United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Statistical Division Economic Characteristics in the Census Questionnaire Angela Me, Chief Social and Demographic Statistics Section

- UNECE Statistical Division Dushanbe, March 2007 Slide 2 Economic Characteristics What is the objective of collecting economic characteristics in the census?

- UNECE Statistical Division Dushanbe, March 2007 Slide 3 To classify the population according to Activity Status

- UNECE Statistical Division Dushanbe, March 2007 Slide 4 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

- UNECE Statistical Division Dushanbe, March 2007 Slide 5 Activity Status Economically 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

- UNECE Statistical Division Dushanbe, March 2007 Slide 6 Activity Status What is the time-span to consider if the person is engaged in the “production”?

- UNECE Statistical Division Dushanbe, March 2007 Slide 7 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(?)

- UNECE Statistical Division Dushanbe, March 2007 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 ) Unemployed Persons who are:  Without work (not in wage employment or self- employed)  Currently available for work  Seeking work

- UNECE Statistical Division Dushanbe, March 2007 Slide 9 Economic Characteristics

- UNECE Statistical Division Dushanbe, March 2007 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!

- UNECE Statistical Division Dushanbe, March 2007 Slide 11 Measurement of Current Activity Status: standard approach Have you worked?NoTemporary absent? YesNo Looking for work? Ready to take up work? No Information on job: occupation, status, …. UnemployedNon active Yes Employed

- UNECE Statistical Division Dushanbe, March 2007 Slide 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?

- UNECE Statistical Division Dushanbe, March 2007 Slide 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

- UNECE Statistical Division Dushanbe, March 2007 Slide 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)

- UNECE Statistical Division Dushanbe, March 2007 Slide 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?

- UNECE Statistical Division Dushanbe, March 2007 Slide 16 Measurement of Current Activity Status: another approach

- UNECE Statistical Division Dushanbe, March 2007 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

- UNECE Statistical Division Dushanbe, March 2007 Slide 18 Measurement of Current Activity Status: DISCOURAGED approach

- UNECE Statistical Division Dushanbe, March 2007 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.

- UNECE Statistical Division Dushanbe, March 2007 Slide 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

- UNECE Statistical Division Dushanbe, March 2007 Slide 21 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

- UNECE Statistical Division Dushanbe, March 2007 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

- UNECE Statistical Division Dushanbe, March 2007 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.

- UNECE Statistical Division Dushanbe, March 2007 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

- UNECE Statistical Division Dushanbe, March 2007 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 821% Institutional unit 1129% Type of contract within employees 821% Place of work 3284% Time usually worked 12%

- UNECE Statistical Division Dushanbe, March 2007 Slide 26 Unemployed Persons Non Core Topics Time related unemployment Duration of unemployment Occupation, industry, status in employment should be collected for unemployed persons as well

- UNECE Statistical Division Dushanbe, March 2007 Slide 27 Characteristics of unemployed persons Out of 38 analyzed countries the following number of countries included the following topics: Characteristics of previous job 1437% Duration of unemployment 1334% Two countries put a limit to consider previous employment

- UNECE Statistical Division Dushanbe, March 2007 Slide 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)

- UNECE Statistical Division Dushanbe, March 2007 Slide 29 Non active persons Core Classification Students Pension or capital income recipients Homemakers Others

- UNECE Statistical Division Dushanbe, March 2007 Slide 30 All persons Non Core Topics Source of livelihood (last 12 months) Income Providers of unpaid services, volunteers

- UNECE Statistical Division Dushanbe, March 2007 Slide 31 Characteristics of unemployed persons Out of 38 analyzed countries the following number of countries included the following topics: Source of livelihood 1539% Income 411%

- UNECE Statistical Division Dushanbe, March 2007 Slide 32 Source of livelihood Principal source of income from which the consumption of each person was financed during a reference period 12 months?

- UNECE Statistical Division Dushanbe, March 2007 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