Activity of Industry & Labour Wing

The Industry and Labour Wing (I&L) is one of the important subject matter wings of Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS). This wing is responsible for collection, compilation and dissemination of data relating to all economic sectors/activities except agriculture. Data of those sectors may be collected either through primary or secondary sources. But currently, the I&L Wing is conducting CMI (Census of Mfg. Industries ), AEIS (Annual Establishment & Institution Survey), LFS (Labour Force Survey) with a specific periodicity. The activities of this wing need to be reorganized according to requirements of the various stakeholders.

1. Census of Manufacturing Industries (CMI):

Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics has been conducting Census of Manufacturing Industries (CMI) every year for the last two decades. It was designed to cover all industrial units registered with Chief Inspector of Factory (CIF) under the Factory Act 1934. The Factories Act covers all units that employ 10 or more persons.

Before the CMI of 1988-89, all the previous censuses conducted, was based on those manufacturing establishments which employ 10 or more persons and registered with CIF. Therefore, the un-registered manufacturing establishments remained outside the scope of the previous censuses.

A census on Non-farm Economic Activities (Economic Census,1986) was conducted in 1986 and the report was published in 1989. The census provided the basis for covering also the un-registered manufacturing establishments in the subsequent CMIs. Accordingly, using the frame of 1986 Economic Census, the subsequent CMI operation beginning from 1988-89 covered both registered and unregistered manufacturing establishments having  10 or more employees.

Status of CMI Publication :

i) The latest CMI report of 1999-2000 was published in June,2004
ii) The 2001-02 CMI is under process. This will be published within 3 months.
iii) Data collection work for the CMI 2003-2004 and 2005-2006 will be undertaken within a short time simultaneously.

The CMI provides basic statistics on the industrial structure and production of the manufacturing sector of the country on a more comprehensive basis. The next CMI-2003-04 and 2005-06 will be conducted from August/06 on the basis of Economic Census 2001 & 2003.

Scope and Objectives

As with the earlier CMIs the main objectives of the CMI were to determine the volume of industrial production, fixed capital formation, employment and gross value added in manufacturing industries. The data collected followed broadly the scope of the earlier CMIs, specifically in the following areas:

• Ownership status;
• Fixed assets by category;
• Employment by category;
• Value and quantity of raw material consumed;
• Employment cost;
• Operating expenses;
• Cost and quantity of fuel consumed;
• Value of gross output;
• Value added and indirect taxes, etc.

The collected information is ultimately processed and classified by manufacturing sector activities following the Bangladesh Standard Industrial Classification (BSIC) at 4-digit level.

2. Annual Establishment & Institution Survey (AEIS):

The Annual Establishment and Institution Survey (AEIS) is an integrated survey programme of BBS. Large and medium scale manufacturing establishments with 10 or more employees were excluded from AEIS. Small manufacturing establishments (less than 10 persons) and all permanent establishments, irrespective of employment sizes such as Wholesale and Retail Trade, Hotel and Restaurant, Business and Social services and Non-farm household based economic activities are included in AEIS. In order to capture seasonality of the sectors, the survey is based on a monthly national sub-samples of EAs and collects data throughout the 12 month of the year by using separate questionnaires for each sector. The survey is based on two sample frame viz area frame and list frame. A total of 1500 EAs( Enumeration Areas) were selected from the area frame consisting of 1,96,720 EAs to cover manufacturing establishments with 1-9 persons engaged, other sectors with 1-19 employees . The list frame covers 20 and or more people   in Hotel & Restaurant, Trade & Social service establishments.

Position of AEIS sector publication :

i) Latest AEIS report 1996-97 was published in August,2004.

ii) The AEIS report 2002-03 is to be published very soon.

3. Labour Force Survey (LFS) :

Labour Force Survey is a household based sample survey. Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) has been conducting Labour Force Survey since 1980. Until 1985-86 LFS data were disseminated under usual/conventional concepts. From 1989, Labour Force Survey was designed to cover the economic activities as per the extended definitions also. In 1989, in addition to usual concepts of activities, some household economic activities which are usually done by the female members of agro based households in rural areas, were included and treated as economic activities. The 7th round Labour Force Survey report 1995-96 was published in December,1996.

1999-2000 Labour Force Survey is the 8th round survey in Bangladesh. The Labour Force Survey was under taken using integrated multipurpose sample (IMPS) design which was based on 1991 Population Census area frame. The sample consists of 442 Primary Sampling Units (PSUs) of which 252 PSUs are rural and 190 are urban.

The main objectives of the survey is to estimate :

- the size of labour force by age, gender, education and locality ;
- the number of working (employed) persons by occupation, industry and employment status ;
- the demographic and socio-economic conditions of labour force.
- the average working hours worked, earnings etc. of working (employed) persons ;
- the extent of unemployment / underemployment ;
- the number of educated unemployed by age, sex, education and locality ;
- the size of child labour (aged 5-14 years) by age group, occupation, industry, status in employment etc.

The 1999-2000 Labour Force Survey field work was completed in April,2000. The report of this survey was published in August,2002.Data collection work of Labour Force Survey,2005-06  started from October,05 and was  continued until September,06. In the 9th round LFS, the sample size consisted  of 1000 PSU.Data collection was  completed within  10 months  although the stipulated time was 12 months. Besides data collection,  data entry and processing work are  also progressing in full swing.

4. Adhoc Activities :

A. Measuring Decent Work Indicators, Pilot Test : Industry and Labour Wing recently conducted a pilot study on "Measuring Decent Work Indicators-2005" with the joint collaboration of ILO. The report of the survey will be published soon.

B. Preparation of Business Register: On the basis of Economic Census,2001/2003 a directory of establishment was prepared by Economic Census Project, BBS. As the subject matter wing of BBS, Industry & Labour Wing is verifying and finalizing the directory of establishments (Business Register). The Business Register is a  list of establishments/enterprises of all the economic sectors except agriculture. It is to be noted that that the register contains a list of establishments /enterprises employing 10 or more people. The activities/works undertaken  by these  units as described  in the  business register are not static, some new  entities are created overtime ; some  change their form and eventually disappear. Over a period of time, their characteristics may also be changed.

C. International Standard Industrial Classification (ISIC Revision-3): Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, especially Industry & Labour Wing so long had been using the Bangladesh Standard Industrial Classification of all Economic Activities-1986 based on ISIC Revision-2. But in the meantime ISIC Revision-3 has been adopted by United Nations and UN recommends that every member country should follow the ISIC Revision-3 with such modifications as may be necessary to meet national requirements. In line with the UN recommendations, Industry & Labour Wing of Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics has prepared a summary as well as the detailed report on the basis of ISIC Revision-3. The report has already been published in English. Within a short time a Bengali version is to be published.