Compilation and Dissemination of Distributive Trade Statistics

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Compilation and Dissemination of Distributive
Trade Statistics

• by KONDWANI CHILOPA
• NSO MALAWI

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Outline

• Sources of data
• Coverage
• Classification
• Data collection
• Processing of data
• Quality control
• Main outputs
• Data users
• Dissemination strategy

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Sources data

• NSO Malawi compiles its Distributive Trade
  Statistics based on data collected from
  enterprises through an Annual Economic sample
  survey (AES).
• The names of the enterprises that are selected
  for the survey are obtained from the Business
  Information Register (BIR).
• The BIR is a dynamic database containing
  information on all registered and unregistered
  enterprises know by the NSO to operate in Malawi.
• The BIR contains names, addresses, physical
  location, type of activity, number of employees,
  turnover, value added and ISIC group of every
  business and it is updated on regular basis.

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Coverage

• The survey covers all sectors of the Malawi
  economy by type of activity.
• The survey covers private, statutory bodies and
  public (government) enterprises engaged in
  production and sale of goods and services.
• The survey selects large scale profit making
  enterprises while medium and small scale
  enterprises are selected on basis of critical
  employment size or annual turnover.

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Classification

• The United Nations International Standard
  Industrial Classification (ISIC, Rev 3) is used
  to classify economic activities.
• The activities are classified at 2-digit, 3-digit
  and 4-digit levels.
• However, some activities are combined to ensure
  confidentiality inline with the Statistics Act
  1967.

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Data collection

• Personal delivery of questionnaires to respective
  respondents in the selected enterprises is used
  as a method of collecting information.
• For enterprises that fail to respond but have the
  current annual company accounts available, their
  questionnaires are completed at our office using
  these accounts as a basis for estimates.
• The reference period is 12 months and this is
  normally the enterprises financial year. A
  financial year is determined on the basis of bias
  of the months within the year. For example, any
  enterprise with its financial year ending 31th
  March will be considered to have operated in the
  previous year because the current year has only 3
  months as compared to 9 months in the previous
  year.

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Data processing

• Data is processed using Microsoft Excel
• Mainly graphs and tables are computed

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Quality control

• On receipt of questionnaires, the following steps
  are undertaken
• Sorting
• Manual checks
• Verification of responses where company accounts
  statements are available
• Any problems found are corrected after
  consultation with the respondent.

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Main Outputs

• The major indicators compiled from this survey
  are the following
• Employment
• Total income
• Remuneration
• Annual Capital Investments (Fixed assets)
• Disposal of fixed assets
• Turnover
• Value added
• Gross profit by sector
• Stocks

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Data users

• Government institutions
• National Accounts
• Private researchers
• Academia
• Business community
• NGOs
• Media
• Investors

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Dissemination methods

• The AES indicators are released in the official
  NSO publication as follows
• A) Annual Economic Survey report
• B) In addition data users make specific data
  requests that are provided either by email, fax
  or post.
• C) Users can also access the reports which
  are posted on the NSO official website
• www.nso.malawi.net

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Challenges faced

• Late completion of questionnaires by respondents
  this in turn delays data entry and processing
• No any distributive trade indices are produced

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• Thank you for very much for attention