Consumption Expenditure Survey

It is considered one of the most important household surveys, not only because of to its objectives and results which help provide socio-economic and demographic statistics, but also due to its period which extends for a full one year, as well as its implementation cost. Normally, this survey is conducted every five years and it is called some times, household budget survey since it reflects the household expense pattern on goods and services. This survey reflects, also, income level and its development, which provides data for the national income accounts and the index of living cost . The latest survey was conducted during the year 1419/1420 (1999) and is considered the fifth survey of the survey series concerning the consumption expenditure undertaken by the CDS in the year 1390/1391 (1970/1971).

The Survey Objectives:

The survey aims at studying the household's, social level and the economic changes witnessed by the entire Kingdoms’ households. and, the effect of this on the pattern of consumption expenditure by introducing new commodities, services and income resources of the households and its income earning members. This will provide statistical data on:

1. Commodities and services consumed by the household and recognizing the consumption levels.

2. The percentage distribution of expenditures on commodities and services to be used in preparing the index of cost of living.

3. The household income flexibility categories, resources and their effect on consumption expenditure.

4. The relationship between the household residential characteristics, its income and the pattern of consumption expenditures on commodities and services.

5. Estimating the household expenditures and the mixed sector for the purposes of forming the national accounts and the Gross Domestic product, GDP.

The Scope of Survey:

The survey covers a household sample representing the Saudi and Non-Saudi households in the frame of the Population and Housing Census for the year 1413 A H. The sample size in about (11000) households covering all (13) administrative Provinces in the Kingdom. The nomadic population and public population were excluded from this survey sample.

Survey Periodicity:

This survey is conducted every five years.


Survey Method:

The consumer expenditure survey is considered one of the most important household surveys since the households is the axis of the study (the final statistical unit). The survey sample was extracted from the updated frame in 1418 of the population and housing census for the year 1413. It is a random, lays-based, and multi-phase sample and was selected carefully to represent the Kingdom statistically, in order to extract and achieve the survey’s objectives.
The surveyor completes the form record, which includes data on residential, population characteristics, and daily, monthly and annual expenses on each commodity and services spent by the family, in addition to the payments for personals, recreational, educational, health services during a limited time period. The data were collected in several visits performed by the interviewer during the survey period. In addition to an assistant notebook given to the households to record its purchases and the payment for the goods and services during the reference period. The survey was implemented throughout (12) months in the survey areas by the monthly sample method.

The data are sent monthly from the field to the CDS to be revised, automatically processed, then prepared for analysis and publication. According to CDS’s plan concerning the field surveys for the period 1418/1425 (1998-2004), the consumer expenditure survey will be implemented during the fiscal year 1424/1425 (2004)

The Survey Form:

The form of the survey is a record consisting of seven sections, which are :

1. The Record Cover: it includes the geographical characteristics of the households as well as the inspection case.

2. households Member’s Characteristics: It includes demographic characteristic questions for family members.

3. The Residential Characteristics: It includes questions on the residential characteristics of the households.

4. Daily Expenses: It includes questions of the daily consumption items or the ones with daily consumption nature such as food and drink.

5. Monthly Expenses: It includes questions on consumption items, which are monthly consumption nature such as clothes, medical treatment, medicine and rent.

6. Long Life Goods: It includes questions on long-life goods such as electrical equipment and furniture...etc.

7. Income: It includes the annual households income distributed by its sources as well as the average monthly income.
   

Survey Of Labor Force

Labor Force Survey is considered as one of the field surveys conducted by the Central Department of Statistics and Information (CDSI) in the area of social statistics. Preparations, designing and implementing of this survey have been already done to use its results in providing data on labor force status of resident adult population in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. These data are important in giving a picture of population size, their status in labor force, especially the male & female workers in the age of work, businessmen and those who are working in producing goods & economic services. CDSI had implemented the 1st comprehensive labor force survey in 1420 H, then followed by yearly surveys for (1421, 1422 and 1423 H) by using an household sample representing the society within the framework of the "1413 Population and Housing Census". In 1427H (2006), the survey was conducted within the framework of the population & housing census 1425 H., (2004). In 1428 H (2007), the survey was conducted biyearly, in Muharram and Rajab 1428 H. The bulletin of the labor force survey of 1428H was published recently in the (1^st  session).

Survey’s Objectives :

Saudi Statistics of Labor Force surveys aim mainly at knowing of the basic characteristics of labor force in the Kingdom, conducting the indicators & rates and the effect of demographic & economic factors on it. The survey of the labor force has several objectives, most important of them are the following :

1. To provide the planners, decision-makers and researchers with statistical data on labor force in the Kingdom (employed and unemployed workers).
2. To provide data on  labor force size, (Saudi and non-Saudi) and its distribution by a number of demographic, social and economic characteristics.
3. To define the number of working hours by occupation, economic activity and other variable elements.
4. To provide data on the potential labor force.
5. To identify the working status, age group,  the occupational and economic activity of the employed workers.
6. To measure the rate of the unemployment according to the international statistical & economic concepts and terms as well as the demographic, social and economic characteristics.

