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SETP No. 14 The Economic Value of Incremental Employment in the ...

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Table 3-7<br />

Average Salaries paid <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Construction Industry<br />

Number <strong>of</strong> 1996 values 2000 values<br />

workers <strong>in</strong> sample Monthly Monthly Annual<br />

Pr<strong>of</strong>essionals 13,491 6,659 9,007 108,078<br />

Technicians and associate pr<strong>of</strong>essionals 17,598 3,604 4,875 58,505<br />

Craft and related trades workers 355,2<strong>14</strong> 1,479 2,000 24,001<br />

Plant and mach<strong>in</strong>e operators and assemblers 17,989 1,637 2,215 26,576<br />

Elementary occupations 82,446 1,067 1,443 17,313<br />

Source: SA Community Pr<strong>of</strong>ile - Census 1996. Extracted with Super Table<br />

3.28 In turn <strong>the</strong>se worker earned, on average and <strong>in</strong> year 2000 values, annual<br />

salaries <strong>of</strong> R108,000 for pr<strong>of</strong>essionals, R58,000 for technicians, R24,000 for<br />

craft workers, R26,000 for mach<strong>in</strong>e operators and R17,000 for labourers <strong>in</strong><br />

elementary occupations. Labourers earned about R65 a day.<br />

3.29 <strong>The</strong> <strong>in</strong>dustry total <strong>of</strong> 486,000 stands <strong>in</strong> contrast to <strong>the</strong> 312,000 total reported <strong>in</strong><br />

Table 3.2. <strong>The</strong>re are two possible reasons for this difference. First, <strong>the</strong> population<br />

census is directed at people while <strong>the</strong> construction census is directed at firms.<br />

We are <strong>the</strong>refore captur<strong>in</strong>g more <strong>in</strong>formal firms. Second, <strong>the</strong> population census is<br />

probably captur<strong>in</strong>g an element <strong>of</strong> underemployment.<br />

3.30 Because <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> nature <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> way <strong>the</strong> census data is reported it is not possible to<br />

calculate accurate standard deviations. Ra<strong>the</strong>r, <strong>the</strong> data dispersion is illustrated<br />

<strong>in</strong> Figure 3.8 below. Figure 3.8 <strong>in</strong>dicates <strong>the</strong> number <strong>of</strong> workers <strong>of</strong> workers <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

construction <strong>in</strong>dustry by occupation by monthly <strong>in</strong>come category (1996 census<br />

values). Three factors are <strong>of</strong> note:<br />

• <strong>The</strong> data dispersion is far smaller than those for <strong>the</strong> October Household<br />

Survey. This is probably due to a far higher sample.<br />

• Both ‘craft workers’ and ‘elementary occupations’ have a maximum<br />

number <strong>of</strong> respondents at <strong>the</strong> same <strong>in</strong>come category – R500 to R1,000 a<br />

month (1996 values). This lends fur<strong>the</strong>r credence to <strong>the</strong> ‘blurr<strong>in</strong>g’ <strong>of</strong> craft<br />

worker and elementary occupation categories <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> construction <strong>in</strong>dustry<br />

as measured by <strong>the</strong> population census.<br />

• <strong>The</strong> above observation is re<strong>in</strong>forced by <strong>the</strong> long tail on <strong>the</strong> right hand side<br />

<strong>of</strong> distribution <strong>of</strong> salaries for craft workers. What this <strong>in</strong>dicates is that <strong>the</strong>re<br />

is a wide distribution <strong>of</strong> salaries for a (small number) <strong>of</strong> skilled craft<br />

workers.<br />

15

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