The 1995/1996 Household Income, Expenditure - (PDF, 101 mb ...

IV.S
The unemployed are further classified into two groups:
a. "The unemployed who previously worked but were not working during
the period of the survey."
b. Unemployed who did not have a job before like graduates from
schools or universities."
2) Those "Outside of the labor force" are persons 6-64 years old, able to work
but not working at the time of the survey, and not searching for work, for
one or more of the following reasons:
- housewives
- full-time students
- "those who do not want to work" (for any reason, Le., they are lazy, rich,
or discouraged for any reason)
- partial disability which causes a temporary absence from work
- retirement or early retired
- those on leave without pay for one year or more and not working
- patients and prisoners
- "persons of 6-12 years of age who are not working or studying"
- "those suspended temporarily, or for an indefinite period of time, as long as
they are receiving no salary, and they are not searching for a job."
- university graduates undertaking General Service
It is time for CAPMAS to accept the fact that they have been measuring
employment incorrectly for too long. This author is unaware of any
references to the term "Human Force" in labor measurement literature outside
of Egypt, its meaning and importance is ambiguous, and its difference from
the "Labor Force" is a matter of confusion only. In some cases of definitions,
such as those in quotes above, even native Egyptians consider the language
confusing. The designation "outside the labor force" is much too broad to be
meaningful, counting people who say they are not seeking work as outside the
labor force when they are really indirectly seeking work and unemployed
(their relatives may still be trying to find them a job, for example).
Housewives who are earning incomes are not in the "Human Force." There are
too many opportunities like this for double-counting and overlooking in the
definitions. The situation would be simply remedied by following best
practices; the example of the United States is the best comparison because it
is the result of many years of experience and trial and error. The basic
sequential approach which the Bureau of the Census uses in its Current
Population Survey has remained unchanged since 1967; most changes to the
CPS since then have been modifications reflecting changes to economy and
society, sharpening the measurement of labor force concepts. The s8fe
structure for determining labor force status exists in most countries. The
sequence is internationally applicable (it transcends local considerations), and
it produces proper comparable results.
The sequence is made up of no more than four questions:
1. The respondent is asked "What were you doing most of last week ­
working, keeping house, going to school?"
The person is employed if he did any work at all during the last week,
whether part-time, full-time, or temporary. A person who performed at least
5 The United States follows a more specific version of definitions used in
the ILO's Revised International Standards for Statistics on the Labor Force,
Employment and Unemployment (ILO, 1983-3, pp. ix-xxvL).