Comparability — Cambodia [top]

Samples are for the most part comparable, with the 2008-2019 samples generally providing more category detail.

Comparability — Cuba [top]

The variable is only available for the 2012 sample. Small farmers and landowners are classified as individual/family enterprises regardless of whether they are associated with the Credit and Service Cooperative (CCS).

Comparability — Egypt [top]

In the 2006 census, the question includes a new category "cooperatives", not separately identified in the earlier censuses. The category "foreign" in 1986-1996 is replaced by "non-governmental organizations" in 2006. Mixed sector may mean different things in different censuses.

The universe changes across years: it includes those aged 6+ who worked in 1986, but persons age 16+ who were economically active in 1996-2006.

Comparability — El Salvador [top]

Unpaid workers, the self-employed, and domestic workers are all classified as working for individual/family enterprises. These persons are distinguished from those that indicate being owners or employers (with paid employees), who are classified as private sector workers. The 1992 sample distinguishes workers in cooperatives.

Comparability — Germany [top]

This variable is available in the 1987 sample, but not in other Germany samples. The "semi-institutions" response is interpreted as "mixed sector" in this variable. A category called "denominational" is classified as "other."

Comparability — Ghana [top]

The universe changes over time. In 2000, the question was asked of persons age 7 and older who were economically active during the reference period. In 2010, the question was asked of persons age 5 and older who were economically active during the reference period. In 1984 the questions was asked of persons age 10+ who worked. For all samples the reference period is the week prior to the census.

Comparability — Guinea [top]

The universe and categories are comparable across samples, with the exception of an additional category for mixed enterprise employees in the 1996 sample. Contract employees and apprentices are considered as private sector employees.

Comparability — Haiti [top]

This variable is only available for the 2003 sample. Self-employed and household workers are classified as working for individual/family enterprises.

Comparability — Honduras [top]

There are small universe differences across samples.

Comparability — Hungary [top]

The 1990 sample distinguishes individual and family enterprises from other private sector employers. In 2011, "casual employees" are considered to be in the private sector.

The universe broadens in 1990 to include persons with childcare allowances. Other samples include either persons who are employed or, more generally, economically active.

Comparability — Iran [top]

In 2011 "employers" were considered to be working in the private sector.

Comparability — Iraq [top]

The "foreign government" category includes the original responses for "Arabic" and "Foreigner." Some of those cases could belong in other categories, but they are relatively few in number.

Comparability — Kenya [top]

The underlying source variable has considerable category detail not fully reflected in EMPSECT. The sample distinguishes persons working in different institutions in the public sector: Central government, local authorities, state-owned enterprises and the Teachers Service Commission (TSC). The individual/family enterprise and self-employed category is comprised of self-employed workers in the informal sector, self-employed workers in small-scale agriculture and pastoralist activities, and private households.

Comparability — Mauritius [top]

The categories are comparable across samples, with the exception of an additional category for cooperative enterprises in the 1990 and 2000 samples.

Comparability — Morocco [top]

This variable is only available for the 2004 and 2014 samples. The universes are identical across samples, but there are minor discrepancies in the response options.

In 2004 and 2014, self-employed and family workers are classified as working for individual/family enterprises, whereas employers are classified as private sector workers. In 2014, apprentices were grouped with family workers and are classified as working for individual/family enterprises, while in the 2004 sample they are included in a separate category and are classified as private sector workers. The 2014 sample also groups members of cooperatives together with employers, while no mention is made of cooperative members in the 2004 sample.

Comparability — Mozambique [top]

The minimum age for respondents changes between samples.

Comparability — Myanmar [top]

The data for the 2014 sample are constructed from the source variable that records the person's activity status. Employers are classified as private sector workers.

Comparability — Palestine [top]

The age universe changes from persons age 10+ in the 1997 sample to persons age 7+ in the 2007 and 2017 samples. In the 2007 sample, the question excluded persons living in the parts of Jerusalem annexed by Israel in 1967.

Private foreign sector may be interpreted differently between the three samples, as it may include self-employed persons in 1997 and 2017, but exclude them in 2007. The categories are otherwise generally comparable across samples, although the 2017 sample includes an additional category for cooperative associations and generally contains more detail than the 1997 and 2007 samples.

Comparability — Panama [top]

The data are comparable among samples. The 1990 sample included a category for "U.S. government" not identified in other samples.

Comparability — Papua New Guinea [top]

The 1980 census only addressed the question to urban dwellers.

Comparability — Paraguay [top]

The universe of respondents includes only employees, not self-employed persons.

Comparability — Romania [top]

The 1992 Romanian census asked an employment sector question, but the categorization was incompatible with the rest of the samples in EMPSECT. Those data are therefore excluded from this integrated variable. The universes are not comparable across years.

Comparability — Suriname [top]

The variable is only available for the 2012 sample. Non-governmental organizations are grouped with private businesses. Volunteers are classified as working for individual/family enterprises.

Comparability — Switzerland [top]

In the 2011 census, ''association'' is coded to ''collective or cooperative.''

Comparability — Trinidad and Tobago [top]

The variable is comparable across samples despite minor universe changes.

Public enterprise workers are not separately identified in 1970. For the 1980-2011 samples a "learner or apprentice" was classified as a private sector worker.

Comparability — Uruguay [top]

The 1963 sample only distinguishes those working in the private or public industries. Other years are generally comparable and provide more detail as to the type of private employment. In 2006, public work program participants are classified as public employees.

The universe differs between samples.

Comparability — Vietnam [top]

The censuses used different terminologies, and seemingly similar categories have dramatically different numbers of cases, suggesting they might not describe the same thing (for example, compare the private and collective categories in the three samples).

Note: "Private self-employed" includes individual enterprise in 1989, household production and services in 1999 and both individuals and households in 2009.

The 2009 census does not include the "mixed" sector category available in earlier years.

The 1999 and 2009 censuses include a foreign sector, which we have classified within "private."