Contents
-
ORGANIZATION OF THE WORKSHOP
- Attendance
- Opening
of the Workshop
- Election
of officers
- Adoption
of the agenda
- Documentation
-
COLLECTION OF DATA ON THE INFORMAL SECTOR
- Definition
and its application for data collection
- Survey
Methodology
-
REVIEW OF DATA COLLECTION ON THE INFORMAL
SECTOR IN THE COUNTRIES OF THE REGION
-
UTILIZATION OF STATISTICS ON THE INFORMAL
SECTOR FOR NATIONAL ACCOUNTS PURPOSES
-
DELHI GROUP ON INFORMAL SECTOR STATISTICS:
OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES
- CONCLUSIONS
AND RECOMMENDATIONS
- On
Definition of the Informal Sector
- On
Data Collection for Informal Sector Statistics
- On
Data Needs for National Accounts
-
OTHER MATTERS
- ADOPTION OF THE REPORT
ANNEX
I.
ORGANIZATION OF THE WORKSHOP
1. The UNSD/ESCAP/ILO Workshop on Statistics
on the Informal Sector, organized jointly by
the Department for Economic and Social Information
and Policy Analysis, the Economic and Social
Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)
and the International Labour Organization (ILO),
was held in Bangkok from 12 to 16 May 1997.
Financial support was provided by the United
Nations regular programme of technical cooperation
through the United Nations Statistics Division
(UNSD), New York.
A.
Attendance
2. The Workshop was attended by 37 participants
from 21 members and associate members of ESCAP:
Australia, Bangladesh, China, Fiji, Hong Kong,
India, Indonesia, Islamic Republic of Iran,
Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan,
Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Republic of Korea,
Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Turkey and Viet
Nam. Representatives from Colombia and Mexico
also participated.
3. Representatives of the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the
Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Statistical
Institute for Asia and the Pacific (SIAP) participated.
B.
Opening of the Workshop
4. The Executive Secretary of ESCAP, Mr Adrianus
Mooy, inaugurated the Workshop. In his opening
address, he expressed appreciation of the financial
support provided by Headquarters for the Workshop,
and thanked UNSD and ILO for sending resource
persons to the meeting. He looked forward to
the prospect of similar collaborative opportunities
in future.
5. Mr Mooy observed that the informal sector
had been defined in more than one way. Many
studies had been made over the years, each with
the boundary of the sector based on the perception
of the observers, in the areas which were of
interest to them. He noted that the passage
of a resolution concerning statistics of employment
in the informal sector by the Fifteenth International
Conference of Labour Statisticians in 1993 had
marked the adoption of a statistical definition
of the sector which could be used for international
statistical reporting.The Executive Secretary
commented that the informal sector naturally
attracted the attention of planners in their
efforts at poverty alleviation; he observed,
however, that data collection on the sector
posed special challenges to statisticians, and
he was pleased to note that the Workshop would
deal with the basic issues involved in improving
the availability and quality of statistics on
that sector.
6. The Executive Secretary appreciated the
fact that the statistical community worldwide
had built a unique mode of cooperation in pooling
resources for statistical development, in the
form of "city groups", in order to develop appropriate
statistical measures for quantifying issues
of contemporary concern. In that context he
welcomed the establishment of the Delhi group
on the informal sector, hosted by India, and
expressed confidence that the group would contribute
usefully to the further development of statistics
on the informal sector, as well as serve as
a source of useful inputs to the programmes
of the ESCAP Committee on Statistics.
7. The Deputy Director of the United Nations
Statistics Division, Mr Osborne Jackson, welcomed
the participants on behalf of UNSD. He thanked
the Executive Secretary for his opening statement,
and expressed gratitude to ESCAP for providing
facilities for the Workshop.
8. Mr Jackson related the recent history of
the request by developing countries at United
Nations Statistical Commission meetings since
1994 for action to be taken regarding informal
sector statistics. UNSD had responded to that
request by holding, jointly with the Statistics
Division of the Economic Commission for Africa
(ECA), a workshop on the informal sector in
Addis Ababa in June 1996 for African countries
to discuss methodology, data collection, data
processing and utilization as well as problems
and issues in the sector. He added that the
present Workshop was a follow up of the Addis
Ababa workshop, aimed at Asian and Pacific countries.
Mr Jackson outlined the objective of the Workshop
and described the outcomes expected at its conclusion.
9. The representative of the International
Labour Office (ILO), Mr Ralf Hussmanns, welcomed
the participants on behalf of the Director of
the ILO Bureau of Statistics. He emphasized
the importance of the Workshop as a milestone
for the development of informal sector statistics
in the Asian and Pacific region. He outlined
the efforts made by ILO in assisting Member
States to formulate and implement policies and
support programmes for the informal sector.
Mr Hussmanns also reported on activities undertaken
by the ILO in recent years to provide technical
advice, training and assistance on informal
sector data collection to various countries.
