Interviewer instructions
Economic activity last week
For all persons born in 1981 or before
138. The next set of questions, D14 to D17, apply to all persons born in 1981 or before. Look back at the year of birth you have entered for each person. For those born 1982-1996 write 'N/A' for question D14[a] and leave the rest of the column [D14-D17] blank.
139. Questions D14-D17 are concerned with how people provide for themselves, how they make their living. It is restricted to persons 15 years of age and over.
140. In the week before census night, almost everyone in Fiji will have done something to provide for himself or herself. It is your job to discover and record what each person did.
141. Ask the questions as they are set out here and on the questionnaire and talk about each member of the household until you understand what he or she did in the way of making a living last week. Make entries on the questionnaire only when you have the picture clear in your mind.
Question D14 - Type of activity last week
142. Question 14[a]
Ask,
Did this person do any work for money last week?
Money work here means:
A wage and salary job.
Business, shop, taxi/carrier business, repair shop
Grow things for sale
Raise animals for sale
Catch fish, collect shells for sale
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Provide services for money
You should write 'M' against money work. Include also persons who had a job but were either sick or on leave or did not attend work for some other reason.
For persons who did not work for money last week write 'NO' in this box.
145. For those persons responding with 'M' in D14[a], you should also complete
D14[b] Number of days worked last week.
D14[c] Did the person do any subsistence work as well
D15 Describe the task performed last week.
D16 The type of activity, service or product produced at place of work.
D17 How was the person paid
weekly wages
fortnightly/monthly salary
by sale of crops, livestock
for job done
unpaid family worker
Question D15 - Occupation
149. We require an exact description of the kind of work the person did last week.
Ask,
'What kind of work did this person do last week?'
150. It is sometimes difficult to get an exact answer but you should always aim to provide a two or three word description of the person's job.
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A vague single word description is not enough. Avoid general terms such as 'manager', 'clerical', 'mechanic', 'foreman', 'teacher', 'operator', or 'laborer'. Record exactly what a person did - for example, 'sales manager', typist clerk', 'motor mechanic', 'foreman carpenter' 'primary teacher', 'forklift operator', 'stevedore'.
151. Many people may be described generally as 'farmer'. It is particularly important that we know exactly what kind of farmers they are.
Some Fijian villagers grow crops such as dalo, yaqona or ginger mainly for sale. Such persons should be described as 'growing dalo' or 'growing yaqona' or as the case may be.
In describing the occupations of persons who farm outside the Fijian village system you must be precise - for example, write 'cane farmer', 'rice grower', 'dairyman' or 'poultry farm worker'. Avoid the vague word - do not write 'farmer' or 'laborer'.
Many of these farmers engage in more than one activity but in describing the work done you should pick out the person's main crop or activity - the one to which he/she devotes most time - the one which he/she regards as most important - the one which is commercial. You will thus be able to describe a person as 'growing coconuts', 'raising cattle', 'market gardening' and so on.
The term 'cane farmer' should be used only of the person who owns or leases the land on which the cane is grown. Others working on the farm should be described as 'cane farm workers' unless they do a specific job such as 'cane cutter'. The same distinction should be made between those who own, lease or operate dairy farms, cattle farms or copra plantations and those who work on them.
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152. You will find it best to speak to the person concerned whenever possible. Members of the household are often vague as to the occupation of others. If the person is in employment you may find that you get a more accurate idea of his/her job by asking for the job title and recording that.
153. A person may have done more than one kind of job last week. In such a case you should record his/her main job - the one he/she spends most time at - that which he/she usually does.
154. If the person combines paid employment with unpaid work you should record the paid job rather than the unpaid job - for example, if the person is a bus driver and worked last weekend on his farm he should be entered as 'bus driver' and if the person is a housewife who went to market to sell food she should be entered as 'market food seller'.
155. A person engaged temporarily on the census should state his/her usual occupation. Thus if you are a secondary school teacher and are working as a census supervisor or enumerator your occupation should be as 'secondary teacher'.
