Towards a national health insurance system in ... - Detlef Schwefel

Towards a national health insurance system in Yemen – Part 1: Background and assessments 25
Table 10
Employment and income structure
in 2002
Sector Workers Income
Agriculture and fisheries 2163 56078
Mining 18 36830
Small indu stries 144 15509
Electricity, gas, water
12 2359
Buildings 262 4986
Commerce and hotels 484 18250
Transportation
134 3771
Banks 32 15705
Personal and soc ial services 245 2499
Government 432 56888
Total 3926 212875
Source: Ministry of Planning and International
Cooperation in Workers Union brochure.
No explication of units mentioned
It is remarkable that the income of more than 2 million workers in agriculture and fisheries equals the
income of 432.000 government employees. Updated data were not available. This data does not match
with a measured labour force of 4.091.000 in 1999 and a projected one for 2005 of 5.116.000 workers
and employees ( Mehran 2004). Labour productivity is considered to be low. Chapter 15 of part 3 of
our study report gives some data of a recent labour survey 2003, which contradicts the above
presented data, since it labels agriculture, hunting and forestry at 1.29% of the surveyed workers and
0.09 in fishing. (RoY-MoPIC 2005) In this survey the sector “wholesale and retail trade and
maintenance” ranges with 49.97% at the top of the listing. 12 Uncertainties regarding the employment
structure prevail. This refers to estimates of the formal employment sectors, too. It was not possible to
get an updated figure on the employees and workers in government administration, i.e. especially in
the ministries. 13
Inequalities are rampant, regarding all aspects: living conditions, housing conditions, access to public
services. “Income inequalities are pervasive in the country. Inequality in Yemen mirrors a typical low
income economy where the richest 10% get 34% of the national income and spend 25.5% of all
expenditures while the poorest 10% of households spend
a m ere 3.5% . Increased poverty and
unemployment and wors ened income distribution are reflected in the Gini coefficient of 0.426.”
(UNDP ny) Most neglected are several especially marginalized groups, like the al-Akhdam, refugees
and returnees.
3.1.4 Poverty
“In recent years poverty has increased dramatically in Yemen. The poor have become poorer, and the
livelihood of many has become less and less sustainable. Depending on the definition applied, 30-40%
of Yemeni households are impoverished and the majority of these are located in rural areas. A growing
number of people lack access to adequate housing, safe drinking water, health care services, education,
income and sufficient nutrition. Most natural resources, which could be used to build sustainable
livelihoods, have been overexploited, depleted or polluted.” (UNDP ny)
Extreme poverty ranges at 42% of the population availing of less than 1 US$ per day per person. To
satisfy the basic nutritional needs 1.50 US$ are needed. “The majority of the population, 69.6 per cent
in rural areas, and 57.8 per cent in urban areas (adding up to 66.9 per cent at the national level), could
12
This might be explained by the sampling of this survey.
13 The Ministry of Civil Services and Insurances is updating the data and had promised to provide them to the study team.