UNEMPLOYMENT

11.20 Definition:

In accordance with the norms established by the International Labour Organisation (thirteenth International Conference of Labour Statisticians), the ‘unemployed' comprise all persons above a specified age who during the reference period were:

1. 'without work', i.e. not in paid employment or self-employment;
2. 'currently available for work', i.e. were available for paid employment or self-employment during the reference period; and
3. 'seeking work', i.e. had taken specific steps in a specified recent period to seek paid employment or self-employment.

The specific steps may include registration at a public or private employment exchange; application to employers; checking at worksites, farms, factory gates, market or other assembly places; placing or answering newspaper advertisements; seeking assistance of friends or relatives; looking for land, building, machinery or equipment to establish own enterprise; arranging for financial resources; applying for permits and licences, etc.

11.21 Definition:

Unemployment rates represent unemployed persons as a percentage of the economically active population.

They are usually calculated for sex-age groups and sometimes further cross-classified by other demographic variables such as marital status, qualifications or nationality.