C.
Election of officers
10. The Workshop elected Mr S.S. Srivastava
(India) Chairperson, and Ms Estrella V. Domingo
(Philippines) and Mr Hakki Ozel (Turkey), Vice-Chairpersons.
Mr Keshav B. Karmacharya (Nepal) was elected
Rapporteur.
D.
Adoption of the agenda
11. The Workshop adopted the following agenda:
- Opening of the Workshop.
- Election of officers.
- Adoption of the agenda.
- Collection of data
on the informal sector:
- Definition and its
application for data collection;
- Survey methodology.
- Review of data collection
on the informal sector in the countries
of the region.
- Utilization of statistics
on the informal sector for national accounts
purposes.
- Delhi group on informal
sector statistics: objectives and activities.
- Conclusions and recommendations.
- Other matters.
- Adoption of the report.
E.
Documentation
12. A list of the documents presented to the
Workshop is provided in the annex to the present
report.
II.
COLLECTION OF DATA ON THE INFORMAL SECTOR
13. Under the agenda item the Workshop considered
five papers as follows:
- "Informal sector: Background
and statistical definition" (STAT/WSIS/2)
and
- "Informal sector: methods
of data collection" (STAT/WSIS/3), both prepared
by the representative of the ILO;
- "Enterprise survey approach
to cover unorganized sector: Indian experience"
(STAT/WSIS/5) prepared by the consultant on
national accounts to the United Nations Statistics
Division;
- "Recent survey methodology
applications in generating statistics on the
informal sector in the Philippines" (STAT/WSIS/6)
prepared by the consultant on survey methodology
to the United Nations Statistics Division;
and
- a country paper presented
by the representative of Turkey.
A.
Definition and its application for data collection
14. The representative of ILO made a presentation
on the definition of the informal sector and
its application for data collection on the basis
of document STAT/WSIS/2. The concept of the
informal sector was described as it had evolved
during the past 25 years. It was pointed out
that that concept had to be distinguished from
the concepts of illegal production and of the
hidden or underground economy. The Workshop
noted the purposes and measurement objectives
of the collection of data on the informal sector
as they were specified in the resolution on
the topic adopted by the 15th International
Conference of Labour Statisticians (ICLS). The
framework and criteria used by the 15th ICLS
to define the informal sector were explained,
covering the following issues: links of the
informal sector definition with national accounts
concepts and their implications for the nature
of the definition; criteria adopted to distinguish,
among household enterprises (i.e., unincorporated
enterprises owned by households), informal sector
enterprises from other enterprises; recommendations
regarding the scope of informal sector surveys
(market/non-market production, agricultural/non-agricultural
activities, urban/rural areas) and the statistical
treatment of particular cases at the borderline
between the informal and other sectors (professional/technical
services, outworkers/homeworkers, paid domestic
workers); and the need for sub-classification
of informal sector enterprises. It was pointed
out that the definition adopted by the 15th
ICLS was not meant to lead to a segmentation
of the economy or the employed population according
to a formal/informal sector dichotomy.
15. Clarification was sought on the criteria
of the informal sector definition adopted by
the 15th ICLS (i.e., (i) legal organization,
(ii) type of accounts, (iii) destination of
products, and (iv) size in terms of employment
and/or non-registration of the enterprise or
its employees), and on the treatment of agricultural
activities, production of goods for own consumption,
paid domestic workers and outworkers (homeworkers).
Several participants expressed doubts regarding
the usefulness of the criterion of non-registration.
16. The Workshop heard that the term "informal
sector" was used with different meanings for
different purposes: (i) as a concept for data
analysis and policy-making, and (ii) as a concept
for the collection of data on activities not
covered by the existing sources of statistics.
The informal sector definition adopted by the
15th ICLS was meant to serve the first rather
than the second purpose; hence, it took care
to make the activities included in the informal
sector definition as homogeneous as possible
in terms of their economic objectives and behaviour
as well as in terms of data requirements and
survey operations. The definition was therefore
likely to serve only partially the purposes
of national accounting whose primary objective
was complete coverage of all productive activities.
17. Some participants expressed concern that
the definition provided a description of the
informal sector rather than a precise definition,
while others considered it to be a good starting
point for the development of informal sector
statistics in their countries. Similarly, some
participants welcomed the flexibility of the
definition, which permitted countries to specify
the criteria according to their particular circumstances,
while others regretted the negative effects
which such flexibility had on the international
comparability of the data. It was however recognized
that it would be hardly possible to specify
any precise size limit that could be used uniformly
for all countries and branches of economic activity.
In that connection it was also mentioned that
data comparability could well be ensured through
the separate identification of the various components
included in the informal sector.
B.
