Recommendations of the Expert Group on Informal Sector Statistics

National statisticalagencies should be encouraged to periodically collect and compile statisticalinformation on the characteristics and contribution of the informal sector tonational employment and GDP, including for sub-populations such as dependenthomeworkers, street vendors and women.
ILO in cooperation withUNSD, may complete the current stocktake of existing country practices andconduct periodic inverntories in future years. Including measures of employmentand GDP by industry sector and gender (where available). It was agreed that theChair of the Delhi Group will communicate this recommendation to internationaland regional statistical organisations.
The Delhi Group Secretariat,in consultation with UNSD, would establish a Website for the Delhi Group,including a workgroup discussion database where papers on informal sector issuescan be stored and Group members can interact on projectwork.
The Delhi Group shouldconsider not only the economic dimension of the informal sector but also itssocial dimension described by concerns such as on poverty or social security.Since the informal sector is being more and more considered as an importantsocial issue on policy levels, the Group is interested in an open dialogue withall users of informal sector statistics and on the facilites to collect andprocess informal sector.
The Group felt it necessaryto adequately represent data on all groups which are engagted in the finformalsecto and to make all necessary arrangements on conceptual as well as on datacollection issues. The Group refers to categories which are for conceptual, practical or cultural reasons diffciult to survey such as female or childworker. In particular the Group highlights also the need for data about groupssuch as street vendors, homeworkers etc. where these are a part of the informalsector.
In light of that the Grouprecommended that further work should be undertaken on classifications whichdistinguish certain groups in the labour market. Where members of the DelhiGroup are participating in relevant international for a, they should convey theviews of the Group on these Classification and standardsissues.
The Group recommended to theChair to draw the attention of the UN Statistical Commission and nationalstatistical agencies to the tast that very few countries had implemented SNA93in respect of the informal sector (within the household sector) and that it wasnot sufficient for countries to include the sector indistinguishable in theoverlall accounts. It was felt that the sector should be accorded equalimportance as other sectors in the national accounts and that more effective useneeds to be made by national accounts of data collected in informal sectorsurveys.
Finally the group considereda proposal by WIEGO (Women in Informal Employment Globalizing and Organizing)which ils an ;international coalition of grassroot organizatins researchstatistics organization and internationaly policy organizations which seek topromote better statistics. Research programmes and policies in suppport of womenworkers in the informal sector. These are included as an annexure of therecommendations. It agreed on the importance of independency and place of workas categories for the identification and measurement of the informal sector.These are included as an annexure of the recommendations. It agreed on theimportance of independency and place of work as categories for theidentification and measurement of the informal sector These will be examinedwhen deciding on the plan of action of the Group.
1. Clarify and operationalisethe SNA93 international definition for national accounts and internationalcomparision purposes. Project members include Australia, Colombia, Mexico,Turkey (Mr. Yususf Yardimci) ILO Mrs. Predrero and Mr. Charmes Colombia will bethe project leader
2. Develop strategies to address sample frame and weighting issues Project members include India, Mexicoand Nigeria.
3. Inverstigate qualityassurance methods for noon-sampling areas(e.g. post enumeration studies).Project members include Nigeria and ILO.
4. Investigate and develop an appropriate methodology to develop more accurate measures of value-added.Project members include Armenia, Turkey, University of Mexico UNSD and Mrs.Ferran.