VII. People in the census household

17. Principal occupation

Questions for persons aged seven and older only
If the person is less than seven, do not ask him/her question 13-24. Instead, go to the next person on the list.

17. Principal occupation
Occupation means the type of work a person performed during the reference period, or that he/she performed in the last week that he/she worked (unemployed).

[p. 62]

If the person has more than one occupation, the term "principal occupation" refers to the one for which he/she receives more income, or the one at which he/she works the most hours.

Ask, "What was your principal occupation, work or trade during the reference week, or at the last job that you held?"

[A graphic of box 17, "principal occupation," is reproduced on the left-hand side of the page.]

On the blank lines, write out completely the jobs stated by the respondent. Use words or phrases that give specific details about the type of job or work the person does or did. Avoid using general terms that do not furnish a clear idea of the type of work referred to.

Information about the enumerated person's job is important in understanding the economic profile of the country, which is important for economic planning. There should always be an answer if the person has a job. Do not leave this area blank.

Principal occupation
The following is a list of examples demonstrating correct and incorrect ways of recording occupations.

[The original document includes a table below.]

[Column headings:]
(A) Incorrect answer for principal occupation
(B) Correct answer for principal occupation

Incorrect answer for principal occupation: mechanic.
Correct answer for principal occupation: automobile mechanic, technician who makes dental parts.

Incorrect answer for principal occupation: secretary.
Correct answer for principal occupation: typist who transcribes documents, secretary who writes letters and answers the phone, secretary in charge of sales files.

Incorrect answer for principal occupation: construction worker.
Correct answer for principal occupation: plumber who installs and repairs plumbing, bricklayer who prepares mortar and lays bricks, painter of interior and exterior walls.

Incorrect answer for principal occupation: engineer.
Correct answer for principal occupation: civil engineer, chemical engineer, electrical engineer.

Incorrect answer for principal occupation: teacher.
Correct answer for principal occupation: urban primary-school teacher, rural primary-school teacher, home-economics teacher, music education teacher.

Incorrect answer for principal occupation: cashier.
Correct answer for principal occupation: department-store cashier, bank cashier, factory cashier.

Incorrect answer for principal occupation: agricultural worker.
Correct answer for principal occupation: worker who plants tomatoes, worker who plants corn, worker who milks and cleans cows, worker who harvests coffee or sugarcane, etc.

[p. 64]

Incorrect answer for principal occupation: sales clerk.
Correct answer for principal occupation: counter clerk in a fabric store, counter clerk in footwear items, counter clerk in hardware items, counter clerk in office supplies.

Incorrect answer for principal occupation: street vendor.
Correct answer for principal occupation: street vendor of brooms, street vendor of candy, street vendor of variety goods.

For example, if a surgeon worked as the director of a hospital during the reference week, write: "hospital director (public or private)" as his/her principal occupation.

If a lawyer worked as a factory manager in a factory producing cotton fabric during the reference week, write "manager of a factory producing cotton fabrics" as his/her principal occupation.

If the person you are enumerating has several jobs, remember to write the principal occupation according to the criteria written above.