The Philippine Statistical Association (PSA) will conduct the 2008 Midyear Conference with the theme, "Impormal na Sektor: Kilalanin, Talakayin at Sukatin". The conference will be held on Friday, 6 June 2008 from 1:00 to 5:00 in the afternoon at the Ople Hall, Department of Labor and Employment in Intramuros, Manila.

"The conference will focus on the definition and measurement, contribution to the economy, as well as the labor welfare issues of the informal sector", said National Statistics Office Administrator Carmelita N. Ericta, Chairperson of the 2008 PSA Midyear Conference Committee.

Informal sector consists of "economic units" typically owned or operated by households engaged in the production of goods and/or services and with little or no division between labor and capital.

Officials of national government agencies, academe, banking community, NGOs, and media practitioners who are interested in the compilation and analysis of informal sector statistics are expected to participate in the conference.

Bureau of Labor and Employment Statistics Director Criselda R. Sy will present a situationer of workers in the informal sector while Dr. Dalisay S. Maligalig, Senior Statistician of the Asian Development Bank will look into the question: "How can we measure the informal sector?" focusing on the framework and measurement issues on the informal sector. National Statistical Coordination Board Secretary General Romulo A. Virola will tackle measurement challenges in the informal sector in the Philippine System of National Accounts.

Recognized experts in the field of economics will serve as discussants, namely: Dr. Fernando T. Aldaba, President of the Philippine Economics Society and also currently the Chairperson of the Economics Department of the Ateneo de Manila University; and Dr. Cayetano W. Paderanga, Jr., Chairman of the Board of the Institute for Development and Econometric Analysis and Foundation for Integrative and Development Studies (FIDS).

The PSA is a non-stock, non-profit professional organization of statisticians that is tasked to encourage and promote the proper application and interpretation of statistics in all fields of learning, to work for the improvement of statistical literacy and education at all levels, and to serve the public by providing advice on current statistical issues and concerns, among others.