The rapidly changing economic and social environment has led to growing demands on the department to track more closely changes and developments in the labour market, requiring faster turnaround time from data collection to dissemination. A new Integrated Manpower Survey System (iMSS) was developed to replace the existing IT survey collection and management systems which were developed using disparate software applications and technical platforms. The iMSS provides the department with a common

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... T platform with the following capabilities: (a) Survey editor that provides flexibility to add, amend and delete questions in survey questionnaires and rule editor which enables us to specify validation rules that will be embedded within a survey form; (b) Survey management features such as dashboard and administrator interface to track and generate reports on the progress of individual survey and staff performance, key statistical indicators, as well as send reminder alerts automatically as scheduled to respondents to complete the survey; (c) Mobile devices e.g. Ultra Mobile PCs for conducting of household visits; and (d) High availability servers for internet survey submissions, and separate databases for internet and intranet, selected data fields and hard disks encryption for mobile devices, to enhance data security. The iMSS system has enabled the department to collect timely and relevant data more effectively. It provides a protected and secure means for respondents to supply their personal information over the Internet. This helps allay public's concerns over privacy of personal information and maintain the integrity of the national statistics collection system.