# **Table 6: Differences between the 12 months and 7 day recall main employment activity among the working** **<u>population in Uganda, 2009/10</u>**

||**Gend**<br>Female|**er**<br>Male|Uganda|
|---|---|---|---|
|**_Different 12 month and 7 day recall primary activity_**|9.0|10.7|9.8|
|**_Same 12 month and 7 day recall activities_**|90.0|89.3|89.2|

_Source: Author calculations based on the UNHS 2009/10. Note: Based on a direct question on whether the 7 day main activity is the same as the main activity in the past 12 months for ages 15 to 65._ Our first finding is that in a 12 month survey (such as an LSMS), recall period does not affect the aggregate indicator on structure of primary employment. As Table 7 shows, the structure of employment calculated from primary employment status data shows that at an aggregated level, and when the data were collected over a 12 month period, the individual differences between activity reported during the 7 day recall and the 12 month recall wash out. _Thus, for macro analyses, using aggregates, the difference can be ignored_ . Note that the UNHS is collected in a 12 month period thereby minimizing the effects of seasonality, and the country has a largely bimodal rainfall season which shortens the duration between agriculture seasons. In other country settings and with surveys of shorter duration, the result might be different. For example, in the case of a Labor Force Survey (LFS) which typically is _not_ conducted over 12 months, these differences could matter even in the aggregate. For this reason, it is extremely important for LFS and other surveys not carried out over 12 months to include, and rely on, the 12 month recall data.

**Table 7: Comparison of primary employment status in 2009/10: 7 day vs 12 months recall period**

||**UNHS**|**2009/10**|
|---|---|---|
||**_7day recall_**|**_12month recall_**|
|**_Primary Employment Status_**|||
|Private wage - non agriculture|11.8|11.7|
|Private wage – agriculture|5.7|5.8|
|Government wage|3.3|3.2|
|Own account - non agriculture|13.1|13.1|
|Family worker- non agriculture|2.2|2.1|
|Family worker - agriculture|61.7|59.2|
|Unclassified<sup>c</sup>|2.1|4.9|
|Total|100.0|100.0|

_Source: Authors calculations based on the UNHS 2009/10. Notes: a) Unadjusted rates based only on screening questions for employment and inactivity and corresponding recall period self reported main employment status b) The composition of primary employment is based on the unadjusted employment status responses for the working age bracket (15-65 years), with the exception of the inclusion of domestic servants in the private wage category. c) Refers to people who reported a economic activity in the respective recall screening questions but have missing responses in the main employment status questions._ When analyzing individual or household behavior however _, the difference between reported status by recall period matters a lot more_ . The differences in primary employment by recall period are not uniform across employment statuses. Table 8 shows that differences are disproportionately larger for those who reported a 7 day recall primary status in (i) agricultural wage activities and (ii) non-wage (e.g. self-employed) non-agricultural activities. This means that in analyses such as the decomposition of changes in poverty by 17