united nations economic commission for europe statistical division economic characteristics in the...

United Nations Economic Commission for EuropeStatistical DivisionUnited Nations Economic Commission for EuropeStatistical Division

Economic Characteristics in the Census Questionnaire

Angela Me, Chief Social and Demographic Statistics Section

- UNECE Statistical DivisionDushanbe, 12-16 March 2007

Slide 2

Economic Characteristics

What is the objective of collecting economic characteristics in the

census?


Slide 3

To classify the population according to Activity Status

POPULATION

Active Population Inactive Population

UNEMPLOYED

EMPLOYED STUDENT

PENSION / OTHER

HOUSEWORK

OTHER


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Activity Status

Economically active population

Persons who provide the supply of labour, as employed or as unemployed, for the production of goods and services

Not economically active population

Persons who are not economically active


Slide 5

Activity StatusEconomically active

population

I. Persons who produce goods and services supplied to units other than themselves or their household

II. Persons who produce goods for own consumption (if the amount produced is quantitatively important in relation to the total supply of that good in the country)

III. Persons who provide paid domestic services

Not economically active population

I. Persons who produce services for own consumption

II. Persons who do not produce any good or service


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Activity Status

What is the time-span to consider if the person is engaged in the

“production”?


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Activity Status

Current activity status (core)

Usual activity Status

Short reference period: one week or one day

Long reference period: one year

Age limit: 15-75(?)


Slide 8

Currently Economically Active Population

Employed

I. Persons who performed work for pay or profit, in cash or in kind

II. Persons who were temporarily absent from a job in which they had already worked and to which they maintain a formal attachment, or from a self-employed activity such as a farm, a business enterprise or a service undertaking (paras 241-244)

Unemployed

Persons who are:

Without work (not in wage employment or self-employed)

Currently available for work Seeking work


Slide 9

Economic Characteristics


Slide 10

Current Activity Status

How to assess the current activity status with a census questionnaire?

There are different practices

It is not sufficient to include the right definitions in interviewer's manual to

measure the right concepts. How questions are asked matters!


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Measurement of Current Activity Status: standard approach

Have you worked? No Temporary absent?

Yes No

Looking for work?

Ready to take up work?

NoInformation on job: occupation, status, …. Unemployed Non active

Yes

Yes

Employed


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Example: UK

Last week, were you doing any work as employee, self employed or in your own/family business?


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Example: Canada

Last week, how many hours did you/this person spend working for pay or in self employment? Include:

Working for wages, salary, tips or commission;Working in your/his/her own business, farm or professional practice,

alone or in partnershipWorking directly towards the operation of a family farm or business

without formal pay arrangements (e.g. assisting in seeding, doing accounts)

Number of hours None


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Example: UN Technical ReportDid you/this persons work at any time LAST WEEK, either full time or

part time? Work includes part-time work such as delivering papers, or helping without pay in a family business or farm. It also includes active duty in the Armed Forces. Work does NOT include own housework, school work or volunteer work. Subsistence activity includes fishing, growing crops, etc. NOT primarily for commercial purposes.

Read each category and mark (X) the ONE box that applies Yes, worked full time or part time at a job or business AND did NO

subsistence activity Yes, worked full time or part time at a job or business AND did

subsistence activity Yes, did subsistence activity only No (did not work OR did only own housework, school work, or

volunteer work)


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Shortcoming: When asked about work, people tend to exclude non-formal work

Some prompts can be added: Did you sell food or snacks at the

market/bus-stop/school? Did you sell food from home? Did you sew for pay?


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Measurement of Current Activity Status: another approach

.

.

.

.

.

Economic activity

Employed

Unemployed

Other (Not active)

Employee

Employer

Self-employed

Contributing family-worker…

Occupation

Industry

Economic activity

Economic activity Status in employment


Slide 17

Measurement of Current Activity Status: another approach

Example: Ireland

How would you describe your present principal status?

