Decent Work Indicators
Decent Work Indicators
Conceptsanddefinitions
ILO MANUAL
First version
May 2012
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Decent work indicators: concepts and definitions: ILO manual/ International Labour Office First edition Geneva: ILO, 2012 1 v. ISBN 978-92-2-126425-5 (print) ISBN 978-92-2-126426-2 (web pdf) International Labour Office decent work / equal employment opportunity / working conditions / social security / social dialogue / economic indicator / definition 13.01.1
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Preface
ecent work is central to sustainable poverty reduction and is a means for achieving equitable, inclusive and sustainable development. The 2008 ILO Declaration on Social Justice for a Fair Globalization recommends the establishment of appropriate indicators to monitor and evaluate the progress made in the implementation of the ILO Decent Work Agenda. The ILO is supporting member States through technical assistance and capacity building at national, sub-regional and regional levels in this regard. In September 2008, the ILO convened an international Tripartite Meeting of Experts on the Measurement of Decent Work, and consequently, adopted a framework of Decent Work Indicators that was presented to the 18th International Conference of Labour Statisticians in December 2008. The framework covers ten substantive elements corresponding to the four strategic pillars of the Decent Work Agenda (full and productive employment, rights at work, social protection and the promotion of social dialogue): employment opportunities; adequate earnings and productive work; decent working time; combining work, family and personal life; work that should be abolished; stability and security of work; equal opportunity and treatment in employment; safe work environment; social security; and, social dialogue, employers and workers representation. This first version of the Manual on Concepts and Definitions of Decent Work Indicators presents a description of the statistical and legal framework indicators. It aims to be a pragmatic and useful tool for users and producers of labour statistics. The Manual is based on statistical and legal international standards, adopted by the international statistical community, and promoted for the harmonization of regional and international data on employment and decent work. As the discussions and use of Decent Work Indicators evolve, the Manual will be further improved, taking on board feed-back received and new conclusions adopted. The ILO, through the Department of Statistics, is currently putting in place a new modernised and publicly available global database covering both short-term and annual indicators on decent work. It builds on national reporting and recalculations according to international definitions in a big effort to render the information available comparable. The ILO/EC project on Monitoring and Assessing Progress on Decent Work (20092013), funded by the European Union, strengthens the national capacity to self-monitor and selfassess progress towards decent work. The project facilitates the identification of decent work indicators, supports data collection, and uses the collected data for integrated policy analysis of decent work in order to make them relevant for policy making. It also supports the production of guidelines and manuals on measuring and assessing decent work.
Stephen Pursey
Director Policy Integration Department
Acknowledgements
he production of this first version of the Manual on Concepts and Definitions of Decent Work Indicators has been a joint effort between the STATISTICS (Monica Castillo, Igor Chernyshev, David Hunter, Sophia Lawrence, Adriana Mata-Greenwood, Valentina Stoevska, Dagmar Walter) and INTEGRATION Departments (Claire La Hovary, Zeynep OrhunGirard, Nama Pags, Nikolai Rogovsky, Makbule Sahan). The Manual has benefited from other technical units inputs, whom we want to specially thank: IPEC/SIMPOC (Frank Hagemann, Bijoy Raychaudhuri, Yacouba Diallo), DECLARATION (Beate Andrees, Michalle De Cock), TRAVAIL (Malte Luebker, Jon Messenger, Sangheon Lee), EMP/TRENDS (Ekkehard Ernst, Steven Kapsos, Theodoor Sparreboom), SEC/SOC (Florence Bonnet, Ursula Kulke), DIALOGUE (Susan Hayter, Rya Gkhan Koer, Angelika Muller and Corinne Vargha), LAB/ADMIN (Nadine Fischer and Maria Luz Vega). It has also benefitted from the input of Lee Swepston (consultant) from the professional editing of Marita Boe (consultant). The ILO would also like to thank the European Union for financing the Manual and supporting the whole process of the preparation of the document, under the ILO/EC Project Monitoring and Assessing Progress on Decent Work (MAP). Some statements made in the report may not reflect the positions of the above national institutions and individuals. Any errors or omissions found herein are the sole responsibility of the International Labour Office.
