highlights key findings from a pilot study conducted in Lesotho in 2022 – 2023. The Bureau of Statistics (BoS) in Lesotho partnered with the ILO to implement a series of pilot tests designed to evaluate the performance of alternative light time use measurement approaches. The pilot is an important contribution to the longer-term objective of mainstreaming the production of accurate, timely, and cost-effective statistics on unpaid care and domestic work (UCDW) in low- and middle-income countries.

Testing adopted a cross-sectional randomised survey experiment (RSE) design (n = 1,120), with randomisation of units to one of two time use measurement formats (approach A: a hybrid light diary and approach B: a stylised questionnaire). Instrument design was led by the ILO, informed by existing national practices, and promising innovations implemented/trialled in different contexts, with modifications based on evidence developed through the larger projects’ prior pilot phases. National adaptation of the modules was undertaken before and after pre-testing of the modules, in a series of workshop sessions.
The time use modules were embedded within an identical short-form survey reproducing standard labour force survey (LFS) items, selected to contextualise the questions contained in the time use modules for respondents, and support meaningful analysis of time use module performance. The survey was administered as face-to-face interviewer-administered mode, through computer aided personal interview (CAPI) applications.

In this presentation, we highlight key learnings from throughout the national adaptation, pre-testing, and implementation phases of the pilot in Lesotho, and discuss the ways in which the piloting can inform mainstreaming of modular time use measurement designs in Lesotho.