Interviewer instructions
Column P15 Individual's Status with Regard to Economic Activity Status (Situation Individuelle Par Rapport à l'Activite Economique)
Economic activity refers to productive work, i.e., paid work or remunerative labor. Thus, a mother who works hard in the fields to grow food destined for consumption by her family engages in remunerative labor; if she sells part of her agricultural production one could say that she is paid. She can buy other goods and services used to supply her family's basic needs with this money. Obviously, the salaried worker, the store keeper, the traveling salesperson, the blacksmith, etc., [all] engage in productive work or rather, economic activity. Thus, for the purposes of the census, the terms "economic activity," "profession," "occupation," and "employment" are all synonyms, since they all refer to the exercise of "productive work," "paid work," or "remunerative work".
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The variable "Individual's Status with Regard to Economic Activity" attempts to distinguish what they practice, whether or not they are engaged in an economic activity during the course of the given reference period related to economic activity. In the definition of modalities of this the National Census Bureau has moreover highlighted the concern with having too many details on [an] an individual case/instance where there is no exercise of an economic activity. In effect, all these cases [are] identical. Here, one of the modalities/options is presented:
a) Employed. Anyone, male or female, who has an economic activity in the course of the data reference period is "employed."
b) Unemployed. Any worker who has stopped practicing his/her economic activity and is, in the course of the data reference period, without paid or remunerative work, and is looking for a job, is "unemployed."
c) Looking for first job. Anyone, male or female, who has never had a paid or remunerative job and who is, over the course of the data reference period, looking for his/her first paying or remunerative job, is considered to be "looking for his/her first job."
d) Housewife. A "housewife" is any woman who, over the course of the data reference period has not been engaged in any economic activity, is not looking for an economic activity, has not looked for an economic activity or gone to any learning establishment, and dedicates herself exclusively to household tasks in her own household.
e) Retired. Any person, male or female, who has stopped exercising his/her economic activity and receives any type of retirement or disability pension paid by a social security administration or the state for a previous economic activity, is "retired."
f) Independent Income. This category is for any person, male or female, who does not engage in any economic activity over the course of the data reference period; is not seeking an economic activity over the course of the data reference period; draws his/her revenue and support from a guaranteed source of income (interest due on a more or less regular basis from invested funds or funds invested in farming, such as rental of land and/or buildings, certain types of capital equipment, etc.)
g) Student. Anyone registered for and attending a scholastic institution for the purpose of a general, technical or vocational education, or anyone attending a university in order to pursue and advanced degree, is a "student."
h) Other Inactive. This category groups anyone who does not engage in any economic activity, is not looking to engage in any economic activity over the course of the data reference period, and does not fall into one of the preceding categories.
How can you ask questions that will allow you to receive the appropriate answers? In the most cases proceed as follows:
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"Have you worked in the last 7 days?"
Or
"Have you engaged in any paid work in the last 7 days?"
Or
"Have you engaged in any remunerative activity in the last 7 days?"
a) If the answer is yes, the person is employed.
b) If the answer is no, many answers are still possible: 7 of them, to be precise.
You should then ask a series of questions, in the order given in the questionnaire, to successively verify which of the 7 answers is the correct one, unless you have good reasons for proceeding in another way.
Specific cases
1) The reference period in rural areas is one year in order to eliminate the negative effects of farmers' normal period of inactivity (dry season, off season). Thus, all individuals (man, woman, and women not attending an educational establishment) who work in agricultural, fishing, hunting or pastoral activities in this way are employed.
2) All married women who work at any economic activity during the reference period (fields, gardens, small business or micro-business, sewing, craftwork, etc.) while at the same time working in the home as a housewife in the classical sense (cooking, collecting water, gathering firewood, caring for children, etc.) should be considered employed regardless of the magnitude and regularity of her economic activity. Apply this same rule in the case of all unmarried women who have domestic responsibilities within the household while at the same time engaging in an economic activity.
3) Children aged 6-18 who regularly attend a general, technical or vocational schooling/educational establishment full time should be considered as students, even if, during the reference week, they have engaged in an economic activity.
4) Retired workers who draw a pension should be classified as employed if they have worked in an economic activity during the reference week, or in agricultural or pastoral work in the course of the year.
5) A business executive who has been relieved of his duties and is without a new appointment, and stays at home doing nothing during the reference period, is not considered unemployed if he continues to draw a salary and figure on the list of personnel: he is employed.
Given that the individual's type of economic activity is pre-coded, circle the corresponding number once you have received the appropriate response.
Warning: 1) If the answer is "employed" or "unemployed that is, if you have code number (1) or (2), ask questions related to one of the following variables: "profession or economic activity exercised," "employment status in economic activity exercised" and "branch of economic activity," which are situated in columns P16, P17 and P18, respectively.
2) If the answer is "looking for first job," "housewife," "retired," "independent income/pensioner" (rentier), "student," or "non-active other," you should have circled one of the following numbers: (3), (4), (5), (6), (7) or (8). In these cases, do not ask any questions related to the variables: "profession or economic activity exercised," and "branch of economic activity," and therefore you won't write anything in columns P16, P17, and PIS. Go directly to the variable "marital status," (column P19).
