P25. What was [respondent]'s usual activity/occupation during the past 12 months?
(Please see code book)
If housewife, student or retiree, skip to P29.

Data on occupation are essential for analyzing the growth, composition and distribution of the work force. They provide information on socio-economic status of the population which is essential in planning the necessary training programs aimed at full and effective utilization of the country's human resources.

Ask the question in P25: "What was ______'s usual activity/occupation during the past twelve months?" for all persons 10 years old and over. Write in the space provided the type of activity/occupation of the person. This will be coded later using the Code Book.

Through this question we can determine whether a person is a gainful worker or is a non-gainful worker.

The term usual activity/occupation refers to the kind of job or business which a person was engaged in most of the time during the last twelve months preceding the interview. In other words, usual activity/occupation is the person's principal means of earning a living like a palay farmer, carpenter, retail merchant, elementary school teacher, telephone operator, etc. during the past twelve months.

For persons who did not work during the past 12 months, their usual activity/occupation relates to the non-gainful activities they usually do most of the year or to their status. They will be reported in either of the following:

For purposes of this census, a person is considered as gainful worker or usually working most of the time during the past 12 months if he works for at least 10 hours a week for 6 months (26 weeks) or longer, including vacation or sick leave, in one or more of these classes of work:

For persons whose activities varied during the preceding 12 months, report as his usual activity/occupation that which he was engaged in for more than six months. However, if none of these activities lasted for more than six months, report the one which had the longest duration.
For persons working at two permanent jobs, the job at which they work longer hours should be reported. If they spend the same number of hours on both jobs, report the job from which they earn greater income.

Take note of the following cases:

1. If a person worked most of the time during the past 12 months but actually devoted more time to studying or housekeeping most of the year, report the gainful occupation he did and not student or housekeeper.

2. If for several years a person had been a school teacher but on May 1,
2000 has already quit his teaching job and is operating a palay farm, his usual occupation is still an elementary school teacher.

3. During the census, a person may be working in a job other than his usual occupation. For instance, an elementary school teacher works during the long school vacation as a merchant or a palay farmer or fisherman works temporarily as a carpenter. In these cases, the report should be "Elementary school teacher", "palay farmer", or "fisherman", respectively, and not the temporary jobs they are presently doing.

Always describe the specific job or occupation performed by the person in the establishment, office, farm, etc., such as radio technician, records clerk, typist, stenographer, lawyer, farm manager, elementary school teacher, bill collector, carpenter, hospital attendant, etc.
Answers such as agent, engineer, mechanic, employee, etc., do not describe adequately the work performed. Ask the respondent additional questions like "Does this person work for a life insurance company, advertising agency, etc.?" or "What kind of engineer/mechanic is he?"
If the respondent gives a long description of the actual duties of work of the person, report the occupation that fits the description.

Avoid such ambiguous descriptions as owner, partner, businessman, etc. They do not adequately describe the occupation of the person. They simply indicate the proprietary relationship of the person to the business and some owners do not do any work in connection with their business.

If a person is the owner of an enterprise and he manages it or participates in its management, report "Manager" as his occupation. However, in such enterprises emerge in wholesale or retail trade, hotel, dormitory, restaurant, cafeteria or other lodging or eating place, said owner managing or participating in the management of the enterprise should be reported as "wholesale merchant", "retailer", or "working proprietor ". Note however, that a partner in a business who is paid by the partnership to manage the business should be reported as "manager" and not "working proprietor".