Survey’s Periodicity :

Since 1420 H (1999  A.D), the survey of the labor force is being done annually. Given the interest of the CDSI in producing regularly and up-to-date data, it started to conduct the survey biannual as of 1428 H., (2007  A.D).

Method of Survey:

The household is the survey’s core. Method of direct contact with households is used, where the researcher visits the households listed in his survey’s form and collects data.

Range of Survey:

The sample of survey covers all the 13 administrative regions of the Kingdom. It covers about (23000) families, whether they are Saudi or non-Saudi.

Designing of Survey :

Survey of Labor Force is considered as one of the household sample surveys, the CDSI conducts by using the framework of the "Population and Housing Census". The sample of survey was taken from the main sample designated for all household surveys which the CDSI will conduct in next years based on the framework of the "1425 Population and Housing Census". To have highly efficient estimates, the surveyed society is divided into non-overlapped parts but relatively homogeneous in their unities. Every part is considered as a stratum treated as the very dependent society, where a random sample is taken from each stratum separately. At the end,  all taken samples' units are integrated together to form the total entire sample. And to prepare this framework, every administrative region is divided into several strata ranged from (3-7) ones defined according to the population size where the  total number became 52 strata on all over the Kingdom. Also, the identical size of the main sample is defined to meet the different purposes of the household researches/surveys conducting by the CDSI all over the Kingdom and its administrative regions. After that, the preliminary samples' units (PSU) of the main sample are taken, which represented as enumerating areas with a number of (2600) areas distributed on the entire administrative regions.  Before starting the operation of taking the PSU of the main sample, the small enumerating areas or those located at remote regions are integrated together to substitute them for other framework's enumerating areas which are relatively similar to them in their circumstances. Then the enumerating areas in the main sample are distributed on the cities, rural and urban areas where they include (8) replicas at least in every stratum and where the administrative region's enumerating areas mustn't be less than (72) areas to ensure getting proper estimates, results and representation for these strata.

Steps of Designing and choosing the Survey'  Sample  :

Before undertaking the design of the survey' sample and choosing its proper method, the survey's aims have been discussed and studied. At the same time, the results of previous surveys were reviewed.

Also, the values of standard deviation (SD) and the coefficient of variation (CV) of some main variations were analyzed such as the rate of unemployment. Given that, the sample size of the new survey was estimated while the chosen sample was identified as an random, cluster and stratum sample chosen through two stages as follows :

First Stage :

After identifying the most ideal size of households for the survey' sample for every administrative region, the operation of drawing preliminary survey's units (PSU), i.e., the enumerating areas out  the framework of the main sample,  has started,  where a number of (1091) enumerating areas were taken out of (2600) basic enumerating areas within the main sample's framework of the household surveys distributed on the entire strata all over the whole administrative regions. Such distribution is done by using the method being compatible with the size putting in consideration the  number of Saudi families to distributed as follows :

Administrative Region	Number of sample units
Riyadh	200
Makkah	270
Madinah Aseer Tabouk Hael Nagran Albaha Algouf Qasseem  Eastern	63 78 53 54 46 40 40 40 121
Northern	43
Jazan	43
Total	1091

Second Stage :

The secondary sample units (SSU) were  drawn randomly out of the enumerating areas which were chosen in the first stage by using the organized random where (21) families had been chosen out of every enumerating area, i.e., a total of (23 000) families all over the Kingdom.

Collecting and processing data :

Implementing the Labor Force survey and collecting its data was done in Safar in its 1^st stage and in Shaban in its 2^nd one of every year. Period of time reference for collecting survey data is defined to be in the week precedes the period of collecting the data.

Given the fact that the household is the core of the labor force survey, the direct contact with the surveyed households was used where the concerned enumerators visited the surveyed households to fill directly the forms of data designed for this purpose of the survey process which continued for 20 days.

Survey’s Form :

The survey's form has been prepared, designed and reviewed by the authorized employees in the Department of Social Statistics after receiving the views and suggestions of the related governmental agencies, to meet the requirements of the users, planners and researchers. It included a number of questions on the demographic, social and economic characteristics of the individuals. Most important of such characteristics are the following :

Name of person, sex, relationship with the household's head, age, marital status, educational status, the specialization of holders of GSC or higher certificates, the individual's economic activity, type and period of training, method of looking for work, period of looking for work, did the person find a work during the week of reference, why didn't he join this work ?, what the possibility of joining a work during the week of reference ?, number of hours the person worked in his main work during the week of reference, the practical status of the employed person, occupation, economic activity, the agency where the employed person works, monthly wage or salary of the employed person, the agency in which the person subscribes as to the pension system and the actual working hours if the employed person worked an additional work plus his main work during the week of reference.

The survey’s form is divided into four sections as follows:

1. Basic questions on the general demographic characteristics.
2. Questions to identify the employed persons, their occupations, economic activities and working hours.
3. Questions to identify the unemployed persons and job seekers but are employed.

Questions to identify the standby labor force of the unemployed persons.