IPUMS-I: descr: EEMPSTAT

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EEMPSTAT

Activity status (employment status), Europe

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      class Eempstat : public Editor {

public:
  Eempstat(VarPointer varInfo) : Editor(varInfo) {}
  void edit() {
    // The source variable is identified in the trans table. It's an integrated
    // variable. Rather than the recoded version, we want the fully edited
    // version as the input to the translation table of ECLASSWK:
    long a = getRecodedFromEditedSource();

    setData(a);
  }
};

Description

EEMPSTAT indicates for the European samples whether or not the respondent was part of the labor force -- working or seeking work -- over a specified period of time. Depending on the sample, EEMPSTAT can also convey further information.

EEMPSTAT has been classified according to the recommendations given by the Conference of European Statisticians for the 2010 Population and Housing Censuses. "Employment Status" is referred to as "Activity Status" in the CES recommendations, but the former term is used to maintain consistency with IPUMS practices.

The economically active population constitutes the total labor force: employed and unemployed persons.

Comparability — Index

GENERAL
Austria
Belarus
Finland
France
Germany
Greece

Hungary
Ireland
Italy
Netherlands
Poland
Portugal
Romania

Russia
Slovakia
Slovenia
Switzerland
Ukraine
United Kingdom

Comparability — General

The first digit of EEMPSTAT is fully comparable, and classifies the population into two groups: economically active and not economically active. The second and third digits of EEMPSTAT preserve additional information available for some countries and census years but not for others.

Employment status is complex and is often derived from a number of separate census questions. In general, where EEMPSTAT is concerned, users should pay particular attention to the enumerator instructions and census questionnaires.

The age of persons to whom the question applies varies across the samples. The number of categories distinguished among the inactive population also varies among samples.

For an internationally comparable variable on employment status that is not designed specifically for the European situation, see EMPSTAT.

Reference period

The reference period for the employment status question varies across censuses. For some samples employment status was reported with respect to the day of the census; for others it was determined over a week prior to the census. The variation among samples with respect to reference period is summarized below:

1) Current (at time of census):

Austria 1971-2001
Germany 1970, 1987
Greece 1981
France 1962-2006
Hungary 2011
Ireland 1971, 1981-2016
Romania 1992
Slovak Republic 1991-2011
Slovenia 2002
Switzerland 1970-2011

2) Reference week (typically the week prior to the census):

Belarus 1999-2009
Finland 2010
Greece 1971, 1991-2011
Hungary 1970-2001
Italy 2001-2011; all surveys
Netherlands 2001-2011
Poland 2002
Portugal 1981-2001
Romania 2002-2011
Russia 2002-2010
Spain 1981-2011; all surveys
United Kingdom 1991-2001

Economically active

The "economically active" population comprises all persons who provide the supply of labor, as employed or as unemployed, for the production of goods and services. It is also called the "labor force."

Employed

The employed population generally consists of persons working for pay for an employer, self-employed persons, unpaid (usually family) workers engaged in the production of economic goods, and persons who have a job but were temporarily absent for some reason. The details for each sample can be examined in the enumeration text for the census.

Unemployed

Although the unemployed population is difficult to define consistently across the entire world, the task is simplified for Europe. We apply UN and ILO standards in defining the unemployed population as persons who were out of work and actively seeking a job.

In all European samples except Austria 1971 and 1981, the activity of seeking a job is included in the unemployed concept. In Austria 1971, there are no explicit instructions about the seeking a job. In Austria 1981, persons receiving an unemployment payment are considered unemployed whether or not he/she was seeking work.

Among the unemployed, some samples distinguish between persons with past work experience (experienced unemployed) and persons seeking work for the first time (new workers).

Not economically active

The economically inactive population comprises all persons who do not provide their labor to productive activities either as employed or unemployed workers. There are several categories identified among the economically inactive:

Students. Persons not "currently economically active", who for most of the reference period attended any regular educational institution, public or private, for systematic instruction at any level of education.
Pension or capital income recipients. Persons, not "currently economically active" who receive income from property or investments, interest, rents, royalties or pensions from former activities.
Homemakers. Persons not "currently economically active", who for most of the reference period were engaged in unpaid household duties in their own home, for example, housewives/men and other relatives responsible for the care of the home, children or elderly people.
Others. Persons not "currently economically active", who received public aid or private support, and all other persons not falling into any of the above categories (for example children not attending school).

Comparability — Austria [top]

Austria follows non-standard and changing practices in the identification of employment status. Persons are considered inactive if they worked in an average week fewer than 14 hours in 1971, 13 hours in 1981, or 12 hours in 1991.

