Questionnaire Text

Questionnaire form view entire document: text image

Section 6: Economic activity
[Persons age 14 and older]

[Go to Question 8.1 for persons younger than 14 years]

6.1. What did you / did [the respondent] do most during the first week of April? For example did you / did [the respondent] work, look for work, keep house or what?

[] Worked
[] With job not working (go to Question 6.3)
[] Seeking first job (go to Question 6.7)
[] Other, seeking work (go to Question 6.4)
[] Did not seek work but wanted work and available (go to Question 6.4)
[] Student (go to Question 6.7)
[] Home duties (go to Question 6.7)
[] Retired (go to Question 6.7)
[] Disabled, unable to work (go to Question 6.7)
[] Other (go to Question 6.7)
[] Not stated

Questionnaire instructions view entire document: text image

Section 6 - Economic Activity

5.63 General
Section 6 is comprised of Questions 6.1 - 6.9 and should be asked of persons 14 years and over. The main purpose of this section is to determine which individuals were in the WORKING FORCE of the country at some point in time. Questions 6.1 - 6.6 and Question 6.9 relate to the week preceding the census while Questions 6.7 - 6.8 relate to the preceding twelve months. The most difficult and perhaps important of the concepts here is that of WORK. It is essential therefore that you understand fully the precise definition of the term WORK in this context and that this meaning should be made clear to respondents by the method of questioning them.

5.64 Definition of Work
(a) Work includes:
Work with pay, that is:

(i) Work for others for a wage or salary including commission or tips. Work may be done either in the employment of the government, a business organization, some private or public organization or an individual. (This corresponds to the categories - Paid Employee of Government, Private Enterprise or Private Home - Q6.3).
(ii) Work as trainee (such as nurses in training) or apprentice (persons at trade)
(iii) Work for self in one's own business (including farm) which is run for profit or fees but does not employ paid help.
(This corresponds to Own Business Without Paid Employee - Q6.3)
(iv) Work for self in one's own business (including farm) which is run for profit or fees and employs paid help.

(This corresponds to Own Business With paid Employees - Q6.3).

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(b) Work without pay in a business or farm which is run for profit, that is:

(i) Work without pay in a business or farm run for profit (usually by a relative), in cases where the individual is either supported by the owner or obtains some benefits other than cash from the running of the business (see Unpaid Worker at Q6.3).
(ii) Work as an unpaid helper in a business or other organization, in cases where the respondent is learning a trade or profession in this way, with a view to engaging in work for pay (see Unpaid Worker at Q.6.3).

Do not include in "working" those persons who:

(i) Work without money or pay for a relative or other person at tasks which did not contribute to the operation of a farm or of a business e.g. housework, gardening, odd jobs around the house or yard such as painting the fence, etc.
(ii) Work without pay assisting a relative or friend in his duties as an employee.
(iii) Work without pay either in cash or in kind as a volunteer worker for service organizations or church groups - such as the Red Cross, Boy Scouts, Girl Guides, Society for the Blind, Operation Workshop, etc.

Note also that WORK must relate to work in Jamaica. It includes, however, those persons who are residing in the territory but are on boats, ships, airplanes, etc., which may operate outside of the territory, as well as travelling salesmen, consultants, etc. Also included are persons going as contract workers to the U.S.A. for a few months to work on farms there during the crop season. Other persons who live and work outside of the country should not be classified as having worked with respect to the time they were resident outside of the country.

5.65 Question 6.1 Economic Situation During Past Week
You are required to record here the economic activity in which the individual was engaged for most of the week (one hour or more) during the week preceding the Census, that is the first week of April, 1991.

It is important to note that "working" takes precedence over all other activities. Thus if according to the definitions of 'Work' outlined, a person had been working for one hour or more during the week, he should be classified as 'working' regardless of

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what he was doing for the rest of the week.
Similarly "With Job Not Working", takes precedence over "Looking For Work" which takes priority over all the other categories.

Definitions of the various categories of economic activities are:

Worked: This covers those persons who, during the week preceding the Census, carried out one or more of the activities described as work in paragraph 5.47 within Jamaica.

With job not working: Include here any individual who had a job or work, as defined and was absent with pay, full or part for all or most of the week on vacation leave, sick leave or other leave of absence, not including study leave. Persons absent on study leave or on leave without pay should NOT be included.

Seeking first job: This covers persons who had never worked before in Jamaica and who, during the week preceding the Census, were actively engaged in trying to get work.

Other seeking work: This covers persons who had some work experience (in Jamaica) who were not working during the week preceding the census but were actively trying to get work during the week.

Did not seek work but wanted work and available: This refers to those individuals who, during the week, wanted work and were available for work although not actively seeking work through, the recognized channels.

Students: This applies to those persons not classified above who were full-time students in primary, secondary, technical or other schools, at the University or were engaged in private studies. Persons on holidays from school or university are to be included here.

Home duties: This relates to those persons who were engaged during the week in looking after their own homes, that is, cooking, washing, cleaning, etc. It does not cover domestic servants and others who were performing these duties in other people's homes for pay; these would be classified as "Worked". Ensure that you do not include here those persons who were classified in the categories "Worked", "Seeking First Job", "Others Seeking Work" or "Wanted Work and Available".

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Retired: This relates to those persons who have previously worked, but who, during the week preceding the Census, were in retirement from work.

Disabled, unable to work: This covers those persons who were unable to work because of some physical or mental disability.

Other: This group includes all persons who cannot be properly put into one of the above categories.

Not stated: This includes all persons for whom satisfactory information cannot be obtained in order to classify them according to their economic activity.