Mereja.Forum

By TSEGAYE TILAHUN
Addis Ababa — Household income decreases by 44 percent, capital hits high

Central Statistics Agency (CSA) stated that the outbreak of COVID-19 has been attributable to the 44 percent household income decline affecting Ethiopian national 2021 labor force and causing migration.

Presenting survey report in collaboration with Ethiopian National Plan and Development Commission and other partners yesterday, CSA announced that household income has decreased due to the pandemic and the survey was conducted in all regions and city administrations except Tigray.

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At The Same Talking House Hold Income In Dedebit Woorgach Erkhusan Agga*me Dry Land Decreased By --44% ( Negative Forty-four Percent):-- How About That Bissbiss Shettattam Agga*mes.

I think this is a population based survey - it could provide a glimpse of the reality but it should not be taken seriously. The reason, income and job data are not formally recorded and accounted in the national economic database. This is to say, individual employers' payroll and tax information is not reported on week by week or month by month to the municipal agency or state governors. Mostly, it the public or government sector that does this task and government employees salary is almost static and unaffected. Most of the national labor force is participated in the agricultural activity in the countryside, it is unlikely to believe COVID- 19 affected agricultural activity at such higher rate, while even HIV-AIDS that wiped out the rural labor force did not. More importantly, although COVID-19 is real, in cities did not seem bothered by it as seen residents participated in big gatherings , festivities, demonstrations, etc. Thus, even those odd jobs in the informal sector don't seem to be affected by such a large percent of decline - assuming the survey reached the bottom grassroots sampling unit of their survey. I am kind of thinking CSA has ጁንታ remnants trying to do some TPLF propaganda using un-validated or triangulated statistics.