Contents
Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Abbreviations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . General introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chapter 1. Economic and social context for decent work. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chapter 2. Employment opportunities
.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
7 8 13 15 23 45 69 83 95
Chapter 3. Adequate earnings and productive work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chapter 4. Decent working time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chapter 5. Combining work, family and personal life
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Chapter 6. Work that should be abolished . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101 Chapter 7. Stability and security of work
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113 125
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Chapter 9. Safe work environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135 Chapter 10. Social security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147 Chapter 11. Social dialogue, workers and employers representation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
List of legal framework indicators 1. Labour administration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2. Government commitment to full employment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3. Unemployment insurance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4. Statutory minimum wage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5. Maximum hours of work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6. Paid annual leave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7. Maternity leave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8. Parental leave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9. Child labour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10. Forced labour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11. Termination of employment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12. Equal opportunity and treatment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13. Equal remuneration of men and women for work of equal value . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14. Employment injury benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15. OSH labour inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16. Pension (public/private) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17. Incapacity for work due to sickness/sick leave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18. Incapacity for work due to invalidity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19. Freedom of association and the right to organize . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20. Collective bargaining right . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21. Tripartite consultations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . List of decent work statistical indicators CONT-1. Children not in school (percentage by age) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CONT-2. Estimated percentage of working-age population who are HIV-positive . . . . . CONT-3. Labour productivity (GDP per employed person, level and growth rate) . . . . . CONT-4. Income (consumption) inequality (percentile ratio P90/P10) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CONT-5. Inflation rate (CPI) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CONT-6. Employment by branch of economic activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CONT-7. Education of adult population (adult literacy rate, adult secondary school graduation rate) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CONT-8. Labour share of GDP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CONT-9. Real GDP per capita in PPP$ (level and growth rate) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CONT-10. Female share of employment by economic activity (ISIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CONT-11. Earnings inequality (percentile ratio P90/P10) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CONT-12. Poverty measures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
EMPL-1. EMPL-2. EMPL-3. EMPL-4. EMPL-5. EMPL-6. EMPL-7. EMPL-8. EMPL-9. Employment-to-population ratio (EPR) (M) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Unemployment rate (UR) (M) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Youth not in education and not in employment (NEET) (M) . . . . . . . . . . . . Informal employment rate (IER) (M) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Labour force participation rate (LFPR) (A) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Youth unemployment rate (YUR) (A) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Unemployment by level of educational attainment (ULEA) (A) . . . . . . . . . . Employment by status in employment (ESE) (A) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Proportion of own-account workers and contributing family workers in total employment (POACFW) (A) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . EMPL-10. Share of wage employment in non-agricultural employment (SENAE) (A)
42 67 68 82 93 94 98 99 110 111 123 133 134 144 145 158 159 161 172 173 174
26 27 29 30 31 33 34 35 36 38 38 40 48 49 51 53 56 57 59 60 63 64
10
EARN-1. EARN-2. EARN-3. EARN-4. EARN-5. EARN-6. EARN-7. TIME-1. TIME-2. TIME-3. TIME-4.
