# Productivity & informality scoreboard (ASEAN-10 + Timor-Leste)

Dedicated **labour productivity + informal employment** pack for SEA-11. Complements `topics/labour_youth/` (LFPR / youth UEM / emp-to-pop — which documented an **informal GAP** this pack closes where ILOSTAT has data). **Dual story:** never merge productivity with informality into one metric.

**As of:** 2026-09-18  
**Coverage:** BRN, KHM, IDN, LAO, MYS, MMR, PHL, SGP, THA, VNM, TLS  
**Linear:** [MED2-69](https://linear.app/media-os/issue/MED2-69/productivity-and-informality-sea-scoreboard-brief-spec)  
**Rule:** No invented numbers. Empty cells stay empty. Never average productivity with informality. Self-employed % is **secondary only**.

## Indicators

| Metric ID | Unit | Source | Vintage / as-of |
|-----------|------|--------|-----------------|
| `gdp_per_employed_ppp` | constant 2021 PPP $ | WDI `SL.GDP.PCAP.EM.KD` | **2025** (API lastupdated 2026-07-13) |
| `informal_employment_pct` | % of total employment | ILOSTAT `SDG_0831_SEX_ECO_RT` (SEX_T · ECO_SECTOR_TOTAL) | Mixed: BRN/THA/VNM **2024**; IDN **2023**; LAO **2022**; TLS **2021**; MMR **2020**; KHM **2019**; **PHL/MYS/SGP GAP** |
| `self_employed_pct` | % of total employment | WDI `SL.EMP.SELF.ZS` | **2025** — **secondary panel only** |

## Panel rules

| Panel | Metrics | Do not |
|-------|---------|--------|
| **(1) Labour productivity** | `gdp_per_employed_ppp` | Mix with informal %; drop SGP/BRN without noting hub/outlier scale |
| **(2) Informal employment** | `informal_employment_pct` | Invent PH/MY/SG; plot MMR 2020 as current without footnote; use self-employed as a fill |
| **(3 optional) Self-employed** | `self_employed_pct` | Relabel as informal %; average with panel 2 |

## Files

| File | Role |
|------|------|
| `scoreboard.csv` | Long-format — **canonical** |
| `scoreboard_wide.csv` | Wide pivot |
| `timeseries.csv` | Multi-year WDI productivity + self-employed; ILO informal where multi-year |
| `gaps.md` | Honest empties + caveats |
| `provenance.json` | Freeze metadata |
| `_raw/` | WDI JSON · ILOSTAT HF parquet extracts |
| `../../PUBLISHABLE_Productivity_Informality_SEA.md` | Writer brief |
| `../../SPEC_Productivity_Informality_SEA.md` | Designer brief |

## Reading notes

- **Philippines** productivity **24,593** constant 2021 PPP $ (2025) — below Malaysia (**70,821**) and Thailand (**39,617**), near Indonesia (**30,292**) and Vietnam (**27,957**). Informal cell is **empty** (ILOSTAT GAP) — use self-employed **36.15%** only as a labelled secondary, never as informal %.
- **Singapore** is the productivity hub (**233,454**) — show separately from the PH peer lens.
- **Brunei** high productivity (**163,544**) + low informal (**21.39%**, 2024) — resource / small-economy outlier.
- **High-informality cluster** (where measured): Laos **90.5%** (2022), Cambodia **89.4%** (2019), Indonesia **81.0%** (2023), Myanmar **80.7%** (2020), Timor-Leste **80.6%** (2021).
- **Mid informality:** Vietnam **67.0%** (2024), Thailand **63.2%** (2024).

## British English

Documentation uses British English where it does not conflict with primary-source labels (ILO/WDI US spelling in source text — preserve quoted labels).