Institute Surveys Businesses for Directory

BLOCK by block, business by business,73 representatives of the NationalStatistics and Census Institute (INEC) arecombing the cities of the Central Valleythis month, gathering information for acomprehensive Business Directory to bepublished in 2005.INEC announced the directory as partof a plan to improve statistical analysis ofCosta Rica’s economic sector and providebetter information about the prices ofgoods and services. The data will be usedto help calculate a new Consumer PriceIndex and aid the institute in future economicsurveys.An economic survey of this nature hasnot been undertaken in Costa Rica since1990, INEC spokeswoman OdetteNavarro told The Tico Times.INEC representatives are recordinginformation as to the nature of each establishment,its location, and the number ofpeople each employs.In addition, business owners will beasked to identify the principal and secondaryeconomic activities of their establishments.The census is expected to be completedby the end of November, and data processingshould be completed in March2005, INEC said in a statement.The Central Bank is financing thedirectory, which will cost ¢111 million(approximately $250,000).