Survey Methodology
18. The topic was discussed on the basis of
document STAT/WSIS/3. Starting from a listing
of the problems involved in informal sector
measurement, the ILO representative described
the various possible methods of data collection:
indirect estimation methods versus direct measurement
through surveys. Among the latter, the following
methods could be distinguished: household surveys
for monitoring the evolution of informal sector
employment, and establishment surveys or mixed
household and enterprise surveys for the collection
of information on the number and characteristics
of informal sector enterprises. Mixed household
and enterprise surveys could be conducted either
as independent surveys or as modules attached
to an existing base survey (e.g., labour force
survey). The paper described the advantages
and limitations of each method, and indicated
means to improve contact/response rates and
data quality in informal sector surveys, including
the measurement of seasonal variations and the
estimation of annual values.
19. During the discussion, the problem of obtaining
and updating appropriate sampling frames for
informal sector surveys was highlighted. On
the question of whether the payment of financial
incentives to respondents was useful to increase
response rates, experience was reported that
such incentives did not guarantee high response
rates. The usefulness of sending advance letters
to respondents on the survey and its objectives
was emphasized; it was however recalled that
other tools had to be used in the case of illiterate
respondents.
20. The consultant on survey methodology made
a presentation which focused on the rationale
and objectives, target population, sample design,
questionnaire design, and operational considerations
of the 1995 Urban Informal Sector Survey (UISS)
of the Philippines and the corresponding implications
for institutionalizing measurement of the informal
sector. The Workshop sought clarification on
the reaction of respondents and the overall
response to the survey questionnaire of UISS,
which ran to 40 pages. It was acknowledged that
unit and item nonresponse were present to some
extent in the survey, especially for the data
items on output and expenses. It was noted,
however, that special efforts to minimize those
problems were instituted such as repeated visits
and leaving the questionnaire with respondents
for later pick-up.
21. The Workshop noted that in the preparation
of the survey frame potential informal sector
enterprises were identified at the listing stage
as those having fewer than 10 workers and which
were not registered with the Security and Exchange
Commission, a national body where all corporations
applied for and obtained their legal status.
22. The Workshop was informed that the incidence
of activity-shifting within a year by the operators
was uncovered by the UISS through probing for
all activities operated during the past year,
and asking whether those activities continued
to be in operation. It was noted that based
on the UISS experience, coverage of the total
economy would need an overall plan for data
collection where the informal sector was distinctly
defined relative to the other sectors in the
coverage of, for example, formal establishment
surveys and economic censuses.
23. The consultant on national accounts made
a presentation on the enterprise survey approach
to cover the unorganized sector. The Workshop
was briefed on the use of the economic census
in providing a frame for sample surveys on unorganized
non-agricultural activities. It noted the experience
that Indian statisticians had accumulated in
conducting economic censuses and follow-up surveys
for filling the data gaps in the unorganized
segment of the economy. The problems faced in
ensuring the quality of data, particularly on
informal trading activity, were noted. For cost-effectiveness,
it was recommended that the economic census
operation should be combined with the house
listing operation of the population census.
The Workshop noted the special problems in collecting
reliable information on trading services, and
the need to undertake methodological studies
to resolve such problems.
24. The Workshop heard that in Turkey the regular
labour force survey was used for measuring informal
sector activities, involving collection of data
on number of persons and number of units engaged
disaggregated by location, branch of economic
activity and other characteristics of the production
unit. The 1993 Economic Census was used for
the construction of a frame of informal sector
units for subsequent sampling and investigation.
Given the heterogeneity of the informal sector
units, a multiple frame approach was considered
with the following four components.
- Small establishments:
listing of the frame to be considered as
part of the Economic Census;
- Street Peddlers: area
frame to be constructed using a special
survey conducted by observation;
- Bazaar (Market) Places:
area frame constructed with two different
questionnaires and methodologies;
- Household activities:
listing of the frame as part of the listing
stage of the labour force survey.
25. Based on the results from surveys and censuses,
it was concluded that the labour force survey
(LFS) could be used for the collection of data
on number of persons and economic units engaged
in the informal sector. However, in order to
use the LFS for data collection, sound sample
design was needed to obtain a representative
sample of households in which there were informal
activities. Also, the use of taxation records
was considered useful for making distinctions
among unincorporated, quasi-corporate and corporate
economic units.
III.
REVIEW OF DATA COLLECTION ON THE INFORMAL SECTOR
IN THE COUNTRIES OF THE REGION
26. The Workshop reviewed data collection practices
in the region on the basis of papers presented
by the participating countries. It also heard
with interest the experience of Colombia and
Mexico. It noted that views and experience varied
considerably among countries.
27. The Workshop discussed the characteristics
of the informal sector and the difficulties
faced in statistical data collection. It noted
that some household establishments chose to
remain in the informal sector to avoid the payment
of taxes or compliance with government rules
and regulations. Consequently, that adversely
influenced the willingness of operators in the
informal sector to provide data for statistical
enquiries. The Workshop noted also that others
might be genuinely unable to provide reliable
data on their economic activities. Thus, in
terms of data collection, there was general
consensus that special attention would be needed
to address that problem through such measures
as training field staff appropriately, designing
questionnaires to simplify or minimize reporting,
and convincing operators that the information
provided would be treated confidentially.
