Only for individuals 15 years of age and older
20. Did [the respondent] do any work for pay in money during the last week?
[] 1 Yes (Skip to 26)
[] 2 No
8.8. Employment.
The "0" box is marked for the person who claims to have been working the last week for a salary or pay in-kind, which includes:
1) Salaried employment. This includes work for salary, wage or a daily wage (jornal) in cash as an employee [white collar] or manual laborer. Pay can be by piecework, through commission, or tips. This also includes workers, without remuneration, who are paid in-kind (food, shelter, or merchandise received in stead of a monetary salary). An example of a person paid "in-kind" would be a dishwasher or a [p. 94] servant who receives food or shelter without any monetary compensation.
2) Own-account employment. This includes employment for gain in the person's own agricultural/livestock operation, professional practice, or a private business. For example, a woman who owns her own beauty salon; a lawyer with a [private] legal practice; one who directs their own agricultural/livestock operation; a nurse who works in a home; a peddler; etc. (as independent workers). Mark the first box (0) for a person who was associated with a business or profession even when no professional services or sales had been made. In a similar fashion, in the case of persons with [paying] guests, accept the answers given to the regular questions with respect to their employment situation. For example, a housewife might claim to be "working" if a considerable amount of work is created by renting out rooms or preparing meals for the guests.
3) Working without remuneration in a family business or in a family agricultural/livestock operation. Mark the first box (0) for the person who worked at least 15 hours during the "reference week" in duties (other than domestic) related to a family agricultural/livestock operation without receiving pay. [p. 95] his includes duties such as feeding the birds, cattle, or other animals; cleaning the milking equipment; transporting products, tools, fertilizers, and other materials used in a family farm; planting and harvesting, and participating in tasks similar to those of the head or farmer (hombre) in the operation.
4) Trade work or shared work in a farm. In some localities it is customary that farmers or ranchers (and their families) help each other in the periods of peak activity without compensation for such activity. This is known as trade work (trabajo de intercambio) or shared work (trabajo compartido). For example, a producer and his family could have transferred to the farm of another producer for the first days of the week to help in the harvest; and vice versa (without any monetary exchange).
5) All military officers and other active members of the Armed Forces
8.9. Did not work but is employed.
Mark the first box (1) for the person who, even though employed, was absent from work during all or most of the reference week because of reasons such as sickness, vacation, inclement weather [p. 96] labor dispute, strike, etc.
Definition of employment. Employment exists when there is a definitive agreement to fulfill a regular job for which a wage will be received. This includes agreements for part-time or full-time work. A formal, definitive agreement with one or more employers to work a specified number of hours per week or days per month is also considered to be employment even when the weekly or monthly schedule is irregular.
Nevertheless, a person who is called for work only when their services are needed is not considered to be employed. This is an example of people who are "in service" but who are generally not considered to be employed. E.g. substitute teachers, substitute telephone operators, substitute mail carriers, and cooks or waiters in the service of an agency that provides such services.
During the periods when these persons are not really working they should be classified as either out of the workforce or as looking for employment, according to the answer given.
Seasonal employment is only considered to be employment during the season and not outside of that time period.
8.10. Looking for work - Unemployed.
Mark the second box (2) if the person was trying to find [p. 97] a new job, because of unemployment, or beginning a business, occupation or profession in the week before the census. Accept the answer if the person claims to have been looking for work. If the person is in doubt as to what it means to be looking for work, use this explanation: those "looking for work" are trying to obtain an employment or to establish themselves with a business or profession during the reference week or in the last month.
Looking for work includes the following types of attempts to obtain employment or to start a business:
a. Registering in a public or private employment office
b. Being on the waiting list or "in service" of a personnel office or employment registry or other types of registries.
c. Visiting places where employers select possible employees.
d. Making appointments with possible employers.
e. Placing or answering ads.
f. Writing letters [resumes] soliciting employment.
g. Establishing contact with a union or other labor organization.
h. Investigating the possibilities of starting a professional practice or staring a new business.
If a person lost employment and is not looking for work, do not mark the second box (2), rather mark the last one (other situation) unless the person is in another activity. A person, for example, who looked for work [p. 98] 6 months ago and has not made any more attempts is not considered to be looking for work. Do not mark the second box (2), rather mark box 9. On the other hand, if the person looked for work 2 or 3 weeks ago or less than 2 month ago and is waiting, or not, for an answer, the second box should be marked.
Remember that a person who has lost employment and does not want to work is not considered to be looking for work. Do not mark the second box (2), mark box 9.
8.11. Household duties.
Mark the third box (3) for those who have been principally occupied with tasks in their own home during the reference week. This box is also marked for those, usually women, who indicate that their principal activity has been to tend to household duties except for periods of temporary absence or sickness.
