- Name
- Employment rate
- Indicator purpose
- This labour market indicator measures the proportion of the labour force that is employed at a given point in time.
- Abstract
- This indicator gives the percent of the labour force that have jobs. It reflects individuals who are eligible and available to work.
- Contact organization / person
- SIB-Wendy Benavides
- Unit of measure
- Percentage (%)
- Other characteristics
- Employed persons: All persons of working age who, during a short reference period such as a day or a week, performed work for others in exchange for pay or profit.
The categories of employment are:
Paid Employment: Persons who, during the reference period, had a formal attachment to a job and performed some economic activity for a wage or salary, or payment in kind, as well as persons with a formal attachment to a job but who are temporarily absent from the job.
Self-employment: Persons, who, during the reference period, performed some economic activity for profit or family gain, in cash or in kind, and persons with an enterprise, but who might temporarily not be at work.
Unpaid Family Worker: Persons who work in their family business (e.g. store or farm), who do not receive payment of any kind.
- Classification used
- Employment rates are defined as a measure of the extent to which available labour resources (people available to work) are being used (OECD).
The labour force includes those eligible for employment and currently employed. Discouraged individuals who are no longer seeking work are excluded from the labour force.
- Disaggregation
- 14 years and older
- Key statistical concepts
- Census and Survey: Labour Force Survey; A direct method which randomly selects 2,800 households across the country to participate. The survey captures demographic information of each household member with most questions asking about the employment status of persons 14 years and older.
The employment rate is then derived as follows: (Number_Of_Employed/Total_Labour_Force)x 100
- Recommended uses
- This indicator can be used to improve government employment and human resources policies, as well as for labour market analysis by economists and planners in both the private and public sector.
- Other comments
- The SIB conducts a Labour Force Survey twice a year during the months of April and September which are considered periods of high and low peaks of employment. Estimates are produced for each round at the national and district level as well as for urban and rural areas at the national level.