28. The Workshop noted that the contribution
of the informal sector to national economies
varied significantly among countries represented
at the Workshop. For some of them, including
the economies in transition, data on the informal
sector were essential for policy and planning
purposes. For some others, there was no specific
need to collect data on the informal sector
as it was not of significant size to be of interest
to policy makers. In the compilation of national
accounts, some countries applied methods of
indirect estimation to include informal-sector-type
activities, while others included part of the
informal-sector-type activities as data sources
permitted. The Workshop noted that the cost
of collecting data directly from the informal
sector was prohibitive in certain cases, and
suggested that indirect estimation on the contribution
by the informal sector to GDP should be explored
and improved upon.
29. The Workshop noted that, as mentioned in
document STAT/WSIS/6, the Philippines had carried
out a statistical survey specifically targeted
at the informal sector as defined in international
standards. The experience accumulated through
the survey was presented in detail at the Workshop.
Some countries in the region had collected data
from household establishments, while others
had included or planned to include questions
to identify the size of employment in the informal
sector through labour force surveys. The Workshop
recalled that India had used various methods
including establishment and household surveys
to collect data in the unorganized sector or
the sector that was left uncovered through regular
surveys. Other countries had used information
on those sectors which were covered in existing
data systems to estimate the unmeasured sector
as a residual.
30. The Workshop generally expressed its support
for the international standards promulgated
by ICLS, but many participants felt that a precise
definition was required in their countries.
IV.
UTILIZATION OF STATISTICS ON THE INFORMAL SECTOR
FOR NATIONAL ACCOUNTS PURPOSES
31. Under the item the Workshop considered
four papers: "Proposal for a minimum data set
on the informal sector for national accounts
purposes" (STAT/WSIS/4) prepared by a representative
of the UNSD; "Needs and uses of informal sector
data in the national accounts" (STAT/WSIS/1)
prepared by the consultant on national accounts;
"Analysis of informal sector and women's economic
activities, based on preliminary results of
compiling human resource accounts for the Republic
of Korea (KORHRA)" (STAT/WSIS/7), prepared jointly
by staff members of the National Statistical
Office (NSO), Republic of Korea and UNSD; and
the country paper prepared by the representative
of the Philippines.
32. The Workshop noted that document STAT/WSIS/1
discussed the usefulness of different data sources
such as household income and expenditure surveys,
population census, economic census, follow-up
surveys to the economic census, labour force
surveys, mixed household and enterprise surveys,
and time use surveys for providing information
on informal sector statistics. Practices of
incorporating data on the informal sector into
the national accounts were also discussed. For
some of the economic activities, where value
added was estimated for total activity in the
economy, the residual approach of deriving the
unorganized sector estimate provided reliable
figures. The Workshop noted the use of indirect
methods of estimation of value added for the
informal sector based on data on the labour
force, the utility of `food consumption surveys'
for data on food items, and the problems of
underestimation of services activities of the
informal sector.
33. The Workshop noted that document STAT/WSIS/4
contained a proposal to compile household sector
accounts in general, and for the informal sector
therein, based on a limited set of information
to be obtained through surveys. The basic idea
was to compile reliable informal sector accounts
within the household sector without overburdening
respondents of the surveys. It was suggested
that, where possible, data on output, purchases
and sales of equipment, and on loans and their
repayment should be collected. Information on
the demographic and employment composition of
the household was needed, while data on frequency
and duration of production/job were also considered
essential. Other items such as intermediate
consumption, major repairs, and inventories
could be estimated as a percentage of the output.
34. The Workshop discussed the appropriateness
of particular items which might form the minimum
data set. It was proposed, for example, that
questions on inputs might not be collected.
Instead the data collection effort should concentrate
more on information about frequency, seasonality
and intensity of informal activities.
35. Document STAT/WSIS/7, presented by the
representative of the Republic of Korea, indicated
the status of the joint project between UNSD
and the NSO of the Republic of Korea entitled
"Human Resource Accounts for Korea (KORHRA)".
The project aimed at producing an integrated
account of economic activities and social indicators
for households based on the satellite accounts
framework of the 1993 System of National Accounts
(SNA). The conceptual features of KORHRA such
as its structure, analytical framework and classification
had been discussed extensively. The Workshop
noted that while only limited information was
available for the estimation of economic accounts
for households, it was possible to reduce data
gaps adopting various methodologies.
36. From the presentation of the country paper
made by the representative of the Philippines,
the Workshop noted that the Philippine methodology
of measuring the informal sector was in response
to the demand of planners and policy-makers
for measuring the contribution of the sector
to the gross domestic product. Due to unavailability
of data, the indirect method was used. For that
purpose, the Philippines employed the operational
definition of the informal sector whereby all
activities not covered by establishment-based
data were considered to be informal activities.