Note that this classification usually applies to women but it can, in some cases, apply to a man. Be aware that domestic employees are considered to be working and do not fall into this category even while participating in this type of activity, with or without cash remuneration. This applies when the work takes place in another home or in a commercial or service establishment.
This type of work is not exclusively [p. 99] cooking, washing, or cleaning. This classification applies to any person who claims to have spent the majority of the reference week directing, or being responsible for the home and for any person who claims that their principal activity is taking care of [their own] children.
More than one person can fall into this category in a household. E.g. a mother and daughter who share in the responsibility of the household duties and childcare are both classified under "household duties".
8.12. Studying.
Mark this box for the person who spent the majority of the reference week attending any type of public, religious, or private (internal or external) school or any other type of educational institution including technical schools (vocacionales) where the students do not receive any type of monetary or in-kind compensation. Mark this box if the person would have attended school if it were not for a sickness or brief vacation such as Christmas, Carnival, or Holy Week.
However, many students may also be working part or full time during breaks, at the end of courses, or they may be looking for work at the time of the census. In this case the person may fall into the category of box (0) or box (2).
[p. 100]
8.13. Rentier.
Mark the fifth box (5) for a person who receives income, not from working, but from interest or from participation in corporate profits through capital investments, real estate, etc., without completing any other management/effort except for the receipt of the corresponding amounts, generally through a third party. This does not include regular lenders or investors and landowners who directly manage their interests or properties - these are considered employed.
8.14. Pensioner or retiree.
Mark the sixth box (6) for those, of any age or sex, who live exclusively from a pension received because of widowhood, orphanhood, physical disability, scholarship, or any other type of subsidy such as retirements from work after reaching a certain age or number of years of service in the occupation (retired military, etc.). This only applies when there is no other activity that could classify the person into another group; e.g. those who work or look for work.
8.15. Institutionalized or imprisoned.
Mark the seventh box (7) for those imprisoned/institutionalized permanently, indefinitely, or long term, in a welfare institution such as mental hospitals, leprosy clinics, oncology clinics, and similar institutions; penal facilities, religious cloisters [p. 101] etc. This also applies when the person participates in a productive activity within the institution (e.g. prisoner's work, blind person's work, etc.).
Excluded from this category are those temporarily institutionalized in medical establishments (hospitals, clinics, etc.) or those detained temporarily by the police. These people correspond to one of the previous categories and will reintegrate into that category after recovering from the illness or regaining their liberty.
8.16. Unable to work [disabled].
Mark the eighth box (8) for the person who could not complete any type of work during the reference week due to a disability, physical or mental illness, or age.
1) Definition of illness or physical or mental disability. A physical or mental disability or indolence is understood to be a specific condition or illness such as blindness, missing limb, serious heart condition, tuberculosis, mental disorder or deficiency, etc., and a combination of difficulties associated with advanced age. Therefore, this oval should not be marked for someone who has retired from work or who believes that they are too old to find work, unless they are suffering from an illness or defined disability that is serious enough to impede the ability to work.
[p. 102]
2) The person who is temporarily sick is not included. Do not mark this box for the person who is only temporarily sick or incapacitated and does not give an indication of the expected duration of the illness or disability. Try to find out, from the person, whether it is expected that they be in condition to return to work within a short or long period of time. Do not base this judgment on your own interpretation or observation.
3) Not limited to the elderly. Do not limit this category to the elderly only. It can apply to young and old persons of either sex.
8.17. Other situation.
Mark this box for those persons whose activity does not fall into any of the above criteria.
Examples of this include:
Resting (a person who cannot work because of temporary rest).
Does not want to work (a person who does not want to or is not interested in working).
Voluntary work (a person who works when they want to)
Ill (a person who cannot work because of a temporary illness)
Any person that does not fall into any of the above categories.
8.19. Work completed for monetary compensation (Q - 20).
This question is asked to those for whom boxes 2 - 6 and 9 were marked in question 19.
It is common that those who are occupied in household duties (except for domestic employees) and students work, other than their normal labors, for monetary compensation in a business, enterprise, government, [p. 104] as vendors, landlords, guards, office employees, etc., in order to help and support themselves. These people may not consider this activity to be employment either because it is not a regular activity or because the income is very small. For the purposes of the census, this is considered to be employment like any other type.
Some women also work in the home in jobs such as dressmaking for companies, either to sell or for other people, collecting money for this work. Others make candy or foods etc. to bring in an additional monetary income. All of these activities and other similar ones are considered to be remunerated employment.
Therefore, the person should be asked whether they participated in any activity of this type before marking yes or no for question 20. Do not simply accept the answer of household duties or student; these persons may not feel the need to declare that they had worked or received monetary compensation during the last week. The possibility of an income should be presented with tact.
Student's scholarships and financial aid are not counted as paid employment.