Wealth, Poverty Study Soon

from All Africa

Business Day (Johannesburg)

NEWS

By Linda Ensor
Cape Town

A major survey, which will highlight how wealth and poverty are distributed in SA, is due to be released by Statistics SA at the end of March.

The results of the survey, conducted in 2005-06, will provide the first statistical insight into the stratification of society since the previous survey was undertaken in 2000. Much has changed since then in terms of the growth of the middle class and marginalisation of the poor, who are left out of the mainstream economy.

Information was collected from various sources of income (monetary or in kind) acquired by members of 24000 households and details on how they spend this income. This data will be used by Stats SA to update the basket of goods and services for the consumer price index (CPI).

Other highlights on Stats SA's agenda this year include an improved labour force survey due to be published in August. The survey profiles the employed and unemployed, the rate of job creation and unemployment in the economy, and the performance of particular sectors in this regard.

Statistician-general Pali Lehohla -- who came out fighting last week against allegations that last year's Community Survey was flawed -- said the labour force survey had been revamped on the basis of an assessment done in 2005 by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Lehohla said the IMF report and Stats SA's strategic response to concerns raised in it as well as steps taken to address them would be published in March.

Lehohla denied publication of the IMF critique would undermine the credibility of Stats SA, saying the process of statistics gathering was constantly subject to review.

This year would also see continuing work on the reweighting of the producer production price index, due for finalisation by next month. The consumer price index is also undergoing a reweighting of the basket of goods used to determine the index, to be done by next year.

Also due for release next month would be findings on municipal areas from the Community Survey of 284000 households. Lehohla believed these results would be interesting as they would reveal progress made with service delivery in 13 nodes identified by the government for accelerated roll out.

"This will provide a very objective assessment of whether the government has done what it needed to do and if service delivery strategies have been effective," Lehohla said.