Given the data constraints, the contribution
of the informal sector was estimated by taking
the difference between global sectoral employment
obtained from the labour force survey and employment
in the organized component of that sector obtained
from the annual survey/census of establishments.
By applying the gross value added per worker
to the numbers in informal employment, an estimate
of gross value added for informal production
activities was derived.
V.
DELHI GROUP ON INFORMAL SECTOR STATISTICS: OBJECTIVES
AND ACTIVITIES
37. Under the agenda item, the Workshop heard
with interest the presentation made by the representative
of India on the formation of an Expert Group
on Informal Sector Statistics (Delhi Group).
The background, objectives, output, activities
and the possible terms of reference were presented.
The Workshop welcomed the creation of the Delhi
Group and suggested that it might follow up
the unresolved methodological issues on the
informal sector including those identified by
the Workshop. It also suggested that the venue
of the meetings of the "Delhi Group" need not
be confined to India and could be rotated among
the participating countries. It recommended
that the Group should make efforts to ensure
adequate representation of countries from all
regions and should consider seeking financial
and/or technical assistance from donors and
international agencies where needed, to facilitate
its work.
VI.
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
38. The Workshop recalled its earlier discussions
and made the following observations and recommendations.
A. On
Definition of the Informal Sector
The participants agreed that there was a need
to adopt a common definition of the informal
sector for international comparability. It was
recognized that the definition adopted should
be flexible enough so that in operationalizing
it, countries would be able to consider their
own needs and capabilities. In relation to that,
it was suggested that to facilitate comparability,
statistics on the informal sector should be
transparent in the sense that pertinent clarifications
with regard to the operational criteria used
in defining the sector should be included in
reports and publications of such statistics.
Clarifications on the ILO definition as evolved
and adopted in the 15th ICLS referred mainly
to conceptual problems on the production boundary,
e.g., non-market production, or hidden or underground
activities, which could be answered by the 1993
SNA recommendations. It was acknowledged, however,
that there was a need to ensure that the classification
of employment status accounted for some types
of arrangements peculiar to the informal sector.
There was discussion on the advantages and
disadvantages of dichotomizing the economy into
sectors for which statistical systems were able
to collect data on a regular basis and sectors
for which statistical data were lacking or not
regularly collected. It was recommended to refer
to the latter as statistically unrecorded activities
and refer to the term informal sector as an
analytical concept for policy-making purposes.
Further to operationalizing collection of statistics
on the informal sector, it was recalled that
because of the flexibility innate in the ILO
definition, coverage could include rural as
well as urban areas, and agricultural and non-agricultural
activities. In addition, it was agreed that
cut-offs that defined employment size criteria
and scope of registration would also be consistent
with the definition.
B. On
Data Collection for Informal Sector Statistics
The participants recognized the need for and
problems related to institutionalization of
data collection for the informal sector. For
that process, it was recommended that countries
continue to share their expertise and experiences
in that area. The need for continuing dialogue
among SNA experts, labour-employment statisticians
and survey statisticians was also noted.
The Workshop pointed out the need for an initial
and continuing inventory of data collection
methods on the informal sector. Further, it
recommended pursuing a research and training
agenda which would include an evaluation of
alternative approaches, e.g., economic census,
mixed survey, modules in regular as opposed
to independent surveys, with respect to sample
design requirements, coverage and cost-efficiency.
Research and training should also be conducted
on frame construction, questionnaire design,
quality assessment, and estimation procedures
as further elaborated below.
Sample design problems focused on the elusiveness
of pertinent units for data collection, with
specific mention of the sector comprising a
rare population, occasional workers, open-air
and mobile enterprises, and underground activities.
The participants expressed the need for developing
appropriate methods for covering rural and urban
areas, the agriculture sector, special groups
such as women, children and homeworkers, and
different industries.
With respect to questionnaire design, participants
cited problems with recall bias, seasonal bias,
and disaggregation of input costs. In that connection,
the Workshop identified the need to study ways
of balancing design requirements for household-based
respondents and establishment or business respondents.
The Workshop emphasized the importance of controlling
non-sampling errors to ensure data quality and
improve response rates. The need for appropriate
interviewer training was pointed out. Participants
also sought assistance in assessing the data
quality of information collected from surveys
which could include post-enumeration surveys.
Because of the complex designs required for
informal sector surveys, the need for research
and training in that area was noted, especially
for estimation of design effects and sampling
errors.
The Workshop recommended that a minimum set
of data items for national accounts purposes
should be identified to facilitate international
comparability.
The participants further agreed that there
was a need to define a recommended tabulation
programme for informal sector surveys.
It was also agreed that there was a need to
improve current data dissemination efforts and
activities on informal sector statistics.
