Measuring the impact of the pandemic on Micro, Small, and Medium enterprises (MSMEs) is crucial to safeguard Timor-Leste’s recovery. MSMEs play an important role in creating decent jobs, contributing to economic growth, and reducing poverty and inequality.

Therefore, UNDP Timor-Leste, in close partnership with the General Directorate of Statistics (GDS), and the Ministry for the Coordination of Economic Affairs (MCAE) have initiated a nationwide MSMEs survey as part of the wider Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19, Round 2 in Timor-Leste.

The MSME survey will be cover 1100 formal and informal MSMEs in Timor-Leste. The survey will cover topics including the impact of COVID-19 on MSMEs’ revenue, operations, workforce, supply chains, demand, market, technology, and sustainability and the differential impacts for women-owned businesses. The survey will also shed light on the MSMEs’ access to information and support as part of the Government Economic Recovery Measures.

On Tuesday (27-07-2021), UNDP in close collaboration with the GDS started with the four-day Training of Trainers of the MSMEs survey. A total of 12 trainers out of which 6 male and 6 female are being trained on the key definitions of the MSME survey, familiarizing with the data collection tools and the survey processes. Additionally, the Training of Trainers emphasize the health and safety protocols, as well as ethical considerations, and gender sensitive survey techniques, specifically in the context of COVID-19.

As the data collection for the MSME survey is conducted via Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI), the ToT sheds light on the use of the tablet and data collection application and allows for testing the digital questionnaire.

The MSME survey SEIA 2.0 builds on the rapid MSME survey conducted in 2020, in which 99 businesses were surveyed.