A broader measurement of INDEC, which includes the total urban population of the country (42.3 million inhabitants and 19.6 million active population) proves it poverty was 38.9%after processing the microdata of the EPH (Permanent Household Survey) to the urban total, relating to the third quarter of 2022.
That’s a higher rate at 37.7% – reports Clarín – which is the one that emerged for the 31 most important cities and regions (agglomerations) of the country. And that includes 29.2 million people.
This is due to the incorporation into the measurement of the municipalities within each province but with more than 2,000 inhabitants, where wage and income levels, precariousness and informality are generally higher than those of large cities or agglomerations.
This expansion is made for all provinces except Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica and the South Atlantic Islands and the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires”, clarifies the specialist Martin Rosada, director of the Master in Econometrics at Di Tella University. And he added: “the poverty rate for all conurbations of the country in the 3rd quarter of 2022 was 38.9%. The highest incidence was recorded in the Chaco province with 57.8% and the lowest in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires with 15.2%.
Consequentially, Despite rising levels of activity and employment, urban poverty (without the rural population) would produce 16.4 million poor, half a million more than with the expansion to the urban total of 37.7%.
In turn, if the 38.9% were applied to the whole country (urban and rural), poverty would rise to almost 18 million poor people.
Since the INDEC measure implements the collection of half of the Christmas bonus in the third quarter of each year, it is discounted that in the fourth quarter the poverty rate is expected to be higher. And the measurement for the second semester published by INDEC could be around 40% or more.
According to the economist Claudio Lozano, “by eliminating the bonus effect of 37.7% of the 31 agglomerations, thePoverty reaches 41.1% of the total population. At the same time, if we compare the third quarter with the first quarter of 2022, in which the Christmas bonus is also received, the 37.8% in the third quarter is a significant increase compared to the 34.1% recorded in the first quarter.
INDEC poverty data for the second half of 2022 will be published at the end of March.
“By age, with the enlarged measure, the poverty of children under 14 rises from 52.2% to 52.8%.
The increase in poverty occurred in all age groups. For example, between 30 and 64 years of age, it went from 34.1% to 35.2%.
At the provincial level, the jump in the measurement of poverty is very strong in those of the North. For example, as mentioned. in the Chaco it rises to 57.8% incorporating the entire urban province. And in Formosa 48.9%.
In the province of Buenos Aires it is 41.6% and in Santiago del Estero 46.5%.
Among regular wage earners, poverty between one measurement and another rises from 14.5% to 15.4% while among informal workers (without pension discount) it rises from 45.5% to 47.3%.
The INDEC report on the 31 Clusters had indicated that “within the universe of wage earners, the share of those without a pension discount increased by 4.3 points (from 33.1% to 37.4%).
In turn, projected to the whole country, wage earners without a pension discount rise to 38.4%, a sign that precariousness and informality are even greater in the smaller cities. And they receive a salary with a gap of 56.77% compared to registered peers.
The INDEC report recorded in the third quarter of 2022 that the employed urban population amounts to 18,307,000, of which 12,841,000 are salaried workers. And of this total, 7,914,000 are salaried “with a retirement discount” and 4,927,000 “without a retirement discount”.
Source: Clarin