C. On
Data Needs for National Accounts
Data supply and data needs for building up
a sequence of accounts for the household sector
in general and the informal sector therein in
particular were discussed. The participants
indicated a preference for direct rather than
indirect methods.
The Workshop noted that various direct data
collection methods such as household income
and expenditure surveys, mixed household and
enterprise surveys, agricultural census surveys,
economic/enterprise/establishment census/surveys,
labour force surveys, population census etc.
might provide relevant information on the informal
sector.
It was noted that countries chose and combined
data sources on informal sector for building
up national accounts depending upon the state
of development of their statistical system,
the resources available to them, and their priorities.
However, in principle the participants agreed
that for collecting direct information on the
informal sector through sample surveys, a basic
requirement was a frame covering all establishments
and own-account enterprises with or without
fixed premises.
It was proposed that the respective data sources
(with regard to tabulation format, questionnaire
design, sampling frame, interviewer instructions,
quality control etc.) should pay special attention
to the specific nature of informal sector units
(small-scale, mobile, home based, and/or seasonal
operation) as well as aim to accommodate the
specific needs of national accounts (type and
intensity of production, intermediate consumption,
incomes received and paid, capital formation
etc.)
The participants noted the usefulness of mixed
household and enterprise surveys adopting two
phase sampling for obtaining information on
the informal sector and recognized the need
to examine alternative approaches to data collection
from the point of view of cost-effectiveness
and reliability.
In principle, detailed questionnaires might
be needed for national accounts purposes; those
might may be specifically adapted to various
informal activities, regions etc. However, with
regard to the lack of book-keeping by informal
units and the costliness of detailed inquiries,
informal sector sample surveys might concentrate
on a small sub set of data items for national
accounts purposes which then in combination
with additional information from supplementary
surveys as well as further estimates might provide
a comprehensive picture of informal sector in
the household accounts.
The participants stressed the need to utilize
all data sources on household economic activities
available in a country in order to obtain the
respective informal sector data. For filling
the data gaps the participants suggested that
efforts should be made to collect additional
information and/or use indirect methods (using
information on ratios/percentages of related
variables). Methodological studies were needed
for determining optimal combinations of various
approaches.
Since all countries were expected to adopt
the recent version of the System of National
Accounts (1993 SNA) and revise not only their
national accounting system but also compile
explicitly the full sequence of accounts for
institutional sectors, in particular the household
sector (of which the informal sector was a subset),
the participants agreed that that might also
serve as an occasion to increase efforts to
reflect informal activities adequately within
the household sector account.
The participants also suggested that as a standard,
the sub-classification of the household sector
should be made a detailed one to exhibit clearly
in it the informal sector and its components.
In view of the complexity of compiling informal
sector data for national accounting purposes,
the participants felt the need for sharing expertise
available in that field and the need for training
courses, seminars, pilot studies etc. at national,
regional and/or international level. The participants
also noted the need to marshal donor support
from international donor agencies. In addition,
the participants expressed the need for preparation
of a handbook on the methodology of compiling
informal sector accounts.
VII.
OTHER MATTERS
39. No other matters were raised under the
item. During the Workshop participants viewed
a training video produced by the Statistical
Institute for Asia and the Pacific on the informal
sector and found it to be a useful introduction
to the scope of the sector.
VIII.
ADOPTION OF THE REPORT
40. The Workshop adopted its report on 16 May
1997.
Annex
List of Documents
| STAT/WSIS/L.1/Rev.1
| Provisional Agenda
|
| STAT/WSIS/1
| Needs and Uses of Informal
Sector Data in the National Accounts.
|
| STAT/WSIS/2
| Informal Sector: Background
and Statistical Definition.
|
| STAT/WSIS/3
| Informal Sector: Methods
of Data Collection.
|
| STAT/WSIS/4
| Proposal for a Minimum
Data Set on the Informal Sector for National
Accounts Purposes.
|
| STAT/WSIS/5
| Enterprise Survey Approach
to Cover Unorganized Sector: Indian Experience.
|
| STAT/WSIS/6
| Recent Survey Methodology
applications in Generating Statistics on
the Informal Sector in the Philippines.
|
| STAT/WSIS/7
| Analysis of Informal Sector
and Women's Economic Activities, Based on
Preliminary Results of Compiling Human Resource
Accounts for the Republic of Korea (KORHRA).
|
| STAT/WSIS/CRP.1
| Delhi Group on Informal
Sector Statistics : Objectives and Activities
|
| Country Papers
|
| Australia:
| Meeting of Experts on Informal Sector Statistics "Delhi Group"
|
| Bangladesh:
| Country Paper for the Workshop of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific on Statistics on the Informal Sector By Md. Abu Bakar Siddique.
|
| China:
| On the Informal Sector Account in China.
|
| Fiji:
| Workshop on Statistics on the Informal Sector By Mrs Litia Drodrolagi.
