Most urban households have at least two sources of income, the first 2024 Report of the Zimbabwe All Media and Products Survey released last month found after questioning a sample of households from Harare, Bulawayo, Gweru, Mutare and Masvingo.
While 51 percent of households have a stream of income from a permanent job, the results show that only a few rely totally on the inflow.
About 40 percent said they relied on other family members, 36 percent who said they run their own businesses, 19 percent said they relied on part time work, 11 percent said rentals were a main source of income, 9 percent had irregular jobs, 8 percent relied on vending, 3 percent had pensions, 3 percent relied on investments, 3 percent drew income from farming, 2 percent had Government grants and mining supported one percent.
Permanent jobs can range from being a domestic worker all the way to being CEO of a major company and this is seen, even when account is taken of the multiple sources of household income, in the fact that 56 percent of households earn less than US$500 a month from all sources.
The survey found that five percent of households earn up to US$100 per month, 18 percent earn US$101-US$300, 20 percent US$301-US$500, 13 percent US$501-US$800, 8 percent US$801-US$1 001, 3 percent US$1 000-US$1 500, 1 percent US$3 000, and 1 percent over US$3 000.
Thirteen percent of the respondents refused to disclose their earnings while 18 percent did not know or could not say how much they earn.
The survey found electricity and gas were the main sources of energy for cooking at 88 percent and 86 percent respectively while wood, solar, charcoal and paraffin were at 31, eight, five and two percent respectively.
Electricity was also the overall major source of energy at 96 percent followed by rechargeable lamps (69 percent), candle and solar at 28 percent and 26 percent respectively while generators, inverters and gas were all at three percent each.
Again the huge overlaps mean that many households had at least gas to back electricity during load shedding.
The survey found that 96 percent of the urban population owned a cellphone with a working line while 81 percent had access to internet.
