THE EFFECT of AIDS will be most visible at the level of firms and households, according to Karen Micheal of the HIV/AIDS Research Division at the University of Natal in Durban.
The effects of death of prime age adults at these levels will be to decrease productivity and increase costs for business, and worsen poverty within households, she said.
The spread across skills levels in the national workforce is also wider than an initial perception might suggest, Micheal added.
From a 1999 ING Barings report, the estimate is that 12.9% of the highly-skilled in the SA workforce is infected; 21.4% of the skilled; and 29.4% of the semi-skilled.
Data, said Micheal, indicates that the situation is probably much the same in the rest of the SADC (Southern African Development Community).
The implications for the region are profound, according to Micheal's assessment.
Worker productivity and the viability of many businesses are under threat, she said, at a time when companies are striving to increase productivity as well as regional and global competitiveness.
Households will become more impoverished, and there will be a consequent reduction in demand for certain products.
AIDS, therefore, has consequences for supply, demand and market sizes.
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