|
| India(1):
| Delhi Group on Informal Sector Statistics: Objectives and Activities.
|
| India(2):
| Informal Sector Statistics: The Indian Experience.
|
| Indonesia:
| Informal Sector Statistics in Indonesia.
|
| Iran:
| The Informal Sector in Iran and an Appraisal of the Value Added of Household Economic Activities By Dr. T. Torabi, Director General, Economic Accounts Bureau, SCI.
|
| Maldives:
| The Informal Sector of the Republic of Maldives.
|
| Malaysia (1):
| The Malaysian Labour Force Survey in Relation to Statistics of Informal Sector by Ms Karariah Sulaiman, Department of Statistics, Malaysia.
|
| Malaysia (2):
| Informal Sector Data in National Accounts of Malaysia By M. Gnanamathy, Department of Statistics, Malaysia.
|
| Mongolia:
| Brief Introduction to the Informal Sector Study in Mongolia by D. Oyungerel, Director, Macroeconomic Statistics Division, State Statistical Office of Mongolia.
|
| Nepal:
| Statistics on Informal Sector in Nepal. by Keshav Karmacharya, Deputy Director, Central Bureau of Statistics, Nepal.
|
| Pakistan:
| Statistics on the informal Sector.
|
| Philippines:
| Methodology for the Quantification of the Contribution of the Informal Sector in the Philippine System of National Accounts (PSNA).
|
| Republic of Korea:
| Analysis of Informal Sector and Women's Economic Activities, Based on Preliminary Results of Compiling Human Resource Accounts for Republic of Korea (KORHRA).
|
| Singapore:
| Data Collection on the Informal Sector.
|
| Sri Lanka:
| Data Collection on the Informal Sector in Sri Lanka.
|
| Thailand:
| Major Surveys on the Informal Sector and Uses of Informal Sector Data in the National Accounts in Thailand.
|
| Turkey (1):
| Informal Sector Data Collection: The Case of Turkey.
|
| Turkey (2):
| Informal Activities in National Accounts of Turkey.
|
| Viet Nam:
| The Informal Sector in Viet Nam.
|
| Mexico:
| The Informal Sector in Mexico, an Overview 1992-1996.
|
|
|
|
List of Participants AUSTRALIA
Mr Zia Abbasi, Regional Director, Northern
Territory, Australian Bureau of Statistics,
Darwin.
BANGLADESH
Mr Md. Abu Bakar Siddique, Project Director,
Statistical Training Institute, Bangladesh Bureau
of Statistics, Dhaka.
CHINA
Ms Liu Huiping, Statistician, Division of Statistics
of Seasonal Accounting, Department of National
Economic Accounts Statistics, State Statistical
Bureau of Chaina, Sanlihe, Beijing.
FIJI
Mrs Litia Drodrolagi, Statistician, Economic
Statistics Section, Fiji Bureau of Statistics,
Suva.
HONG KONG
Ms Lo Kit Mui Agnes, Senior
Statistician, Census and Statistics Department,
Hong Kong.
Miss Amy Chi Man Wong,
Economist, Economic Analysis Division, Financial
Services Branch, Hong Kong.
INDIA
Mr S.S. Srivastava, Director
General and Additional Secretary, Central
Statistical Organisation, Department of Statistics,
New Delhi.
Mr K.S. Prasada Rao, Joint
Director, Central Statistical Organisation,
Department of Statistics, New Delhi.
Mr T.R. Mohanty, Deputy
Director, Central Statistical Organisation,
Department of Statistics, Ministry of Planning
and P.I., New Delhi. INDONESIA
Mr La Ode Syafiuddin, Director, Bureau of Statistical
Analysis and Development, Central Bureau of
Statistics, Jakarta.
ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN Mr Taghi Torabi, Director General, Bureau of
Economic Accounts, Statistical Centre of Iran,
Tehran.
MALAYSIA
Ms Azimah Mansor, Principal
Assistant Director, Macro-Economics and Evaluation
Section, Economic Planning Unit, Prime Minister
Department, Kuala Lumpur.
Ms Kamariah bt. Hj. Sulaiman,
Head of Manpower and Social Division, Department
of Statistics, Kuala Lumpur.
Ms. M. Gnanamathy, Statistician,
National Accounts Division, Department of
Statistics, Kuala Lumpur.
MALDIVES Ms Mariyam Waheeda, Director, Economic Statistics,
Ministry of Planning, Human Resources and Environment
(MPHRE), Male.
MONGOLIA Ms Oyungerel Dendev, Director, Macro Economics
Statistics Department, State Statistical Office
of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar.
NEPAL Mr Keshav B. Karmacharya, Deputy Director,
Household Survey Division, Central Bureau of
Statistics, Kathmandu.
PAKISTAN Mr Abdul Hakim Chaudhuri, Director National
Accounts, Federal Bureau of Statistics, Islamabad.