Working poverty rate (WPR) (M) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Low pay rate (LPR) (M) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Average hourly earnings in selected occupations (AHE) (A) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Average real wages (ARW) (A) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Minimum wage as percentage of median wage (A) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Manufacturing wage index (A) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Employees with recent job training (past year) (A) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Employment in excessive working time (more than 48 hours per week) (M) Employment by weekly hours worked (hours in standardized hour bands) (A) Average annual working time per employed person (A) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Time-related underemployment rate (TRU) (A) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
72 73 75 76 77 79 80 86 88 89 91 104 105 106 107 108 115 117 118 120 127 129 130 131 137 138 140 142
ABOL-1. Child labour rate (CLR) (M) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ABOL-2. Hazardous child labour rate (HCLR) (A) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ABOL-3. Rate of worst forms of child labour (WFCL) other than hazardous work (ROWFCL) (A) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ABOL-4. Forced labour rate (A) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ABOL-5. Forced labour rate among returned migrants (A) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . STAB-1. STAB-2. STAB-3. STAB-4. EQUA-1. EQUA-2. EQUA-3. EQUA-4. SAFE-1. SAFE-2. SAFE-3. SAFE-4. Precarious employment rate (M) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Job tenure (A) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Subsistence worker rate (A) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Real earnings of casual workers (A) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Occupational segregation by sex (M) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Female share of employment in senior and middle management (M) . . . . . . Gender wage gap (A) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Share of women in wage employment in the non-agricultural sector (A) . . . Occupational injury frequency rate, fatal (M) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Occupational injury frequency rate, non-fatal (A) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Time lost due occupational injuries (A) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Labour inspection (Inspectors per 10,000 employed persons) (A) . . . . . . . . .
SECU-1. Share of population above the statutory retirement age (aged 65 or above) benefiting from an old-age pension (M) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SECU-2. Public social security expenditure (percentage of GDP) (M) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SECU-3. Health expenditure not financed out of pocket by private households (A) . . SECU-4. Share of economically active population contributing to a pension scheme (A) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DIAL-1. DIAL-2. DIAL-3. DIAL-4. Trade union density rate (TUR) (M) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Enterprises belonging to an employers organization (M) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Collective bargaining coverage rate (M) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Days not worked due to strikes and lockouts (A) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Contents
11
List of tables of decent work indicators TableA. Measurement of decent work based on guidance received at the Tripartite Meeting of Experts on the Measurement of Decent Work (September 2008) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Table1. Overview of decent work indicators for the economic and social context for decent work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Table2. Overview of decent work indicators for employment opportunities . . . . . . . . . Table3. Overview of decent work indicators for adequate earnings and productive work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Table4. Overview of decent work indicators for decent working time indicators . . . . . Table6. Overview of decent work indicators for work that should be abolished . . . . . . Table7. Overview of decent work indicators for stability and security of work . . . . . . . Table8. Overview of decent work indicators for equal opportunity and treatment in employment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Table9. Overview of decent work indicators for safe work environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . Table10. Overview of decent work indicators for social security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Table11. Overview of decent work indicators for social dialogue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
12
Abbreviations
Collective bargaining coverage rate Conference Committee on the Application of on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations CEACR Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations CFA Committee on Freedom of Association CFW Contributing family workers CPI Consumer price index DWI Decent Work Indicator EPLex Employment protection legislation database EPR Employment-to-population ratio GDP Gross domestic product GER Gross enrolment ratio GESS Global Extension of Social Security ICLS International Conference of Labour Statisticians ICSE International Classification of Status in Employment ILS International labour standards IPEC International Programme for the Elimination of Child Labour ISCED International Standard Classification of Education ISIC International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities ISSA International Social Security Association LFPR Labour force participation rate LFS Labour force survey LPR Low pay rate MDG Millennium Development Goal NPISH Non-profit institutions serving households OHCHR Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights OOPS Out-of-pocket spending by private households OECD Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development OSH Occupational safety and health SNA System of National Accounts UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization UNSD United Nations Statistics Division WHO World Health Organization WPR Working poverty rate
CBA CCAS
13
General introduction
n September 2008, the ILO convened an international Tripartite Meeting of Experts (TME) on the Measurement of Decent Work, and consequently, adopted a framework of Decent Work Indicators, that was presented to the 18th International Conference of Labour Statisticians in December 2008 (see TableA). The ILO Framework on the Measurement of Decent Work covers ten substantive elements corresponding to the four strategic pillars of the Decent Work Agenda (full and productive employment, rights at work, social protection and the promotion of social dialogue): (i) employment opportunities; (ii) adequate earnings and productive work; (iii) decent working time; (iv) combining work, family and personal life; (v) work that should be abolished; (vi) stability and security of work; (vii) equal opportunity and treatment in employment; (viii) safe work environment; (ix) social security; and (x) social dialogue, employers and workers representation. This Manual on Concepts and Definitions of Decent Work Indicators presents a description of statistical indicators and legal framework indicators related to the ten substantive elements of decent work. The statistical indicators are presented in five elements: measurement objective and rationale; method of computation; concepts and definitions; recommended data sources; and metadata and disaggregation, with brief interpretation guidelines. The legal framework indicators aim to summarize legal information on 21 topics that are considered relevant to measure decent work, through several aspects of the law: laws, policies or institutions that are in place; benefit levels and thresholds; evidence of implementation effectiveness; rough percentage of workers covered, both in law and in practice; and the ratification of relevant ILO Conventions. The statistical indicators and legal framework indicators are both presented by chapter, related to the ten substantive elements of decent work as well as to the socioeconomic context for decent work.
