ECC doubts poverty and jobs data

The Economic Co-ordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet has expressed doubts about the credibility of Statistics Division data on poverty reduction and unemployment.
Sources told Business Recorder on Friday that the Economic Advisor to Finance Ministry, Dr Ashfaque Hasan Khan, and Additional Secretary Incharge, Statistics Division, briefed the ECC about the survey reports in its last meeting, but fingers were raised at credibility of the data, which is now being examined by the Planning Commission.
Both officials apprised the ECC that Statistics Division had collected information on quarterly basis for the current fiscal year and the data was based on the survey of 9000 households.
Earlier, the survey was being conducted on two-yearly basis and 2003-04 survey was based on 36,000 households.
They informed the ECC that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has programmes entitled ''General Data Dissemination System'' and ''Special Dissemination System'' which require compilation of statistical data on employment and wage rates on quarterly basis. Pakistan is a member of GDDS and is now trying to attain membership of DSS, too.
Interestingly, the Statistics Division had claimed that the data collected by the concerned officials showed 6.9 percent decline in unemployment rate in the country, but ECC minutes depicted a totally different scenario. ECC minutes available with this scribe show that total employment in the country during the first quarter of current fiscal year was 42.01 million, while employment during the same period of 2003-04 was 47.55 million, which meant 5.54 million reduction in jobs.
The figures also prove that unemployment had increased by 6.9 percent in the country.
The ECC was also informed that household income and expenditure survey had been completed which would depict change in the poverty level. The report is presently being examined by the Planning and Development Division for determining the quantum of change in poverty level. The final report would be released after the Planning Commission completes its assessment, but the general trend indicates reduction in poverty level.
On a question about credibility of the data, the ECC was told that during survey''s planning process, preparation of questionnaire, tabulation and compilation of the draft report, all stakeholders including representatives of international financial institutions, NGOs, academia and government agencies were consulted to make the data credible and, at times, international experts were invited to provide advice on the surveys.