Last year, Statistics SA released over 270 separate publications, an average of one every working day throughout the year.
Each publication entailed weeks, sometimes months, of a complex cycle of statistical production: questionnaire design, drawing of a sample, running a survey, capturing and processing data, weighting, editing and analysis, calculation of confidence limits, tabulation, hard copy and digital production and dissemination, to name some moments in the statistical cycle.
For many South Africans, the beginning of the new year involved preparing children to go back to school, returning to work or beginning the search for employment. Early January was, for most, dedicated to planning a new year after the year-end break.
For the engine room of official statistics, however, it was business as usual. Ongoing measurement and monitoring of social and economic trends cannot wait on holidays.
Newspapers carried prominent reports on an anticipated government revenue overrun, partly the result of better-than-expected economic performance during 2005. Tax cuts and additional social spending were being predicted by a range of analysts, some of whom made particular mention of buoyancy in the motor and retail sectors.
At the same time the relationship between a strong currency and manufacturing performance again fell under the spotlight. Production of official statistics had to continue.
Motor trade sales were up. Stats SA reported that, for the three months up to October 2005, they increased by 16.9 percent compared with the three months up to October 2004. Sales for October 2005 increased by 17.1 percent compared with October 2004.
Motor trade sales for the first 10 months of 2005 increased by 16.7 percent compared with sales for the first 10 months of 2004. At around the same time, Stats SA reported on electricity generated and available for distribution, an important indicator of economic activity.
This showed an increase in both consumption and production of electricity. The estimated volume of electricity consumed (available for distribution) for the three months ending November 2005, after seasonal adjustment, increased by 2.6 percent (1 451 gigawatt hours) compared with the previous three months ending August 2005.
For the same period, estimated production, after seasonal adjustment, increased by 2.3 percent (1 404 gigawatt hours) compared with the previous three months ending August 2005.
In the first half of January, Stats SA also reported on wholesale trade sales, and production and sales in both mining and manufacturing. Wholesale trade sales, at constant (2000) prices, for the three months ended October 2005 increased by 3.5 percent compared with the same period in 2004.
Furthermore, seasonally adjusted wholesale trade sales, at constant (2000) prices, for the three months ended October 2005 increased by 4.3 percent compared with the three months ended July 2005.
Estimated manufacturing production for the three months ended November 2005 increased by 0.3 percent after seasonal adjustment, compared with the previous three months.
Higher production was reported by seven of the 10 manufacturing divisions. During the months of October and November 2005, low production in the petroleum industry limited the extent of growth in the manufacturing industry results.
Mining production, however, showed a decrease. Total mining production for the three months ended November 2005, after seasonal adjustment, decreased by 3.8 percent compared with the previous three months. This was due to a decrease of 4.8 percent in the production of non-gold minerals during the three months ended November 2005 compared with the previous three months.
Yesterday's publication on retail trade completed this suite of monthly releases on sales until February. This shows that retail trade sales have continued to increase in real terms. For the three months up to October 2005, they increased by 7 percent compared with the three months up to October 2004. Retail trade sales for October 2005 increased by 7.7 percent compared with October 2004.
Towards the end of last year, mention was made of areas where improvements in quality could be anticipated this year. This included measurement of employment and unemployment.
Until recently, the lead time between conducting each labour force survey (LFS) and publishing results has been six months. The results of the September LFS will now be released before the end of this month.
With the start of a new year, the engine room of official statistics is working as expected.
Pali Lehohla is South Africa's statistician-general and head of Statistics SA. For more information on Stats SA and its statistical outputs, including the latest release of GDP data, visit www.statssa.gov.