国くにが今年ことしの３月がつに調しらべると、「特定とくてい技能ぎのう」で働はたらいている人ひとは３９８７人にんで、考かんがえていたよりずっと少すくないことがわかりました。

I’m having difficulty figuring out how と is used here. From past experience it can be:

1. conditional
2. conjunctival (as in “and”)
3. Quotation

I don’t think it can be used to link two phrases or clauses so that’s that out of the window.

I would imagine the quotation と would be towards the end of the sentence to quote what precedes it.

So only the conditional remains but I doubt it fits here... unless it means 調べると means: If the “country” looks up March of this year... they understand that the number of special skill workers are constantly diminishing?

But my question: Is there a way to tell the と apart at a glance?

Source
The sentence above is from this article: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/easy/k10012450361000/k10012450361000.html

国{くに}が今年{ことし}の３[月]{がつ}に調{しら}べると、「[特定]{とくてい}[技能]{ぎのう}」で[働]{はたら}いている人{ひと}は３９８７[人]{にん}で、考{かんが}えていたよりずっと少{すく}ないことがわかりました。

I’m having difficulty figuring out how と is used here. From past experience it can be:

1. conditional 2. conjunctival (as in “and”) 3. Quotation

I don’t think it can be used to link two phrases or clauses so that’s that out of the window.

I would imagine the quotation と would be towards the end of the sentence to quote what precedes it.

So only the conditional remains but I doubt it fits here... unless it means 調べると means: If the “country” looks up March of this year... they understand that the number of special skill workers are constantly diminishing?

But my question: Is there a way to tell the と apart at a glance?

Source
The sentence above is from this article: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/easy/k10012450361000/k10012450361000.html