Questionnaire Text

Questionnaire form view entire document:  text  image

[Questions 4.1 - 4.8 for persons age 14 and older]


4.1 Did you/did [the respondent] work for at least one hour during the first week of September 2001?

[] 1 Yes (go to question 4.5)
[] 2 No
[] 9 Not stated

Questionnaire instructions view entire document:  text  image

Section 4: Economic activity
[Persons age 14 and older]

5.73 General
Section 4 is comprised of Questions 4.1 through 4.20, and should be asked to persons age 14 and older. The main purpose of this section is to determine which individuals were in the working force of the country at some point in time.

This section is included in the sample coverage because it requires much more probing than should be undertaken for the short form. Economic activity in Jamaica has undergone some amount of transformation within the past two or three decades, whereby there has been a significant development of what has come to be regarded as the "Informal sector". People have in many instances moved away from the traditional jobs in the public and private sectors and have ventured into their own small scale businesses, some of which are being operated within homes.

You must pay close attention to the skip instructions at all times to ensure that you ask relevant questions. You will also need to pay close attention to the different reference periods stated. Questions 4.1 through 4.4 seek to identify the persons who worked. As we know that work means different things to different people, we try in these questions to establish clearly whether an individual worked or not within a particular week. These questions relate to the week preceding the Census date, as do Questions 4.5 through 4.13. Question 4.14 asks for a specific date. Questions 4.15 and 4.16 relate to the past twelve months, while questions 4.17 and 4.18 refer to the past 5 years. Questions 4.19 and 4.20 are relevant to persons of pensionable age and seek to determine the type of social welfare benefits or pension being received. Even if the person has never worked, he/she can be in receipt of social welfare benefits (as the beneficiary of a spouse).

It is important that the concept of work be fully understood.

Work includes:

(a) 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. These correspond to the categories "Paid employee of government", "Private enterprise", or "Private home" in question Q4.6).

(ii) Work as trainee (such as nurses in training) or apprentice (persons at trade). This could also correspond to the same categories at is point (i).

(iii) Work for oneself in one's own business (including farm), which is run for profit or fees but does not employ paid help. This corresponds to "Self-employed without Employees" in question Q4.6. For example: odd job, hustling, buying and selling etc.

(iv) Work for oneself in one's own business (including farm), which is run for profit or fees and employs paid help. This corresponds to "Self-employed with employees" in question Q4.6.


(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 running of business (see "Unpaid employee in agriculture" or any type of business in question Q4.6).

(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 employee in agriculture" or any type of business in question Q4.6).


Do not include as "working" those persons who:
(i) Work without money or pay for a relative or other person on tasks that 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 Society for Blind, Operation Workshop.


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. Informal commercial importers who travel to the Cayman Islands buying and selling are to be included. Do not include the work done by persons going as contract workers to North America 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.


5.74 Questions 4.1 through 4.4: Economic activity during the first week of September 2001

Ask each question carefully if necessary to establish "working". A "Yes" to Question 4.1or 4.2 or 4.3 indicate "working", so go to Q4.5 once this is given. If the answer to all three questions is "No", go to Q4.4, score the relevant answer, and follow the skip instructions. You must be alert and pay close attention to the respondents' answers. Remember there are activities that people might not regard as work but that in fact are. Doing odd jobs for pay, hustling, a little selling on the sidewalk, a little farming, selling the newspaper are all to be regarded as work.

Definitions of the various categories of economic activities stated in Q4.4 are:

Working in agriculture or any type of business without pay: Include here any individual who worked without pay in a business or farm run for profit in cases where: (i) the individual is either supported by the owner or obtains some benefits other than cash from the running of the business (usually in a family business); or (ii) the respondent is learning a trade or profession in this way, with a view to engaging in work for pay.

With job, but not working: Include here any individual who had a job or work as defined, who was temporarily away from work during the week, but had a format attachment to the job. Examples of this formal attachment are:

(a) Continued receipt of wage/salary
(b) Assurance of return to work following the end of the contingency
(c) Agreement on the date of return following the short duration of absence from the job

Include also persons who:

(1) Did not work because of illness or temporary disability but whose jobs were being held for them until their return.
(2) Were on leave with or without pay, so long as their jobs were being held for them until their return.
(3) Did not work because of a strike or lockout
(4) Were on short lay-off, if not more than 30 days duration, with instructions to return to work at the end of the 30 days.

For persons who are on leave from a main job but who during the week were involved in any activity that could be regarded as work, this secondary activity must not be considered. Questions related to occupation, industry and location of workplace must therefore relate to the main job.

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

Seeking a job that was not the first: 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 was 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 worked, were seeking work, or wanted work and it was available, all of whom could also have been engaged in home duties.

Retired, did not work: This relates to those persons who have previously worked but who, during the reference week, were in retirement from work. Do not include persons who might have retired from one job but are working in another job. These persons should have been classified as "Worked".

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

Not interested in work: This covers persons who were doing none of the activities that would have been described, but indicated a lack of interest.

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.