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1435 WEDNESDAY, 19 NOVEMBER 2008
1436
QUESTIONS
For written reply:
Definition of ‘‘employed’’
1726. Prof B TUROK (ANC) asked the
Minister of Finance:
(1) What is the basis for the definition of
the term ‘‘employed’’, used in the
Quarterly Labour Force Survey for
28 August 2008 issued by Statistics
SA, which refers to ‘‘persons aged
15-64 years who, during the reference
week, did any work for at least
one hour’’;
(2) whether the government’s employment
figures include such persons;
if not, what is the position in this
regard; if so,
(3) whether this gives an accurate figure
for the employment levels in our
economy; if not, what is the position
in this regard; if so, what are the
relevant details? NW2507E
The MINISTER OF FINANCE:
(1) To decide on who is employed, the
International Labour Organisation (ILO)
recommends that the activities within the
production boundary of the United Nations
Systems of National Accounts be
used. This system defines what activities
are considered as economic. Anybody
involved in these economic activities
during the reference period is considered
employed. The activities are defined below
and elaborated through examples.
These activities include market and
Table 1
nonmarket activities. Market activities
include production of goods and services
supplied to other units intended
for sale, barter, in-kind pay on the
market. Nonmarket activities include
mostly production of goods and services
for own final use, eg subsistence
farming, collecting wood or water for
own final consumption. However for
nonmarket activities to be included as
employment they must make a significant
contribution to household consumption.
In the old Labour Force Survey (LFS)
both market activities and some nonmarket
activities were considered employment.
In the New Quarterly Labour
Force Survey only market activities are
considered to be employment. Nonmarket
activities are not considered as
employment in the new LFS because it
was difficult to decide on what criteria
would be used to establish if nonmarket
activities made a significant contribution
to household consumption.
On temporary absence, in the old LFS
as long as people had a job or even an
economic activity to return they would
be classified as employed and in the
new LFS it is only people who indicate
that they have market activities that
they will definitely go back to (excluding
working unpaid in a household
business) who are considered as employed.
Below is a table on how the employment
question was asked in the old LFS
and how it is asked in the new QLFS.
LFS QLFS
2.1 In the last seven days, did you do any of the
following activities, even for only one hour?
2.4 In the last week,