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TableA. Measurement of decent work based on guidance received at the Tripartite Meeting of Experts on the Measurement of Decent Work (September 2008)
Substantive element of the Decent Work Agenda Statistical Indicators Legal Framework Indicators
Numbers in brackets refer to ILO strategic objectives: 1. Standards and fundamental principles and rights at work; 2. Employment; 3. Social protection; 4. Social dialogue.
Selection of relevant statistical indicators that allow monitoring progress made with regard to the substantive elements. MMain decent work indicators AAdditional decent work indicators FCandidate for future inclusion/developmental work to be done by the Office CEconomic and social context for decent work (S) indicates that an indicator should be reported separately for men and women in addition to the total.
LDescriptive indicators providing information on rights at work and the legal framework for decent work. Description of relevant national legislation, policies and institutions in relation to the substantive elements of the Decent Work Agenda; where relevant, information on the qualifying conditions, the benefit level and its financing; evidence of implementation effectiveness (as recorded by ILO supervisory bodies); estimates of coverage of workers in law and in practice; information on the ratification of relevant ILO Conventions. LLabour administration** Developmental work to be done by the Office to reflect environment for Sustainable enterprises, incl. indicators for (i) education, training and lifelong learning, (ii) entrepreneurial culture, (iii) enabling legal and regulatory framework, (iv) fair competition, and (v) rule of law and secure property rights. Developmental work to be done by the Office to reflect other institutional arrangements, such as scope of labour law and scope of labour ministry and other relevant ministries. LGovernment commitment to full employment LUnemployment insurance
CChildren not in school (% by age) (S) CEstimated % of working age population who are HIV positive CLabour productivity (GDP per employed person, level and growth rate) CIncome inequality (percentile ratio P90/P10, income or consumption) CInflation rate (CPI) CEmployment by branch of economic activity CEducation of adult population (adult literacy rate, adult secondary-school graduation rate) (S) CLabour share in GDP C (additional)Real GDP per capita in PPP$ (level and growth rate) C (additional)Female share of employment by industry (ISIC tabulation category) C (additional)Wage/earnings inequality (percentile ratio P90/P10) C (additional) Poverty measures** MEmployment-to-population ratio, 1564 years (S) MUnemployment rate (S) MYouth not in education and not in employment, 1524 years (S) MInformal employment (S) ALabour force participation rate, 1564 years (1) [to be used especially where statistics on Employment-to-population ratio and/or Unemployment rate (total) are not available] AYouth unemployment rate, 1524 years (S) AUnemployment by level of education (S) AEmployment by status in employment (S) AProportion of own-account and contr. family workers in total employment (S) [to be used especially where statistics on informal employment are not available] AShare of wage employment in non-agricultural employment (S) FLabour underutilization (S) Memo item: Time-related underemployment rate (S) grouped as A under Decent Working Time MWorking poor (S) MLow pay rate (below 2/3 of median hourly earnings) (S) AAverage hourly earnings in selected occupations (S) AAverage real wages (S) AMinimum wage as % of median wage AManufacturing wage index AEmployees with recent job training (past year/past 4 weeks) (S) MExcessive hours (more than 48 hours per week; usual hours) (S) AUsual hours worked (standardized hour bands) (S) AAnnual hours worked per employed person (S) ATime-related underemployment rate (S) FPaid annual leave (developmental work to be done by the Office; additional indicator)
