Questionnaire Text

Questionnaire form view entire document:  text  image

16. Main activity:
Main activity of the person during last year
For codes 3, 4, 6 and 8, put a dash (-) in columns 17 to 21, fill in column 22, and put a dash (-) in column 23.

[] 1 Employed (fill in columns 17 to 23)
[] 2 Unemployed (employed any time before: fill in columns 17 to 21 for the last employment, fill in column 22, and put a dash (-) in column 23)
[] 3 Unemployed (never employed any time before)
[] 4 Homemaker
[] 5 Student (put a dash (-) in columns 17 to 21, and fill in columns 22 and 23)
[] 6 Dependent
[] 7 Rent-receiver, retired or other income recipient
[] 8 Other (specify) ____

Questionnaire instructions view entire document:  text  image

Columns 16 to 21 on Economic Characteristics of Population

98. These columns relate to the economic characteristics of population both male and female. Information proposed to be collected on economic characteristics of population include information on economically active
[p.37]
and economically not active population. The economically active population includes those who are employed and unemployed. The economically inactive population includes those who are mainly home makers, full-time students, dependents, rent-receivers, retired people and other categories of income recipients; and others who are neither employed or unemployed and also do not come under any of the inactive categories mentioned. The reference period for this is the one year or 12 months before the census night, that is from 4 March 2007 to 3 March 2008. This is also referred to as last year or last one year in this instruction manual.


Column 16: Main Activity during Last Year.

99. First we want to know what has been the main activity of the person during the one year preceding the Census Night. Main Activity means the activity during 6 months (183 days) or more during the last one year (i.e. for the major part of the last year). Codes have been provided on the schedule itself which are to be used while answering this question.

Employed
99.1 The "employed" comprises all persons who were in the following categories for 6 months (183 days) or more during the last one year:

(a) Persons who were in paid employment (e.g. working in public or private organization, etc.).
(b) Persons who during the reference period performed some work for wages, salary, profit or family gains in cash or kind.
(c) Persons who did not do any work for pay or profit during the reference period although they had a job to which they could return (e.g. off season workers like farmers or fishermen), those on sick leave or leave without pay, those who could not work due to strike or lockout in the organization they were working.
(d) Persons who were self-employed (e.g. running a shop by himself or herself, selling eatables, practicing as doctors, lawyers, etc.).


99.2 Work is defined as any economically productive activity that a person does for pay (in cash or kind, in any establishment, office, market, farm, private house) or for profit; or without pay for a family farm or enterprise. Workers (other than those working without pay for a family farm or business) should receive pay or profit in cash or kind for their activity. Unpaid activities which are not contributing to the person's family business such as voluntary social work or voluntary community support are not classified as "work" for the purposes of this census. Work may be physical or mental in nature. Work involves not only actual work but also effective supervision and direction of work. It is important to note that it includes unpaid work for a farm or family enterprise. You must ask probing questions to ascertain the existence of a job or employment or unpaid work for a family farm or enterprise during the last year. Please also do not assume that women are generally home makers. You have to specifically ask probing

[p.38]
questions of women whether they were working. Please also remember that in rural areas where most men are engaged in cultivation, wives and daughters also participate as unpaid family workers in cultivation. Such women should be treated as working instead of treating them as home makers or housewives since they attend to domestic duty also. You have to be very careful not to make this mistake. Similarly, children who work should be regarded as employed.

99.3 What about men or women engaged in production of goods for own consumption?
Please note that the following activities for own consumption are treated as work:

(i) Production of primary products for own consumption, as growing of food grains or vegetables for own consumption.
(ii) Collection of water and firewood for own consumption.
(iii) The processing of primary commodities for own consumption by the producers of these items (such as drying own vegetables for later use).
(iv) Production of fixed assets for own use (such as building a house or rice paddy dike).


99.4 Activities for own consumption other than the above are not treated as work (e.g. cooking one's own food, washing one's own clothes, etc.). If a person is employed but at the same time also attends to household chores or attends school, etc., he/she should be treated basically as employed.

99.5 If you give Code 1 for a person after following the above instructions, you have to fill in Columns 17 to 21 which will be described subsequently. Please note that Col. 22 and Col. 23 also have to be filled in for an employed person (Code 1 in Col. 16). This will be explained separately later.

Unemployed
99.6 If a person (man or woman) is not employed you should ask whether he or she was unemployed for six months (or 183 days) or over during the last year. Unemployed refers to those who were without work but were seeking work or available for work.

99.7 Please note that home makers, students and others mainly engaged in non-economic activities during the reference period who satisfy the above criteria of unemployment should be regarded as unemployed and not as home makers, students ,etc. If a person returns that he/she is unemployed for the major part of the last year according to these criteria, you should ask whether the person was employed any time before he/she became unemployed. If he/she says Yes, you have to record Code 2 for the person in Column 16. On the other hand, if the person says that he/she was unemployed and seeking work for the first time and was never employed any time before, you should record Code 3 in Column 16. In the case of a person who was

[p.39]
unemployed but was employed any time before (Code 2 in Column 16), you have to fill in Columns 17-21 for last employment. In case of Code 3 in Column 16, enter dash (-) in each of the Columns 17 to 21.

Population mainly not employed or unemployed

99.8 The employed and unemployed constitute the economically active population. Those who are not mainly employed or unemployed spend most of their time as home makers, students, etc. which are not considered as economically active. Use the codes given in the schedule for recording the category of people not economically active for six months (or 183 days) or more during the last year.

99.9 The economically not active categories for most of the time last year are explained below:


Home Maker is a person who was mostly engaged during the reference period in household duties in his or her home. Give Code 4 for this category in Column 16.

Student is a person who was mostly attending school/educational institution (with Code 2 in Column 14(a)). Give Code 5 for this category in Column 16.

Dependent: This category includes all dependents like infants and children not attending school, persons permanently disabled and hence cannot do any work and persons who cannot work because of illness or old age. Dependents will include able bodied persons who cannot be categorized in any other inactive category and are dependent on others. However if such a person was seeking or available for work, he or she should be categorized as unemployed and not as dependent. For people who were dependents give Code 6 in Column 16.

Rent-receiver, retired or other income recipients: A person who had retired from service and for most of the time was doing no other work, i.e. mostly not employed again in some work or not engaged in some other work such as cultivation, business, trade, etc., or a person who was for most of the time a rent-receiver or a person living on agricultural or nonagricultural royalty, rent or dividend who was neither employed nor unemployed, or any other person of independent means where he/she did not have to work would come under this category. You should give Code 7 in Column 16 for this category of inactive person.

Other, (specify): This category would include all persons not economically active for most of the time and who might not come under any of the above four categories. For such a person (e.g. beggar) you should give Code 8 and specify (e.g. 8 Beggar) in Column 16.