Comparability — Brazil [top]

Time spent outside of the workplace in work-related tasks was to be included; time set aside for meals was to be excluded.

Comparability — Canada [top]

The 1991 sample includes only employed persons; the other samples include all persons above the minimum age.

The 1971 sample has data on hours worked, but the categories were incompatible with HRSWORK2. See the unharmonized variable CA1971A_0430.

Comparability — Dominican Republic [top]

If the person did not work due to illness or other reason, but still held a job, the usual number of hours worked per week was recorded.

Comparability — Ecuador [top]

For all samples, the question asked for the number or hours the person actually worked the week before the census. If they were absent from work they were to report the number of hours for the last week that they worked.

Comparability — El Salvador [top]

Both samples record the number of hours the person worked last week at all jobs. If the person was temporarily absent (worked no hours) during the week prior, the number of usual hours worked per week was recorded. For 2007, the experienced unemployed population is included with responses indicating usual hours worked per week in the previous job.

Comparability — Germany [top]

The variable is available only for the 1970 sample. The categorization for the Germany 1970 sample is slightly different at the 30 hour per week break point. The Germany sample includes 30 hours per week in the "15-29" hours grouping, whereas the integrated variable for other samples codes 30 hours per week to the "30-39 hours" category. In addition, the highest category available for the Germany sample is "More than 30 hours" which is entered here in the "30 to 39 hours" category.

Comparability — Ghana [top]

The sample reports hours worked for pay, profit, or family gain last week.

Comparability — Greece [top]

All censuses asked for the actual number of hours worked the previous week at any job.

Comparability — Honduras [top]

The question asked for the number of hours the person actually worked the week before the census.

Comparability — Indonesia [top]

The samples report actual hours during the past week. Persons who had a job but were temporarily absent the week preceding the census are coded as "0" hours worked. All four samples included here, in addition to the 1976 sample, contain data on hours worked in the primary occupation, found in HRSMAIN.

Comparability — Israel [top]

The 1983-2008 samples are top-coded at 40 to 48 hours, and are fully comparable aside from an additional category for persons who did not work at all in the 2008 sample. The 1972 sample uses slightly different categories: 40 to 49 and 50 or more hours.

All Israel samples record the number of hours usually worked in all jobs. There is a minor difference in the age universe between the 1972 sample and the later samples.

Comparability — Jamaica [top]

All samples record the hours of employment completed in the week prior to the census. The universes vary slightly across samples with respect to whether or not group quarter residents were asked to provide work-related information.

Comparability — Kenya [top]

The sample records the usual number of hours of work in the week prior to the census. If a person did not work in that week but held a job, she was to report the usual number of hours worked.

Comparability — Mauritius [top]

The 1990-2011 samples record the actual number of hours worked by persons age 12+ at all jobs during the week before the census. In the 1990-2000 samples, responses indicating less than 1 hour of work are coded as "none".

Comparability — Mexico [top]

All samples report hours worked in the previous week. The 1990, 2000 and 2010 Mexican samples all have numerous cases with implausibly high numbers of work hours. They are included in the top-code.

The 1990, 2000 and 2010 samples code persons that had a job but were temporarily away as "0" hours worked. The 1995 sample asks for the usual number of hours worked for this subset of the universe.

The 2020 census question was asked to persons age 12+ who are working.

Comparability — Nicaragua [top]

The samples report actual hours worked in the last week that the person worked. For persons temporarily absent from work or the experienced unemployed population, the reference week will therefore not be the week prior to the census.

Comparability — Pakistan [top]

The variable reports hours worked in the week before the census.

Comparability — Palestine [top]

The variable is only available for the 2017 sample, in which the data are derived from a question about employment status. The sample records the number of hours worked at all jobs during the week before the census.

The intervals provided in the 2017 sample are not entirely compatible with those listed in HRSWORK2: the sample provides intervals of 15 to 34 hours (coded to 15 to 29) and 35 hours or more (coded to 30 to 39). The original intervals are available in the corresponding unharmonized source variable.

Comparability — Panama [top]

The 1970 sample excludes self-employed persons from the universe. It reports hours worked last week.

Comparability — Portugal [top]

The samples are top-coded at 40 to 48 hours. Hours of work data for 1981 are not included because they were not compatibly categorized. The 1991-2011 samples record the usual number of hours worked at the person's main occupation.

Comparability — Puerto Rico [top]

The data for 1970 report actual hours worked in the previous week, while the 1980-2005 samples record usual hours worked per week during the previous year. The minimum age for answering the question changed from 14 to 16 years between 1970 and 1980.

Comparability — Saint Lucia [top]

Both samples report hours worked in the week preceding the census.

Comparability — South Africa [top]

The question asked for the number of hours the person actually worked the week before the census. If they were absent from work they were to report the usual number of hours they worked.

Comparability — Spain [top]

The question asked for the number of hours the person usually worked per week.

Comparability — Switzerland [top]

The variable combines hours worked in full-time and part-time employment. See the unharmonized source variables to identify these values separately. Additionally, all Swiss samples provide roughly categorized hours of work in the source variables that could not be integrated into HRSWORK2. The 2011 census question was asked to economically active persons.

Comparability — Trinidad and Tobago [top]

The census question asks about hours of work in the week prior to the census.

The 1980, 1990, and 2000 hours of work responses are provided in intervals, which are roughly approximate to those in HRSWORK2. See details in the general comparability discussion. In all samples, responses indicating less than 1 hour of work were coded to "0 hours" per week.

Comparability — United States [top]

The data differ between 1960-1970 and 1980-2020. For 1980-2010, the data record usual hours worked per week the previous year. In 1960 and 1970 the data record actual hours worked in the week prior to the census.

The age universe for the question also changes from 14 and older in 1960-1970 to 16 and older in the later years.

Comparability — Venezuela [top]

The meaning of the question differs among the samples. In 1971 and 2001 the question asked for the number of hours the person actually worked last week; in 1981 the question asked for the hours the person regularly worked.

The Venezuela 1971 sample has some minor differences in how it categorizes hours worked: 15 to 30 and 31 to 39 hours.