Governor Arnold I. Palacios and Lt. Governor David M. Apatang, through the CNMI Department of Commerce, Central Statistics Division announce the beginning of data collection for the 2023 CNMI Prevailing Wage Study (PWS) to update the current prevailing wages for the CNMI that expires on June 30, 2023.
All Private businesses, public agencies, and organizations, with employees and with no employees in the CNMI are urged to participate in the 2023 PWS survey. The survey data collection period begins on March 01, 2023 and ends on March 15, 2023.
Like the 2022 PWS, the 2023 PWS data is submitted through a web portal. Businesses and organizations can access the portal through http://cnmidata.commerce.gov.mp/.
For those who registered and participated in the 2022 PWS survey, simply use your username and password that you created in 2022 to log in to the portal, update your business/agency/organization information, and submit your employee data for 2023.
For everyone else who will submit survey data for the first time via the CNMI PWS portal, you will be prompted to create a username and a password. Creating your username and password registers you into the site and allows you to provide basic directory information about your business/agency/organization and submit the requested employee data for the survey. Be sure to allow yourself time to review and understand the survey instructions provided on the portal before proceeding to complete the survey.
The 2018 NMI US Workforce Act requires the CNMI to publish a prevailing wage report annually for CW1 visa determination and approval by the US Department of Labor. Additionally, the 2023 PWS data will be used to publish a separate report detailing the survey methodology with a more detailed occupational wage statistics for PERM, H-1B and H-2B determination and approval by the US Department of Labor.
“We ask all businesses, agencies, and organizations to complete this important survey. This will be the eighth round of the prevailing wage study survey, but our fifth annual PWS survey since 2019 under the mandate of the 2018 Workforce Act. I also want to extend my appreciation to the Department of the Interior’s Insular Affairs Office for funding this project,“ said Governor Palacios.
Acting Secretary of Commerce, Mr. Joseph S. Rios Jr. emphasizes the importance of completing the 2023 PWS survey – “I thank our private business partners and stakeholders and the public agencies on Saipan, Rota, and Tinian for putting the word out to promote the successful completion of this important survey. I humbly ask every business, agency, and organization in the CNMI to take some time to complete the 2023 PWS survey,” said Acting Secretary Rios.
Questions and inquiries for the 2023 PWS should be directed to the Prevailing Wage Study project at telephone numbers 670-322-3005/3007 or email address cnmi.csd@commerce.gov.mp.
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