(For all individuals 10 years of age and older)

15. What occupation or type of work did you engage in during the week of February 25th to March 2nd, or in the last job you had?

The answers in question set 14 are the basis for categorizing the population aged ten and older as economically active (employed and unemployed) and economically inactive (students, domestic work (unpaid), those who live from rental or investment income, retired workers and the disabled).

The questions in this section refer to the situation in the week immediately preceding the census date (the week of February 25-March 2).

Question set 15: What occupation, trade or type of job did you/the person perform during the week of February 25 - March 2, or in the last job that you/the person had?

Ask this question set only of those persons who answered option 1, 2 or 3 in the affirmative in question set 14. If the answer to these three options was negative, cross out the entire area related to question sets 15, 16 and 17 with a large X.

If the enumerated person states that he/she had more than one occupation, choose the principal occupation. This is the one at which the enumerated person earns the most money or spends the most time.

Write the principal occupation stated by the enumerated person in the space provided.

[p. 42]

When you write the principal occupation, use a word or phrase which describes exactly the kind of work that the enumerated person performs or used to perform. Avoid using general terms such as "worker," "employee," or "office worker" that do not provide a clear idea of the type of work performed. The following examples are provided to illustrate this point:

[The original document includes a table below.]

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

It is important to note that a professional's job commonly corresponds to his/her profession. Nonetheless, some professionals may have performed work different from their area of specialization during the reference week. If this is the case, record the job that the person did and not the profession. For example, if a surgeon worked managing a hospital, write "Hospital director" as the principal occupation. Similarly, if a lawyer managed a textile company, write "Manager of textile company."

If the person has various occupations and cannot specify a particular one, indicate the principal one according to the definition given above.

For persons who are looking for work for the first time write "New Worker."