SOUTH AFRICA ECONOMIC NEWSLETTER

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 PRETORIA 001766 SIPDIS DEPT FOR AF/S/JDIFFILY; AF/EPS; EB/IFD/OMA USDOC FOR 4510/ITA/MAC/AME/OA/DIEMOND TREASURY FOR OAISA/BARBER/WALKER/JEWELL USTR FOR COLEMAN LONDON FOR GURNEY; PARIS FOR NEARY E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON EINV EFIN ETRD BEXP KTDB PGOV SF SUBJECT: SOUTH AFRICA ECONOMIC NEWSLETTER May 6 2005 ISSUE ¶1. Summary. Each week, AmEmbassy Pretoria publishes an economic newsletter based on South African press reports. Comments and analysis do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the U.S. Government. Topics of this week's newsletter are: - Signs of Slowing Manufacturing Activity; - South African Credit and Money Supply Growth Slow; - South African Economy Adds 14,000 Jobs per Month; - SMEs Struggle to Adopt BEE Practices; - March Trade Deficit Widens; - Motor Vehicle Sales Still High; and - Wage Gap Widens. End Summary. SIGNS OF SLOWING MANUFACTURING ACTIVITY -------------- ¶2. The April Investec Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) declined to 53.6, from its March level of 57.9. The lower April PMI supports the latest Statistics SA data showing growth in manufacturing output declining in the first two months of the year to 3.2 percent year on year in January and 2.7 percent in February. Brait economist Colen Garrow said that PMI data were also consistent with the slower growth in Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development industrial production data, a trend indicating less demand for local exports and continuing pressure on the current account. A drop below 50 points indicates a contraction in the manufacturing sector, while one above this level indicates growth. The business activity index, which measures manufacturing production levels, declined from 60.7 to 52.4, while the employment index reached below 50 to 48.9, from 57.0 in March. Purchasing managers' six-month expectations dropped to 66.1 (71.5 in March) in April. Respondents expecting an improvement in general business conditions declined to 41 percent (51 percent in March) in April, while the percentage expecting a worsening in business conditions increased from 8 percent to 9 percent. The PMI price index increased to 67.4 in April, from 61.5 in March, suggesting that the PPI (producer price index) was likely to increase in the future. The PMI price index has been on an upward trend since January 2005. Source: Business Day, May 4. SOUTH AFRICAN CREDIT AND MONEY SUPPLY GROWTH SLOWS -------------- -------------- ¶3. Credit demand in South Africa slowed in March, easing concern over signs that inflation pressures were increasing. Annual growth in private sector credit moderated to 16.2 percent from an unrevised 17 percent in February, comparing favorably with forecasts of a 17.3 percent increase. Expansion in money supply also slowed, with the broadly defined M3 measure rising by 11.9 percent in the year to March -- compared with an increase of 12.2 percent in February and forecasts of a stronger 12.7 percent rise. The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) did not signal concern over the accelerating pace of consumer credit growth when it reduced its key repurchase rate by half a percentage point to 7.0 percent on April 14. Instead the SARB highlighted the negative impact of slower manufacturing activity and lower inflationary expectations. Given those concerns -- and high unemployment -- most analysts believe the central bank will keep interest rates on hold for as long as possible. Source: Reuters, April 29. SOUTH AFRICAN ECONOMY ADDS 14,000 JOBS PER MONTH IN 2004 -------------- -------------- ¶4. Commissioned by the trade union United Association of South Africa (UASA),T-Sec released an employment study showing that the South African formal sector grew at about 2.7 percent in 2004, or about 14,000 jobs per month. The economy created jobs for three years in a row, after around 13 to 14 years of declines. UASA commissioned the employment report because of dissatisfaction with the long data lag of the official employment data. The latest Labor Force Survey (published in March 2005) is for September 2004. According to the survey, the utility (electricity, gas and water) sector was the only sector to experience job losses in 2004, while overall formal sector employment grew by 2.7 percent. Medium size businesses are the companies increasing employment the most at a rate of 6 percent for 2004. Small firms who already employ around 2.3 million people grew payrolls by 2.5 percent, a rate matched by large companies, while public sector employment only increased by 0.6 percent. T-Sec economist Mike Schussler expects employment growth to ease to 1.5 percent in 2005 from 2.7 percent last year, as construction growth offsets retrenchments in the mining sector. In 2004, average salaries increase