Iedom in search of data

Two representatives of the Institut d'émission des départements d'outre-mer (Iedom) visited Saint-Barthélemy last week. The purpose of the mission was to collect economic data. In particular, to update the island's GDP (gross domestic product). The last publication on the subject dates back to 2018, and was based on data from... 2014. Needless to say, an update seems more than necessary. Damion Gordon, head of the studies and credit institutions department, and Sophie Ea, in charge of the economic observatory, have therefore held a series of meetings and interviews in order to obtain recent figures.
A lot has changed since Irma," notes Damion Gordon. Tourism has developed, and there has been a lot of investment, particularly in construction. Consequently, it was agreed with the Prefect Vincent Berton and the President of the Collectivité Xavier Lédée that Iedom would work on collecting fresh data. "In the space of four days, Damion Gordon and Sophie Ea held around twenty meetings with the Collectivité territoriale, the Direction Générale des Finances Publiques, real estate and hotel associations, companies and the public sector.They also met with the CESCE (Conseil économique, social, culturel et environnemental), the Caisse prévoyance maladie and the Préfecture. On the whole, we've been well received and we've received some pertinent comments," assures the Iedom representative. This data collection is also an opportunity to sit down and take stock, with a more sincere methodology than in 2014. We can feel an improvement, particularly in the Collectivité, with people dedicated to data. "
Needless to say, the Iedom survey is still far from complete, as many elements still need to be collected to refine the overall data. Nevertheless, the work seems to be progressing. This could give Saint-Barthélemy a clear picture of its gross domestic product in the near future, providing an accurate measure of the level of economic activity.