Regional Course on SDGs Indicators: Measuring decent work
using microdata from labour force surveys
Defining and measuring key labour market indicators: unemployment(SDG 8.5.2) and youth NEET (SDG 8.6.1)
Chiba (Japan)
30 September – 4 October 2019&RQWHQWVUnemployment- definition
Measurement in surveys
Unemployment: SDG indicator
Youth NEET: definition and SDG
indicator

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Unemployed: Operational definition
 Working age persons who were:
1. Not employed inlast 7 days / reference week

2. Carried out activities to seek employment
in

last 4 weeks / reference month

3. Available to start job/business In reference week OR
 In short subsequent period (up to 2 weeks)Must fulfil ALL three criteria to be classified as unemployed
Refers to search for ANY type of work for pay/profit, including for few hours
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Unemployment:
Reference periods

To capture unemployment among
different groups usually engaged inother activities (women, rural areas)
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Job search activities
 Must create an opportunity for a job match Examples of active search methods (when to find a jobopportunity):• Arranging for financial resources, applying for permits• Looking for land, premises, machinery, supplies, …
• Seeking assistance from friends, family, other intermediaries• Registering with or contacting public or private employmentservices• Applying to employers directly, checking at worksites, farms,
factory gates, markets, etc• Placing / applying to newspaper or online job ads• Placing / updating resumes on professional sites online
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Job search & selfemployment activity
Where is the boundary?

 Consider as job search• Before business is operational

 Consider as self-employment• When infrastructure/materials are in place• When financial resources become available• When first client, order is received• Enterprise’s registration to operate Criteria depends on context
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6Special cases –Unemployment
What do you think?
1. Persons with job offer to start in the future
2. Persons participating in skills training
programmes to promote employability
3. Persons on indefinite layoff
4. Persons waiting results of a job application
5. Persons reading the job advertisement
section of newspaper
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MEASUREMENT- summary
Employedin lastweek?

No

Looked forwork in last
4 weeks?
No

Already has
job to start infuture?

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YES

Is currently
available towork?

YES

YES

Unemployed8

Example: Question
formulation job search,
desire and availability

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Identification in labour
force surveys

0+ Module I: Household Roster & Demographic Characteristics
n+ Module II: Education & training
W Module III: Participation in the Labour Market-Identification of persons in employment
AYNPersons in employment
Persons NOT in employment
P-Characteristics of main job-Characteristics of other jobs
- Working time/income-Job search & availability-Previous employment experience

Module IV: Participation in Own use production of goods

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Optional Work modules:-Unpaid trainee work
-Volunteer work
-Provision of services for own final use

10Implementation issues
 Emphasis on active job search• Sequence should start with question on job search• Methods of job search serve as test of active search Questions should be appropriate for all types of jobs
• Search for self-employment jobs and paid employment, part-time work, paid
apprentice type work, etc.

 Requires new question on desire to work for pay orprofit• Asked only to persons who did not carry out job search activities
 Availability serves to determine readiness in terms of time
• Should be asked to all persons who seek or want to work for pay or profit• Question should clarify this (i.e. how soon can person start working)• Includes availability to work part-time or full-time
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8 QHP SOR\P HQWLQGLFDWRULQ6'* V
8.5.2 Unemployment rate, by sex, age and persons
with disabilities
Tier I / Custodian: ILO● Unemployed persons = persons of working age(15+) who were not in employment, seeking
employment and available to take up employment● Labour force = Employment + Unemployment● Unemployment rate = share of unemployed in LF● Preferred source: LFS
Registered unemployment (from administrativerecords) is not comparable

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128 QHP SOR\P HQWLQGLFDWRULQ6'* V
Unemployment rates by sex and main age groups for theworld, and by region (2017)

25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%

WorldAfrica

MaleFemale

Americas

Arab States

YouthAsia and the Pacific

Adult

Europe and Central Asia

Total

Source:ILO modelled estimates, May 2018.
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13Not in Employment, Education orTraining: youth NEET Of major policy interest – considered to be aparticularly vulnerable group
 Includes those who were unemploymed or not inthe labour force and not currently in education ortraining Refers to youth (as nationally defined) – in ILO
context use 15-24 years Requires questions on current engagement ineducation or training Useful supplementary indicator to others onemployment and labour underutilization
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8.6.1 Proportion of youth (aged 15-24 years) not ineducation, employment or training
Tier I / Custodian: ILO

NEET rate =(UNE youth not in Ed or Tr + Youth outside the LF not in Ed or Tr) x100
YouthNot in education or training

EMPYouthUNENEETIn education or training

OLF● Preferred source: LFS
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Proportion of youth not in education, employment or training formales and females, ages 15 to 24 (latest year available after 2008)
60%

TTO

IND

50%
IRN
SLV
TZA

40%

LKA
EGY

PSE
ARM

Female

TUR

ZAF
MEX
DZA
ALB
IDN
QAT
COL
KGZ
PHL
REU
DOM
PER
BIH
SAU
VEN
BRA
MDA
CRI
MKD
ECU
URY
ROU
UKR BGR ITAPRY
SRBGTM
THA
USA
GRC
CHL
ISR
SGP
MYS
CMR
MLI
ABW HRVESP
CYPRUS
BLR SVKIRLNZLHUNEST
MOZ
GBR
PRT
BEL
LVA
AUSFRA
MLT
POL
KHM
BLZ
FIN
CAN
CZE
LTU
SVN
UGA
MNE
AUT
DEU
HKG
CHE
SWE
DNK
LUX
MAC
BEN
NOR BMUJPNNLD
FLK
ISL
MNG

30%

20%

10%

0%
0%

Source:ILOSTAT.
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10%

20%

30%
Male

PAN

40%

50%

60%

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