Chairperson
Honourable Members
Ladies and Gentlemen
Last year when we participated in the Statistics SA (Stats SA) budget vote debate, we thanked everyone in the country for having participated in Census 2011 the previous October and at that point, we were awaiting the results. The Census 2011 results have since been released on 30 October 2012 in both the standard formats as well as in the ground-breaking iPad tablet format that some members here may have seen. Whilst the purpose of the debate here today is to discuss Budget Vote 13 - Statistics South Africa, it is crucial to ensure that the discussions here have context. So, the appeal to Parliament in the course of this debate is to ask a series of questions about the resources available to Stats SA and about the quality of these and other outputs being published.
For the outputs of Stats SA to have relevance for development, Parliament needs to advance the discussion about the manner in which available statistics are being utilised for evidence-based policy-making. I want to emphasise that the responsibility of Stats SA is solely to ensure that the necessary statistics are available, verifiable and that they meet internationally set standards. Stats SA supported by the Stats Council and the Executive Authority must ensure that the manner in which the data is presented is above reproach.
One of the significant breakthroughs from the publication of Census 2011 last year is the form and style of data availability. Last week, members of the Standing Committee on Finance were provided with a demonstration of the availability of detailed statistics at ward level using the My Ward, My Councillor section of the Stats SA tablet application. We should point out that the availability of this huge wealth of data in this format is without precedent and places Stats SA in a position where it is without peer.
The same application is now being used for new releases and so the quarterly GDP release was made available in this format, the Mortality and Causes of Death information was made available in this format, last week the first Quarterly Labour Force Survey of 2013 was availed in this format and so was the Mid-Year Estimates release yesterday. We want to submit that in doing so Stats SA is discharging its obligation to ensure the timeous dissemination of statistics as prescribed in section 3 of the Statistics Act (Act 6 of 1999). However, despite the ease of use and the level of detail, availing all of this data in this contemporary format appears insufficient to spark curiosity or interest from legislators, policy-makers or the public. It is this that Parliament must take a view of because once the data is available it is no longer a Stats SA responsibility but is over all of us who care.
Before I get into the substance of this debate, it may be important for me to reiterate the explanation provided to the Standing Committee about the definition of employment used by the Quarterly Labour Force Survey. It would appear that, despite our explanations at the meeting last week, there is still some misunderstanding about the information and figures that Stats SA releases. Stats SA reinstated the expanded definition of unemployment when the decision was made to expand the labour force survey to a quarterly one in 2008. However, the headline figure that is released as the official figure is based on the International Labour Organisation (ILO) definition where someone is considered unemployed if they meet the following criteria:
1) 'Without work' i.e. were not in paid employment or self-employment as defined by international definition of employment
2) 'Seeking work' i.e. have taken active steps in a specified recent period to seek paid employment or self-employment
3) 'Currently available for work'
This adherence to the ILO definition is to ensure that the current labour market situation is measured objectively and that the measurement can be used to assess South Africa in relation to other countries. We need to bear in mind that this definition works well under circumstances where the working population engages in paid employment and where the channels for exchange of labour exist and are widely used.
However, the ILO recognises that the definition does not take into account instances where a large portion of the population is engaged in subsistence farming, the labour force is largely self-employed or the labour market is largely unorganised or of limited scope. Stats SA recognises that, there could be impediments to searching for employment for some sections of the population.
The cost of looking for a job is often so exorbitant, relatively speaking, resulting in increasing numbers of discouraged work-seekers. Thus, it reports on both the strict unemployment rate and the relaxed (expanded) unemployment rate. So, if any member chooses to look at the information available either on the website or by using the app, they will have access to a complete breakdown of unemployment in terms of race, gender, geographical location, age-group, industry, etc.
The notion of having more than one unemployment rate is not unique to South Africa; for example, the United States has six measures of unemployment with only two being official numbers. We need to recognise that the two unemployment rates in South Africa are not in conflict but rather that they provide indicators for different components of the economy.
Chairperson, while it may seem that I have digressed somewhat from the Budget Vote under discussion today, it is imperative that we understand the importance of maintaining public trust in the outputs of Stats SA. If this budget is to be approved by Parliament, we must address not only the issue of resources but also the quality of the outputs. I want to remind the House of the mandate of Stats SA as outlined in the Stats Act, specifically section 3 (1) that states:
(1) The purpose of official statistics is to assist organs of state, businesses, other organisations or the public in
(a) planning;
(b) decision-making or other actions;
(c) monitoring or assessment of policies, decision-making or other actions.
