Concepts and definitions

New ILO database updates work-related indicators to meet latest standards

The framework on work statistics has been widely publicized over the years, particularly to data producers and policymakers, as it was designed to improve labour market and gender analysis. But little has been said to data users interested in international comparisons. Until now. Here is the ILOSTAT solution to handling the impacts of revised definitions occurring on different schedules across the globe.

Concise descriptions of concepts and definitions, uses, sources and limitations

COVID Monitor (ILOCOVID)

Competitiveness Indicators (COMP)

Labour Market-Related SDG Indicators (ILOSDG)

Labour Force Statistics (LFS, STLFS, RURBAN)

ILO Modelled Estimates and Projections (ILOEST)

Work Statistics – 19th ICLS (WORK)

Gender Equality and Non-Discrimination Indicators (GEND)

Youth Labour Market Statistics (YouthSTATS)

Disability Labour Market Indicators (DLMI)

Wages and Working Time Statistics (COND)

Education and Mismatch Indicators (EMI)

Industrial Relations Data (IRdata)

Occupational Safety and Health Statistics (OSH)

Child Labour Statistics (CHILD)

International Labour Migration Statistics (ILMS)

Classifications

Country groupings and international classifications used in labour statistics

Country groupings

International Classifications of Status in Employment and Status at Work (ICSE and ICSaW)

International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED)

International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO)

International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities (ISIC)

Resolutions and guidelines

Statistical standards adopted by the ICLS

Work and labour underutilization

Resolution concerning statistics on work relationships

Resolution concerning statistics of work, employment and labour underutilization

Resolution concerning statistics of the economically active population, employment, unemployment and underemployment*

Resolution concerning the measurement of underemployment and inadequate employment situations

Resolution concerning further work on the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO)

Resolution concerning the International Classification of Status in Employment (ICSE)

*Replaced by the Resolution concerning statistics of work, employment and labour underutilization

Informality

Resolution concerning statistics of employment in the informal sector

Guidelines concerning a statistical definition of informal employment

NOTE: The ILO established a working group for the revision of the standards for statistics on informality. The revision will lead to the replacement of the existing standards of informality with a coherent set of statistical standards which conceptually and operationally define the different concepts necessary for measurement of work and economic activity in the informal economy.

Glossary

Simple definitions of key terms in labour statistics

Earnings

Earnings relates to gross remuneration in cash and in kind paid to employees, as a rule at regular intervals, for time worked or work done together with remuneration for time not worked, such as annual vacation, other type of paid leave or holidays. Earnings include direct wages and salaries, remuneration for time not worked (excluding severance and termination pay), bonuses and gratuities and housing and family allowances paid by the employer directly to this employee. Earnings exclude employers’ contributions in respect of their employees paid to social security and pension schemes and also the benefits received by employees under these schemes. Earnings also exclude severance and termination pay. For more information, refer to the indicator description.

Employment

Persons in employment are defined as all those of working age who, during a short reference period, were engaged in any activity to produce goods or provide services for pay or profit. They comprise employed persons “at work”, i.e. who worked in a job for at least one hour; and employed persons “not at work” due to temporary absence from a job, or to working-time arrangements (such as shift work, flexitime and compensatory leave for overtime). For more information, refer to the Resolution concerning statistics of work, employment and labour underutilization.

Informal sector

Employment in the informal sector refers all persons who, during a given reference period, were employed in at least one informal sector enterprise, irrespective of their status in employment and whether it was their main or a secondary job. An informal sector enterprise is (1) an unincorporated enterprise and (2) a market enterprise (i.e., it sells at least some of the goods or services it produces), and (3) meets at least one of the following criteria: (i) the enterprise is not registered, (ii) the employees of the enterprise are not registered, or (iii) the number of persons engaged on a continuous basis is below a threshold determined by the country. For more information, refer to the indicator description.

Unemployment

The unemployment rate expresses the number of unemployed as a percent of the labour force (which includes persons in unemployment plus those in employment). The unemployed are persons of working age who were not in employment, carried out activities to seek employment during a specified recent period and were currently available to take up employment given a job opportunity. For more information, refer to the Resolution concerning statistics of work, employment and labour underutilization and the indicator description.