The new Statistics South Africa Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) released on Thursday shows that the trend to formalisation in the South African economy is continuing even while informal employment grows.

One of the compilers of the survey, Kefiloe Masiteng, said during a presentation on Thursday that even while the informal sector capturing had been refined, the trend to formalisation was still evident.

The data shows that the non-agricultural formal sector lifted by 73 000 people, or 0.8 percent, to 9.415-million in the second quarter.

However, juxtaposed to this is the better capturing of the informal sector — which increases by a higher 0.9 percent, or 21 000 people to 2.340-million in the quarter.

Masiteng explains that more objective classification criteria are now in use on aspects like ownership and whether businesses are registered for different taxes.

Employees are now also asked separate questions on issues like the size of the business.

"We now think we have a better handle on the definition," said Masiteng.

Today's data shows that of the total employed market — based on market production activities — the private household sector lifted 22 000 in the second quarter to 1.185-million, with the agricultural sector down 9000 to 790 000.

The total number of employed people was placed at 13.729-million, an improvement of 106 000, or 0.8 percent, on the quarter.

Elementary jobs

Stats SA also makes the interesting point that the industry with the largest quarterly employment gains was community and social services — which lifted by 71 000 to 2.8 percent.

It means, to use Statistician General Pali Lehohla's words, 70 000 of the 106 000 new jobs are in fairly "elementary" areas.

A project team comprising local and international experts on labour force content was created to re-engineer the Labour Force Survey. In March 2005, Stats SA appointed consultants from the IMF to evaluate all aspects of the LFS, and the findings led to a recommendation to improve the survey.

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