By Calvin Yeo
(The Star_ 8 July 2011) KUCHING: A total of 41,000 companies and businesses in the state will be covered in the on-going nationwide economic census.
State Statistics Department director Lee Ting Siing said the first phase of the census which began in April until June this year would focus mainly on the estimated 6,000 food and beverages sector.
“The second phase began last month where we had mailed relevant questionnaires to the rest of the estimated 35,000 companies and businesses. The respondents are requested to return the completed questionnaires within a month using the enclosed self-addressed and postage paid envelope.
“Face-to-face interview and field work will only be conducted on those companies and businesses which fail to return their forms after a month time,” he said during an interactive session with business associations here yesterday.
The purpose of the census, he said, was to obtain comprehensive information on the growth, structure and profile of the economic activities in the country.
“This would enable the formulation of national development plans and economic activities.
“In addition, the data will also be used as a benchmark for compilation of gross domestic products whereby the base year of 2010 will reflect the current situation in the country,” he said.
Other sectors to be covered in the census are agriculture, forestry and fishing, mining and quarrying, manufacturing, construction and services.
Lee assured that all information collected during the census exercise were confidential and no individual information would be revealed.
“The census will be conducted under the provisions of the Statistics Act 1965 (Revised 1989) where Section 5 of the Act makes specific reference to the confidentiality of the data,” he added.
Industrial Development Ministry permanent secretary Datuk Liaw Soon Eng said Sarawak was recorded as the third largest economy in the country in 2009 with a gross domestic product (GDP) of RM48.8bil.
“The services sector contributed 26.2% to the GDP while the manufacturing sector contributed 26.8%. The mining and quarrying sector contributed 18.6% while agriculture sector contributed 15.7% to the state GDP,” he said in his speech read by principal assistant secretary to the ministry Adeline Lau.
During the question and answer session, Lau said the census was important as it would enable the government to gather the necessary information, especially those on Sarawak, for future planning.
“For instance, there have been complaints that the transportation cost in the state is high. By participating in the census, the government will be able to know about these circumstances through the information collected in the census. It will then enable the government to give consideration on this matter by giving, for instance, transportation incentives to reduce the cost,” she added.
