The Business Establishment Survey (BES) is an important survey designed to collect detailed information about business activities. The results will be used to estimate the contributions of various industries and provide a more accurate reflection of the current state of the Belizean economy.
The 2024 BES Questionnaire
The questionnaire consists of 3 parts:
Questionnaire A
Business Profile – this module will capture information on the demographic characteristics of the establishment such as location, registration information, status, and ownership.
Business Operation – this module will capture information on the structure of the operation of the establishment including economic activity, employment, etc.
Business Workforce- this module will capture information on the business staff, including the count of full and part time employees, labor demands, vacancy needs, etc.
Business Expectation – this module will capture information on the future expectations for the establishment such as manpower, obstacles, and investment.
Questionnaire B
Income Statement – this module will capture information on income revenues and recurrent Expenditures.
Sales by Customer Type – this module will capture information on the share of income by type of customer.
Inventory – this module will capture information on stock of goods.
Capital Expenditure – this module will capture information on asset expenditures.
Questionnaire C
Production Type – this module will capture the value of production by type of product or service.
Cost of Production – this module will capture the value of the cost of production by type of product or service.
Cost of Resale – this module will capture the value of goods purchased for resale by type of product or service, and the value of the sale of goods purchased for resale by type of product or service.
Target Population and Sample
The target population consists of business establishments surveyed in the 2022 Population and Housing Census and the SIB’s Statistical Business Register. Approximately 3,000business establishments will be sampled from both urban and rural areas across the country including the Cayes.
Training
The upcoming in-person field staff training sessions for the Business Establishment Survey are scheduled for October. Interviewers will be trained from Monday, October 21st,to Wednesday, October 30th.
Field supervisors and Telephone operators will receive 2 days of training from October 31st to November 1st.
Field supervisors, who will also serve as drivers, must participate in a short inspection before leaving SIB headquarters with the rental vehicle.
Data Collection
Data collection for the Business Establishment Survey is scheduled from Monday, November 4thto Friday, December 20th,2024. During this period, trained interviewers will visit business establishments for face-to-face interviews utilizing a Computer Assisted Personal Interview (CAPI) questionnaire administered via tablets. In cases where interviewers cannot reach the selected businesses in-person, they will be contacted by our trained telephone operators.
Business establishments should also note that the survey will also be administered via an online web survey in cases where:
This is the preferred method of completion for the establishment.
The telephone operator is unable to contact the business via telephone.
The SIB is unable to locate the business in-person.
Field Staff
The SIB guarantees confidentiality, and all field workers are working under a legally binding oath of secrecy. Each field worker will wear a white T-shirt bearing the SIB logo and will be equipped with an official photo identification card issued by the SIB.
Public Queries and Concerns
All public queries and questions related to the BES can be directed to the Data Dissemination Department at 822-2207 or via email at info@mail.sib.org.bz.