showed a deceleration, explaining the reduction in inflationary expectations. According to the survey, salaries on average increased by 5.4 percent in 2004, compared to 8 percent increase in 2003. Source: I-Net Bridge, Business Day, April 29. SMES STRUGGLE TO ADOPT BEE PRACTICES -------------- ¶5. A survey commissioned by financial services group Old Mutual (OML) showed that although 69 percent of South African small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) see black economic empowerment (BEE) as a business opportunity, 65 percent do not intend to implement the government's BEE program in their businesses. According to the survey results, 44 percent of respondents expected to be fined for non-compliance to BEE and about 36 percent indicated they believed nothing would happen to them. Only 10 percent of the respondents said their businesses would suffer if they did not comply with BEE. The survey also showed that 64 percent of companies believed that attracting and retaining competent black employees would be the most challenging aspect of implementing BEE in their businesses. Most SMEs are not yet aware of how BEE can help their businesses, said Andr Diederichs, Old Mutual market development manager of SMEs. Source: I-Net Bridge, May 3. MARCH TRADE DEFICIT WIDENS -------------- ¶6. South Africa's trade account recorded its third consecutive monthly trade deficit, reaching R1.14 billion ($190 million, using 6 rands per dollar) in March from February's R0.123 billion. Imports increased by 17.2 percent to R27.7 billion ($4.6 billion) compared to February's level of R23.7 billion. Exports increased by 12.9 percent in March, reaching R26.6 billion ($4.4 billion). The strong rand, averaging 5.99 rands per dollar in March, continues to encourage stronger import growth and it is unlikely that South Africa's trade position will be reversed soon. Exports of mineral products, base metals, and vehicles accounted for most of the 12.9 percent March export increase. Machinery, mineral products and aircraft accounted for most of the monthly import increase. The March trade deficit came in larger than expected, with a Reuter's poll of economists expecting a deficit of R0.7 billion. Source: Standard Bank, Foreign Trade Alert, April 29. MOTOR VEHICLE SALES STILL HIGH -------------- ¶7. Data from the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers in South Africa (NAAMSA) shows April motor vehicle sales increased 41.1 percent (y/y),with year-to- date (January-April) sales up by 25.5 percent. New passenger cars showed especially strong April growth at 44.6 percent, indicating that lower inflation, interest rates and tax relief are continuing to encourage vehicle sales. April 2005 had three more selling days than April 2004 since the Easter vacations happened in March this year, although the number of cars sold daily in April 2005 was 33 percent higher than in April last year. Source: Standard Bank, Motor Alert, May 4. WAGE GAP WIDENS -------------- ¶8. According to research by P-E Corporate Services, South African executives received higher salary increases than lower-level employees over the past 12 months. Salary increase projections indicate that the trend is likely to continue this year. The average company executive earns around 50 times more than minimum wage workers. The difference in earnings is even greater when executives' total packages are considered, including their share options and performance-based bonuses. For the first time in 25 years, salary increases at all levels have dropped below 7 percent, according to the survey of 900 companies employing between 1.5 and 2 million people by P-E Corporate Services. Executive increases ranged between 8 and 9 percent, yielding a 2 percent differential between them and average salaries. Executive salary increases in South Africa are influenced by international pay scales, skills shortages and compulsory disclosure of executive pay levels that have driven salaries upward as remuneration committees have been reluctant to set pay levels below those of their competitors and expose their companies to the loss of key staff. A study by Statistics SA in March 2004 showed workers in agriculture and mining tended to be the lowest-paid workers in the formal sector - with less than R2,500 ($417) a month on average. Among professionals, teachers and engineers were the lowest-paid at less than R8,000 ($1,333) a month. A 2003 survey of average monthly earnings by Statistics SA said the highest- paid salaries in selected industries (excluding the agricultural sector) were paid in the electricity, gas and water supply sector at an average of R16,277 ($2,713), followed by the financial sector (R11,770, $1,962),and the community, social and personal services industry (R7,681, $1,280). The lowest average wages were paid in the construction sector (R3,987, $665). Source: Business Day, May 3. FRAZER