Interviewer instructions
P25 Employment Status in the last 12 months
This question is to be asked only of those persons who were considered working in P-24. Shade the provided appropriate space.
By Employment Status we mean that a person is self-employed, employs others. is employed by someone or works on the family farm in the family business without actually being paid. All these terms are further explained below.
The Employment Status will be determined by the status of the person during the reference period. If a person worked on more than one job during the reference period, then the Employment Status of that person will be determined according to the job on which he/she spent more time. For example. if a person was employed in a garage as a mechanic for 7 months (as an employee), but drove his/her own car as a taxi driver (self-employed) for 5 months then he/she will be classified as an employee. If he/she was an employee in the garage for 6 months and drove the taxi for 6 months i.e. the time spent in different jobs being the same then you will determine his status on the basis of the job from which he/she received more income.
5.6.16 Employer
An Employer is a person working on his/her own economic account or with one or few partners. He/she holds a self-employment job and in his/her capacity has engaged on a continuous basis. One or more persons to work for him/her as employees for pay, either in cash or in kind. For such a person, shade the first box for Employment Status (P-25).
Examples:
a. A farmer who employs a tractor driver, a farm hand, etc.
b. A carpenter who runs his own workshop and employs others as carpenters. helpers. etc.
c. A garage owner who employs mechanics in his workshop.
d. A shop owner who employs shop assistants, salesmen, stock attendants. truck drivers, cashiers, etc.
e. A butchery owner who employs others as butchers, cleaners, etc.
f. A factory owner who employs factory workers, a foreman, a manager, mechanics, an accountant, etc.
g. A taxi owner who employs drivers to run his taxis.
h. A cinema owner who employs other people to run the cinema, as gate-keepers, projectionist, cleaners, etc.
i. A restaurant owner who employs cooks, bar attendants, pick-up van driver, cashier, etc.
A person who is assisted by family members who are not paid any wages or salaries is not an employer as his/her family members are unpaid family workers. Such a person should be classified as self-employed. On the other hand, if a person pays wages or salaries to the family member(s) who runs their business, then he/she is an employer and the family member(s) will be classified as an employee(s).
Only those employing others to help run their business or farm will be classified as employers. Those employing domestic servants or security guards, etc., for looking after their household properties are not to be classified as employers unless they also employ someone for the sake of their business operations. Do not classify salaried managers of large companies which they do not own as employers. Similarly, personnel officers and other senior officials of companies, parastatal organisations and Government departments are themselves employees who get salaries. Since they do not own the companies, etc., they are not to be classified as employers.
5.6.17 Employee -Wage and Salary Earner
Shade the second box for persons who worked for others for a wage or salary which may be paid to them in cash or kind or partly in cash and partly in\kind. Salesmen/salesladies who worked for commission are also to be classified as employees.
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Examples of Employees:
a. A shop assistant;
b. A bartender (not the bar owner);
c. A carpenter working for a contractor;
d. A miner;
e. A manager of a firm;
f. A mechanic working for pay in a garage;
g. All Government workers and employees of parastatal and private organisations from an Office Orderly right up to the Secretary to the Cabinet, Managing Directors, etc, are employees;
h. Ministers and other Members of Parliament having public funds as their main source of income will be considered as employees. Similarly, Chairperson of Service Commissions, and Chairperson of Parastatal Organisations will be treated as employees.
5.6.18 Self-Employed
Persons who are not working for others for a wage or salary but run their own businesses, factories, workshops, farms, and also do not employ others in their establishment are classified as self-employed. Ordinarily, such persons will have their own place of business and determine their own hours of work and work programme. These persons may do other people's work by fixing an hourly rate or on the basis of the job itself. These could be partners.
The fact that members of a person's household may assist him/her in his/her work without receiving any remuneration does not alter his/her employment status as 'self-employed' because he/she is not employing them. However, if he/she pays wages or a salary to any member of his/her household, in that case he/she is employing that member and this relationship (employer/employee) will then be recorded.
Examples of Self-employed Persons:
a. A subsistence farmer who does not employ outside labour on his/her farm except unpaid family workers.
b. The owner of a small family store run by him/herself.
c. A marketeer or a street vendor.
d. A car mechanic running a small repair business on his/her own.
e. The owner of a small tea-shop or kiosk which he/she runs him/herself or with the help of his/her (unpaid) family members.
f. A cobbler or a carpenter running a repairing business without the help of others.
g. A tailor doing his/her business with no outside helper.
h. A contractor doing odd job repairs on his/her own.
5.6.19 Unpaid Family Worker
Shade the fourth box for persons who normally assist in the family business or farm, but do not receive any pay or profit for the work so performed.
