HIV/AIDS impact assessment study project: first trimester report March - July 2006

In October 2005 SASSETA put out a tender to undertake a critical assessment of HIV/AIDS in the Private Security and Legal Services industries, in terms of the prevalence rate of HIV, business impact, and the responses of businesses to the epidemic thus far. Furthermore, the study seeks to establish both sufficient and reliable empirical data about the current status quo, which will then be the basis for forecasting the possible impact of HIV/AIDS on selected indicators within the sub-sectors.The tender was won by the HSRC and contract was signed on 7th March 2007. The duration of the project was earmarked for 12 months. In order to gather such detailed information, the study will include an HIV sero-prevalence survey in the two sub-sectors, which will establish the nature and size of the impact, but also elucidate the risk or protective environment of the workforces in these sub-sectors. Such information will be fed into a demographic modelling tool, in order to establish the possible progress of the disease over time. Finally, in order to establish baseline information on both the business impact of and business response to the disease, a stratified sample survey of employers and employees in the two sub-sectors will be conducted. Such an objective evaluation will enable the SASSETA to make an informed decision, from a training perspective, on measures to facilitate effective HIV/AIDS intervention in the sub-sectors, via members and stakeholders.