SNA-93 Framework
Review and mapping of key gender issues
Workshop on Household Surveys and Measurement of Labour
Force with Focus on Informal Economy
Maseru, Lesotho, 14-18 April 2008
Overview
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Introduction to SNA 93 Framework
Relevance of SNA 93 for labour statistics
SNA 93 production boundary
Gender implications for labour statistics
Improving labour statistics using SNA 93
SNA 93 treatment of Informal Sector
Beyond SNA 93: Informal Economy
Gender relevance of informal economy
Concluding remarks
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Introduction: SNA 93 Framework
Why SNA 93 Framework matters
• Comprehensive accounting framework
• Based on a coherent, consistent and integrated set of
concepts, definitions, classifications and accounting
rules
• Allows for monitoring and analysis of economic activities
• Focuses on transactors and transactions taking place
– Transactors: individual economic agents (institutional units) and
institutional sectors
– Transactions: economic activities
• Basis for macro-economic analysis, decision-making and
policy making
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Overall relevance of SNA 93 Framework
Why SNA 93 Framework matters
• Provides conceptual base for definitions
– Economic activities
– Economically active population
• Dominant framework for measuring work
• Decisions on economic policies, distribution of
government expenditures to sectors of population and
activities depend on SNA
• Activities not properly captured, not properly valued in
terms of their contribution to economy
• Population group not properly captured, not properly
taken into account in budget allocation
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Relevance of SNA 93 for labour statistics
Definition of economic activity
“The economically active population comprises all
persons of either sex who furnish the supply of labour for
the production of goods and services, as defined by the
SNA 1993 during a specified period.”
Implications
• SNA Production boundary defines what activities are
considered as economic and thus, who are considered
to be economically active
• Guarantees consistency between activity concepts of
employment statistics and production statistics
• But limits definition of work with implications for
measurement of women’s full contribution to society
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SNA 93 Production Boundary
Defines what are productive and economic activities
All Activities
General production boundary
Productive
Economic
SNA production boundary
Non-economic
Basic human
activities, natural
processes
Non-productive
Rule: if the performance of an
activity cannot be delegated
to another without the same
desired results/outcomes
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SNA 93 Production Boundary
Implications for production of labour statistics
Productive activities
Economic
ALL goods*
Non-Economic
ALL services for sale,
Some services for
barter or in-kind pay own-final consumption
Activities covered to determine
economically active population
Some services for
own final consumption
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SNA 93 Production Boundary
Gender implications for labour statistics:
•Scope
Productive activities
•Measurement
Economic
ALL goods*
Non-Economic
ALL services for sale,
Some services for
barter or in-kind pay own final consumption
Non-market activities often missed, in particular:
Goods for own consumption, and some services included
in SNA are often missed in data collection instruments
Some services for
own final consumption
Services such as
caring, cleaning
cooking, transport
not included in
definition of work 8
Scope of concept of Economic Activity
Economic Activities (SNA 93)
NonscopeIncludes
for the measurement
of Economically Active Population economic
intermediate
activities
inputs
Production of goods or Production Production of services for own
services supplied to
of goods*
final consumption
other units
for own final
use
Intended for Provided free
Housing
Domestic or Domestic
sale, barter,
in kind pay
on the
market
Market
production
or at prices not
economically
(*) If quantity
significant, by significant in
government or
relation to
non-profit
total supply
institutions
services by personal
ownservices by
occupiers paid staff
of dwellings
or personal
services by
unpaid
household
members
Non-market production
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SNA 93: Non-market activities included/excluded
Included
(if the amount of that good is quantitatively important in relation to the
total supply of that good in a country)
•Growing or gathering field
crops, fruits and vegetables
•Producing eggs, milk and
food
•Hunting animals and birds
•Catching fish, crabs and
shellfish
•Cutting firewood and
building poles
•Collecting thatching and
weaving materials
•Burning charcoal
•Mining slat
•Cutting peat
•Carrying water
•Threshing and milling grain
•Making butter, ghee and
cheese
•Slaughtering livestock
•Curing hides and skins
•Preserving meat and fish
•Making beer, wine and
spirits
•Crushing oil seeds
•Weaving baskets and mats
•Making clay pots and
plates
•Weaving textiles
•Making furniture
•Dressmaking and tailoring
•Handicrafts made from
non-primary products
•Constructing
dwellings
•Constructing
farm buildings
•Building
boats and
canoes
•Clearing land
for cultivation
Excluded
•Cleaning, decorating
and maintaining
dwelling, including
small repair
•Cleaning, repairing
household durables,
vehicles or other
goods
•Preparing and
serving meals
•Caring for, training
and instructing
children
•Caring for the sick,
invalid or old people
•Transporting
household members
or their goods
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Improving coverage of women’s work in
labour statistics using SNA 93
1. Scope: Exclusion of services for own consumption
– SNA 93 recognizes importance of these activities
– SNA 93 recommends measurement and valuation of
production outside the SNA boundary through
satellite accounts
– Production can be measured and valued on basis of
inputs or outputs through
• Time-use surveys
• Household expenditure surveys
• Household budget surveys
• Other surveys collecting data on household
production
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Improving coverage of women’s work in
labour statistics using SNA 93
2. Measurement: Fully implement SNA classification of
economic activities, particularly those for own-consumption
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Review definition of work used in questionnaires
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Ensure questions are designed in such a way as to capture
secondary activities, particularly where women are regarded
as housewives, and among those engaged in agricultural
activities
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Train interviewers on definition of work, including examples
of economic activities for own-consumption that are to be
captured, and to probe for secondary activities
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Improving coverage of women’s work in
labour statistics using SNA 93
2. Measurement: Fully implement SNA classification of
economic activities, particularly those for own-consumption
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Note that distinction between own-account production of
goods and services may be complex and overlap
– Example: Preparation of a meal for immediate consumption is a
service, but preparation of food for preservation is included in SNA
economic activities.
