DA calls on StatsSA to commit to specific timeline on release of QLFS following second postponement

31 August 2020

The Democratic Alliance (DA) calls on Statistics South Africa (StatsSA) to commit to a specific timeline of when it will release the Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) for the second quarter of the financial year. StatsSA has indicated that the report will be released at the end of September citing data collection challenges posed by Covid-19.

Whilst we understand the extent to which the pandemic has affected the entity’s ability to collect data, it is concerning that StatsSA has again cited the same excuse it relied on two weeks ago when it announced the initial delay, promising that it would be able to release the report at the end of August.

Now more than ever, we need to deepen our understanding of the extent to which the ANC’s hard economic lockdown has impacted on the cessation of economic activity, the collapse of the job market and the sustainability of households trying to make it through the month.

The continued delays in the release of the report, however, will only cast a shadow over the reliability and credibility of the QLFS report.

The importance of this data cannot be overstated as the report is likely to lay bare the disastrous consequences of the hard lockdown.

A post-Covid-19 economic recovery effort will only be possible if there is reliable empirical data on the magnitude of challenges the country is facing. The QLFS  data is critical in this regard.

Issued by Michael Cardo, DA Shadow Minister of Employment and Labour, 31 August 2020