The definitions used by Stats SA therefore have wider implications for planning and assessing the state of our economy as a barometer within the country and internationally. While the QLFS measures unemployment using a quarterly household survey of 30 000 households, it is not the only measure. Stats SA releases Quarterly Employment Statistics (QES), that measure the level of employment in all non-agricultural sectors.
It does so by undertaking quarterly surveys of about 20 000 (20 208 to be exact in the latest figures released on 19 March 2013) vat-registered private and public enterprises. In an ideal situation, the results of these two datasets should tend to be similar and which is why definitions or in the case of the QLFS, self-definition becomes a factor. The strategic focus of Stats SA is to ensure that the work of these two areas is more closely integrated in future to provide for an improved understanding of employment.
In the current financial year, there will be a continued focus on improving the output of a range of equally important datasets that concentrate on the changing demographic profile and health of the population, poverty levels, and income and expenditure trends. These are managed through the Poverty and Inequality Statistics, Health and Vital Statistics and Demographic Analysis sub-programmes.
In addition to these regular series relating to social statistics, both government and the private sector rely on key economic data published by Stats SA. Chairperson, during my speech last year I referred to the implementation of significant changes in economic statistics, notably in the form of a reweighted and rebased consumer price index (CPI). In line with its program of continuous quality improvement, the CPI was updated to reflect more accurately changes of prices that affect the lives of households. This refinement assists in ensuring to ensure that the South African Reserve Bank has accurate information at its disposal when it makes interest rate decisions. In addition, the Producer Price Index (PPI) was completely overhauled to align it with international benchmarks.
The new suite of five PPI replaced the single index to allow analysts to provide a better understanding of the transmission of prices through the economy. The new 2012 base ensures that the PPI reflects the dynamics of the economy more accurately. In line with the announcement last year, Stats SA implemented those changes in February 2013. In addition, other improvements on further releases such as improved seasonal adjustment techniques were implemented during the year. They will continue to monitor the impact of these changes to evaluate its efficacy.
For South African statistics to remain valid in a changing global context, the next challenge for economic statistics will depend on their ability to ensure that their classification systems remain relevant and current. In this regard, Stats SA will continue to explore the implementation of two international standards during the course of the current financial year. The first is the 2008 system of national accounts (SNA). At present, South Africa's national accounts and therefore its economic statistics are estimated according to the 1993 SNA, the international framework. The new SNA was developed by IMF, OECD, World Bank and adopted by the United Nations Statistics Commission to ensure that economic statistics keep track of new economic phenomena that have become important in economies in the last 20 years. An example of this is the need to quantify the value of research and development and include it in estimates of value added in the economy.
The second set of international standards is called the International Standard Industrial Classification (ISIC) used by statisticians to divide the economy into different industries such as agriculture, mining and transport according to an agreed standard. The ISIC was updated to version four in order to identify and emphasise new aspects of economic activity that have become important, especially in the services sector.
Ideally, these two standards should be implemented simultaneously and Stats SA is faced with the challenge to ensure that they continue to measure the dynamics of the economy accurately while ensuring that our ability to compare with our international counterparts in OECD, BRICS and other trading partners does not become compromised.
The responsibility of ensuring that official statistics are published in terms of distinct standards extends beyond those statistics compiled by Stats SA. Section 14 of the Statistics Act provides Stats SA with the responsibility of co-ordinating statistics among organs of state. This includes advising departments about improving the quality of statistics, enhancing the comparability of statistics and minimising any possible overlapping or duplication with the collection or publication of statistics.
Chairperson, in the past I have raised concerns in this House about the effect of our poor educational outcomes. The reality is that a scarcity of maths and science skills in this context must be understood in terms of its impact not only on the human resource challenges faced by Stats SA directly but more significantly in terms of the impact on statistical collection and processing by other organs of state. Ideally, the skills set would exist across departments with the system for managing the quality and standards being with Stats SA. This unfortunate reality, however, does not absolve Stats SA of its statutory responsibilities and in this regard, a more hands-on approach is often required. An example of such intervention is a census of schools in Limpopo and the Eastern Cape Province being undertaken at the request of the Department of Basic Education and the National Treasury.
The objectives are to verify the total number of schools within the provinces, establish the number of school learners and educators per school, establish the education stream and subject offerings of educators and learners and to establish the qualifications of teachers in relation to the subjects that they are teaching. It is important that we understand that while Stats SA is responsible for statistical co-ordination, the capacity to compile data and use statistics to influence policy actually rests with, in this case, the provincial departments of Education. The challenge of a shortage of relevant skills and the importance of statistical training cannot be emphasised enough.
The approach to the lack of statistical skills cannot simply be a resigned fatalistic one, and in this regard, Stats SA has established strategic partnerships with various universities including the University of Stellenbosch, University of Cape Town and the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