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Activities likely to be excluded:
–Food conservation
–Weaving textiles
–Making wine, beer, butter, cheese
–Carrying water
–Production of household utensils,
furnishings, clothing, footwear
–Fetching firewood
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Example: Pakistan –Labour Force Survey
2005-06
Captures both primary and
secondary activities, including
production of goods for own
consumption…
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Example: Pakistan –Labour Force Survey
2005-06
Bottom note lists activities that count as work including:
• Home based activities:
– Agriculture
– Fetching water
– Milling & food processing
– Collecting firework
– Handicrafts
– Other personal or
community work
– Construction & major repairs
activities
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Example: Bangladesh
Female labour force participation rate by type of definition
Bangladesh 1990-2000
100
80
60
SNA Definition National
40
SNA Definition Rural
SNA Definition Urban
20
Restricted Definition National
Restricted Definition Rural
Restricted Definition Urban
0
1990-91
1995-96
1999-2000
Restricted definition: Excludes own household economic activities
SNA definition: Includes own household economic activities
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Example: Bangladesh
Male labour force participation rate by type of definition
Bangladesh 1990-2000
100
80
60
SNA Definition National
SNA Definition Rural
40
SNA Definition Urban
Restricted Definition National
20
Restricted Definition Rural
Restricted Definition Urban
0
1990-91
1995-96
1999-2000
Restricted definition: Excludes own household economic activities
SNA definition: Includes own household economic activities
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SNA 93 and Informal Sector
Background
• SNA does not make a distinction between formal and
informal sectors, but
• SNA 93 rev.1 recognizes importance of informal sector to
the economy of many countries
• Recognizes need for a coherent set of concepts and
definitions on informal sector consistent with overall SNA
Framework to measure contribution of this sector to
economy, employment, income generation, and for policy
analysis and formulation
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SNA 93 and Informal Sector
Treatment of Informal Sector
• Follows characterization of informal sector from resolution
of 15th ICLS on statistics of employment in informal sector
and work of Delhi Group on Informal Sector Statistics
• Defined as sub-sector of the SNA institutional sector
‘households’ (unincorporated household enterprises)
• Defined in terms of characteristics of production
units/enterprises (enterprise approach) rather than
characteristics of persons or their jobs (labour approach)
• Definition in terms of enterprises to provide link with SNA
Framework
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Beyond SNA93: Informal Economy
From labour perspective
• Need to capture and measure informality of employment,
both in enterprises and in employment relations
• Thus, definition and measurement of informal sector is
complemented with concept of informal employment,
defined in terms of jobs
• Informal Economy includes both employment in informal
sector and in informal jobs (informal employment)
• Economic activities to determine informal employment
and employment in informal sector follow SNA 93
production boundary
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Informal Economy: Gender relevance
Differences between women and men in informal
economy:
• Women are disproportionately represented in informal
economy, both informal sector and informal employment
• Reasons for turning to informal economy
• Access to resources
• Job segregation
• Characteristics of activities and businesses
• Working conditions
• Apparent greater disparities in income
• Exposure to violence and harassment
• Exposure to unsanitary conditions
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Informal Economy: Gender relevance
Special issues to consider
• Women are engaged in those informal activities that are
most difficult to capture and measure
– Home-based work, outwork, street vending
• Women are often engaged in second or multiple jobs,
especially in rural areas
• Women’s activities in informal sector may overlap with
non-market work and unpaid housework
• Women’ often carry work on small scale and on
household premises
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Concluding remarks
• SNA 93 provides cohesive framework for measuring
women’s and men’s work, and provides links to informal
sector measurement
• To improve labour statistics, including coverage of
women’s economic contributions:
– Ensure compliance with SNA economic activities
– Consider measurement of services for ownconsumption (SNA non-economic activities) through
satellite accounts
– Focus on informal economy to capture informality of
employment
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Thank you!