Economic Characteristics in the Census Questionnaire

1. Economic Characteristics in the Census Questionnaire Angela Me, Chief Social and Demographic Statistics Section

2. Economic Characteristics What is the objective of collecting economic characteristics in the census?

3. To classify the population according to Activity Status

4. 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 Activity Status

5. Economically active population Persons who produce goods and services supplied to units other than themselves or their household 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) Persons who provide paid domestic services Not economically active population Persons who produce services for own consumption Persons who do not produce any good or service Activity Status

6. Activity Status What is the time-span to consider if the person is engaged in the “production”?

7. Activity Status Short reference period: one week or one day Current activity status (core) Usual activity Status Long reference period: one year Age limit: 15-75(?)

8. Employed Persons who performed work for pay or profit, in cash or in kind 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 Currently Economically Active Population

9. Economic Characteristics

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!

11. Measurement of Current Activity Status: standard approach Have you worked? No Temporary absent? Yes No Yes Looking for work? Ready to take up work? Employed Yes No Information on job: occupation, status, …. Unemployed Non active

12. Measurement of Current Activity Status: standard approach Example: UK Last week, were you doing any work as employee, self employed or in your own/family business?

13. Measurement of Current Activity Status: standard approach 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 partnership Working 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

14. Measurement of Current Activity Status: standard approach Example: UN Technical Report Did 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)

15. Measurement of Current Activity Status: standard approach 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?

16. Measurement of Current Activity Status: another approach

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

18. Measurement of Current Activity Status: DISCOURAGED approach

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.

20. Beyond the Activity Status Classification Once the persons have been identified as Employed Unemployed Not Economically Active Different characteristics can be collected for each of the three population groups

21. 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 Employed Persons With reference to the “main” job

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

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.

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

25. Non-Core topics on the characteristics of main job Out of 38 analyzed countries the following number of countries included the following topics:

26. Non Core Topics Time related unemployment Duration of unemployment Unemployed Persons Occupation, industry, status in employment should be collected for unemployed persons as well

27. Characteristics of unemployed persons Out of 38 analyzed countries the following number of countries included the following topics: Two countries put a limit to consider previous employment

28. Characteristics of unemployed persons 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)

29. Core Classification Students Pension or capital income recipients Homemakers Others Non active persons

30. Non Core Topics Source of livelihood (last 12 months) Income Providers of unpaid services, volunteers All persons

31. Characteristics of unemployed persons Out of 38 analyzed countries the following number of countries included the following topics:

32. Source of livelihood Principal source of income from which the consumption of each person was financed during a reference period 12 months?

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