Business Surveys on the Impact of COVID-19 on Jamaican Firms

The datasets come from two surveys of Jamaican businesses conducted between May and June 2020. Two sets of self-administered surveys were conducted using Survey Monkey. A very small sample of financial institutions was surveyed to gain perspective on the challenges facing financiers as a result of the pandemic, and their efforts to respond to such challenges. Nine financial institutions completed this survey, and the results were used to complement the information derived from the second and major survey. The second survey targeted non-financial businesses operating in Jamaica. The sample of firms was selected from a list of all registered Jamaican firms, obtained from the Companies Office of Jamaica. A stratified random sample was used based on firm type, region, and sector. Some firms may have also participated in the study through contact made by their respective affiliations, which were approached to endorse the study and encourage their members to engage. A total of 390 firms completed the second survey. A significant degree of representation was achieved across size, type and age of business, sector and location of operation. Good gender representation was also achieved.