In 2001, 1 hour of work per week qualifies a person as employed: the modern international standard. Persons working fewer than 12 hours -- "marginally employed" -- can be identified as a subcategory of employed persons in EMPSTAT, and can be used to make the Austrian samples fairly consistent over time.

Details are not available for 2011.

Comparability — Belarus [top]

The 2009 sample listed more response categories than 1999.

Comparability — Finland [top]

The reference period for the 2010 census is the last week of the calendar year.

Comparability — France [top]

In 1975, employment status was determined for persons age 16 and older, in 1999 it was age 15 and older, and in other samples age 14 and older.

In all years the reference period was employment status at the time of the census.

The 1962 sample does not identify retirees, but the later French samples do. For this reason, in 1962 retirees are included in the category "inactive, others," while in the other samples they are included in the "retirees/pensioners" or "retired" categories.

Comparability — Germany [top]

The reference period is implicitly at the time of the census.

Comparability — Greece [top]

The reference period differs: in 1981 it is as of the time of the census; in 1971, 1991, 2001, and 2011 is the previous week.

The experienced unemployed and persons seeking their first job are distinguished in 1971, 2001 and 2011 but not in other years.

Pensioners are distinguished in 1991, 2001 and 2011, but not in the 1971 and 1981 samples. In the latter samples they are probably included in the unknown/missing category.

The 1971-2001 samples had a universe of persons greater than 10 years old. The universe is all persons in 2011.

Comparability — Hungary [top]

New and experienced unemployed are separately identified in 1990, but are combined in a single category in the 2001 and 2011.

Students are identified in 1990, but not in 2001 or 2011, when they are included with "others."

For similar but not completely comparable information for 1970 and 1980, see LABORHU. There are also more categories for all Hungary samples in that variable.

Comparability — Ireland [top]

All samples report the person's present employment status at the time of the census.

The data for the 1971 sample are derived from a different census question, but should be comparable to later years. The 1971 sample does not distinguish between persons who are experienced unemployed and persons seeking their first regular job, while all samples from 1981 onward do make this distinction. The 1981-2016 samples are otherwise fully comparable with only slight differences in universes.

Persons temporarily absent from work and apprentices who also attend school are classified as "employed". Full-time students who also work part-time are classified as "students". Unpaid workers are still classified as "employed".

Comparability — Italy [top]

Employment status refers to the week prior to the census. "Unemployment" means actively seeking a job. In the 2001 sample, those who are waiting to start a job, students, retired, unemployed, or doing housework can also report working. In the 2011 sample, none of these categories reported working.

Comparability — Netherlands [top]

The question considers persons working or seeking work last week. The 1960 and 1971 samples are not included in EMPSTAT because they did not identify unemployed persons. Persons in the labor force can be derived from the variable CLASSWK.

Comparability — Poland [top]

In 2002, persons who were classified as economically inactive yet farming on one's own farm or plot of land (with no agriculture production or in subsistence farming) were considered "inactive."

Comparability — Portugal [top]

In all years, labor force participation is considered to involve one hour of paid work or 15 hours unpaid.

The age universe for the question rose from 12+ for 1981-1991, to 15+ in 2001-2011.

Comparability — Romania [top]

The reference period changed from the day of the census in 1992 to the previous week in 2002 and 2011. The census questions are otherwise comparable.

The 1977 sample contains no employment status variable.

The universe is all persons for 1992 and 2002 and persons 15 years or older in 2011.

Comparability — Russia [top]

Data are comparable between samples. The reference period is the week preceding the census. Persons above age 72 were not asked their status in 2010; they have been coded to inactive for comparability across years.

Comparability — Slovakia [top]

The Slovak data are consistent, though they have varying degrees of additional detail in the source variables. The 2001 sample does not identify working pensioners, which may slightly underestimate persons "employed". An age universe of 15 or more years is imposed on the 1991 data to make them comparable to the later years.

Comparability — Slovenia [top]

Unemployment means having registered with the Employment Service.

Comparability — Switzerland [top]

All samples report status at the time of the census. Employed persons work for one or more hours per week, and apprenticeships are included. Unemployed persons are actively seeking work.

Comparability — Ukraine [top]

Employment status is inferred from a question asking for the individual's main source of livelihood. Individuals who identified self-employment, work for an individual, or work for a private or family farm or enterprise as the main source of livelihood are coded as "Employed." Individuals who identified unemployment benefits as the main source of livelihood are coded as "Unemployed." Individuals who identified scholarship, property income, or pension as the main source of livelihood are coded as "Inactive." Individuals who identified other sources of livelihood are coded as "Unknown."