PAPUA NEW GUINEA Mr Paiwa Bogella, Statistician, National Statistical
Office, Waigani, Port Moresby.
PHILIPPINES Ms Estrella V. Domingo, Acting Director, National
Statistics Coordination Board, Manila.
REPUBLIC OF KOREA Mr Eun-Pyo Hong, Deputy Director, Statistical
Analysis Division, National Statistical Office,
Seoul.
SINGAPORE Mrs Chow Lay Lian, Senior Statistical Officer,
Department of Statistics, Singapore.
SRI LANKA Mr D.J.C.S. Jayalath, Deputy Director, Department
of Census and Statistics, Colombo.
THAILAND
Ms Kobkul Suwannasai,
Acting Director, National Accounts Division,
National Economic and Social Development Board,
Bangkok.
Mr Pak Thongsom, Acting
Policy and Plan Analyst 8, National Accounts
Division, National Economic and Social Development
Board, Bangkok.
Ms Wanida Mahakit, Policy
and Plan Analyst 7, National Accounts Division,
National Economic and Social Development Board,
Bangkok.
Ms Somboon Wong-on, Policy
and Plan Analyst 7, National Accounts Division,
National Economic and Social Development Board,
Bangkok.
Ms. Suchavadee Srisuwannakan,
Policy and Plan Analyst 7, National Accounts
Division, National Economic and Social Development
Board, Bangkok.
Ms Sivalee Tiewsangwan,
Policy and Plan Analyst 7, National Account
Division, National Economic and Social Development
Board, Bangkok.
Ms Jirawan Boonperm, Socio-Economic
Statistician 8, Economic Statistics Division,
National Statistical Office, Bangkok.
Ms Benjaporn Chatkul Na
Ayudhaya, Socio-Economic Statistician 7, Economics
Statistics Division, National Statistical
Office, Bangkok.
Ms Sureerat Santipaporn,
Statistician 7, Social Statistics Division,
National Statistical Office, Bangkok.
TURKEY
Mr Hakki Ozel, Head of
Department, State Institute of Statistics,
Ankara.
Mr Cevdet Ogut, Assistant
of Expert, State Institute of Statistics,
Ankara.
VIET NAM
Mr Nguyen Van Chinh, Director,
National Accounts Department, General Statistical
Office, Hanoi.
Mr Ton Tich Quy, Expert,
National Accounts Department, General Statistical
Office, Hanoi.
Mr Francisco T. Secretario,
Team Leader, ADB-GSO Project on Improving
National Accounts of Viet Nam, General Statistical
Office, Hanoi.
OTHER STATES
COLOMBIA
Mr Edgardo Alberto Santiago
Molina, Director, DANE, Santafe de Bogota.
Mr Hector Maldonado Gomez,
Deputy Director, DANE, Santafe de Bogota.
MEXICO Mr Rodrigo Negrete, Sub-Director of Economic
Analysis, National Institute of Statistics,
Geography and Informatics (INEGI), Aguascalientes.
UNITED NATIONS SECRETARIAT
United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD)
Mr Osborne Jackson, Deputy
Director
Mr Bernd Becker, Statistician
Ms Ada Samuelsson, Programme
Officer
Ms Margarita F. Guerrero,
Consultant
Mr A.C. Kulshrestha, Consultant
SPECIALIZED AGENCIES
International Labour Organization (ILO):
Mr Ralf Hussmanns, Senior
Statistician, ILO Bureau of Statistics, Geneva.
Mr Robert Pember, Senior
Labour Statistics, Specialist ILO, Bangkok.
Ms Brigitte Du Jeu, Statisticial
Assistant, ILO Bureau of Statistics, Geneva
Food and Agriculture Organization of the
United Nations (FAO):
Mr Hiek Som, Regional Statistician, Regional
Office for Asia and the Pacific
(RAPA), Bangkok.
OTHER INTERNATIONAL AGENCIES
Asian Development Bank (ADB):
Dr Dalisay (Dax) Maligalig, Statistician
SECRETARIAT
Mr Adrianus Mooy, Executive Secretary
Mr S. Thampi, Acting Special Assistant to the
Executive Secretary
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Mr Andrew J. Flatt, Director, Statistics Division.
Mr M. Khalid Siddiqui, Chief, Statistics Development
Section, Statistics Division
Mr Loh, Meng Kow, Statistician, Statistics
Development Section, Statistics Division.
Ms Kesarin Roongruangmanirat, Associate Statistician,
Statistics Development Section, Statistics Division.
------------------------ Ms Mary Bess Spurlock, Chief, Division of Administration
Mr Brian W. Heath, Officer-in-Charge, a.i.,
Conference and General Services
Section, Division of Administration
Mr David Lazarus, Officer-in-Charge, a.i.,
United Nations Information Services
REGIONAL INSTITUTION
Mr Lau Kak En, Director, Statistical Institute
for Asia and the Pacific.
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