• Working for payment and profit • Looking for first regular job• Unemployed• Student or pupil• Looking after home• Retired from payment• Unable to work• Other

Employed

Unemployed

Not active


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Measurement of Current Activity Status: DISCOURAGED approach

Source of income (persons with more then one source, specify each source). A box is reported at the end of the question to specify the main source Salaried employment 1. At an enterprise, organization, institution 2. In a farm 3. For individuals (including rendering household services ) Non-salaried employment Owners of enterprises, farms

4. Employer

5. On individual basis at family enterprise 6. Unpaid at farms 7. Personal subsidiary plots 8.Scholarship 9. Pension 10. Benefits and allowances (excluding unemployment benefits)

11. Unemployment benefits 12. Other type of State maintenance 13. Income from property 14. On the dependence 15. Other sources


Slide 19

CES Recommendations

The “main source of livelihood” is a useful concept to complement the measurement of the economically active population and of status in employment. However, it is NOT suitable for the measurement of economic activity status and should not be used to classify the population according to activity status.


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Beyond the Activity Status Classification

Once the persons have been identified as

EmployedUnemployedNot Economically Active

Different characteristics can be collected for each of the three population groups


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Employed Persons

Core Topics

• Occupation• Industry• Status in employment

Non Core Topics

• Type of sector• Informal employment• Type of place of work• Time usually worked• Number of persons

working in the local unit of establishment

With reference to the “main” job


Slide 22

Occupation

Definition: Type of work, main tasks and duties

Open question

Useful to ask for both the occupational title and a brief description of tasks and duties performed on the job

Responses to be coded according to ISCO-88. New revision expected to be finalized in 2008


Slide 23

Industry

Definition: kind of production or activity of the establishment

Open question

Useful to collect name and address of enterprise for those who have fixed place of work

Responses to be coded according to the latest revision of ISIC.


Slide 24

Status in Employment

Definition: Type of contract, economic risk

Structured question. Recommended classification:

• Employees• Employers• Own-account workers• Contributing family workers• Members of producers’ co-operatives• Persons not classifiable by status


Slide 25

Non-Core topics on the characteristics of main job

Out of 38 analyzed countries the following number of countries included the following topics:

Number of persons working in the local unit

8 21%

Institutional unit 11 29%Type of contract within employees 8 21%Place of work 32 84%Time usually worked 1 2%


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Unemployed Persons

Non Core Topics

• Time related unemployment

• Duration of unemployment

Occupation, industry, status in employment should be collected for unemployed persons as well


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Characteristics of unemployed persons


Characteristics of previous job 14 37%Duration of unemployment 13 34%

Two countries put a limit to consider previous employment


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Additional information on the nature of unemployment was collected in some countries:

• Are you looking for the first job?

• How long have you been looking for a job?

• When did you last take any steps to seek a work?

• Have you ever worked?

• Did you stop looking for a job and what are the reasons? (Armenia)


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Non active persons

Core Classification

• Students• Pension or capital income

recipients• Homemakers• Others


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All persons

Non Core Topics

• Source of livelihood (last 12 months)

• Income• Providers of unpaid services,

volunteers


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Source of livelihood 15 39%Income 4 11%


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Source of livelihood

Principal source of income from which the consumption of each person was financed during a reference period

12 months?


Slide 33

Source of livelihood

CES Recommendations

(1.0) Employment:(1.1) Wage employment(1.2) Self-employment

(2.0) Property and other investments(3.0) Pensions of all types

(3.1) Paid by the State and other public bodies(3.2) Paid by enterprises, institutions, co-operative organizations and others

(4.0) Other transfers:(4.1) Sickness and maternity allowances(4.2) Unemployment benefits and relief(4.3) Scholarship(4.4) Benefits and assistance other than

pensions, (5.0) Loans or reduction of savings, realisation of capital(6.0) Dependent (mainly supported by another person or persons)(7.0) Other sources

Kyrgyzstan last census

(1.0) Salaried employment (1.1) at enterprise, organization, institution(1.2) in a farm(1.3) for individuals (including serving households)

(2.0) Non-salaried employment (2.1) owners of enterprises, farms (employer)(1.2) on individual basis(1.3) unpaid at farms

(3.0) Scholarship (4.0) Pension (5.0) Benefits and allowances (excluding unemployment) (6.0) Unemployment benefits(7.0) Other type of state maintenance (8.0) Income from property(9.0) On dependence (10.0) Other sources

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