Employment opportunities (1 + 2)
LMinimum wage
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Statistical Indicators
Combining work, family and personal life (1 + 3) Work that should be abolished (1 + 3)
FAsocial/unusual hours (Developmental work to be done by the Office) FMaternity protection (developmental work to be done by the Office; main indicator) MChild labour [as defined by ICLS resolution] (S) AHazardous child labour (S) AOther worst forms of child labour (S)** AForced labour (S)** AForced labour rate among returned migrants (S)** Stability and security of work (developmental work to be done): MPrecarious Employment rate** (5) AJob tenure** (5) ASubsistence worker rate** (5) AReal earnings casual workers** (S) Memo item: Informal employment grouped under employment opportunities. MOccupational segregation by sex MFemale share of employment in senior and middle management* (ISCO88 groups 11 and 12) AGender wage gap AShare of women in wage employment in the non-agricultural sector AIndicator for Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work (Elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation) to be developed by the Office AMeasure for discrimination by race/ethnicity/of indigenous people/of (recent) migrant workers/of rural workers where relevant and available at the national level. FMeasure of dispersion for sectoral/occupational distribution of (recent) migrant workers FMeasure for employment of persons with disabilities Memo item: Indicators under other substantive elements marked (S) indicator should be reported separately for men and women in addition to the total. MOccupational injury rate, fatal AOccupational injury rate, nonfatal ATime lost due to occupational injuries ALabour inspection (inspectors per 10,000 employed persons) MShare of population aged 65 and above benefiting from a pension (S) MPublic social security expenditure (% of GDP) AHealthcare exp. not financed out of pocket by private households AShare of population covered by (basic) health care provision (S) FShare of econ. active population contributing to a pension scheme (S) FPublic expenditure on needs based cash income support (% of GDP) FBeneficiaries of cash income support (% of the poor) FSick leave (developmental work to be done by the Office; additional indicator) [Interpretation in conjunction with legal framework and labour market statistics.] MUnion density rate (S) MEnterprises belonging to employer organization [rate] MCollective bargaining coverage rate (S) MIndicator for Fundamental principles and rights at work (Freedom of association and collective bargaining) to be developed by the Office ADays not worked due to strikes and lockouts*
LMaternity leave (incl. weeks of leave, and rate of benefits) LParental leave* LChild labour (incl. public policies to combat it) LForced labour (incl. public policies to combat it) LTermination of employment* (incl. notice of termination in weeks) Memo item: Unemployment insurance grouped under employment opportunities; needs to be interpreted in conjunction for flexicurity. LEqual opportunity and treatment* LEqual remuneration of men and women for work of equal value*
LEmployment injury benefits* LSafety and health labour inspection LPension LIncapacity for work due to sickness/sick leave LIncapacity for work due to invalidity Memo item: Unemployment insurance grouped under employment opportunities.
Social security (1 + 3)
LFreedom of association and the right to organize LCollective bargaining right LTripartite consultations
Source: ILO compilation on the basis of the Discussion paper for the Tripartite Meeting of Experts on the Measurement of Decent Work (Geneva, 810 September 2008). *Wording modified by ILO in the pilot phase; **Indicator added by ILO in the pilot phase.
General introduction
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1. See ILO: Reducing the decent work deficitA global challenge, Report of the Director-General, ILC, 89th Session (Geneva, June 2001). DG report, ILC, 2001, p.59 (http://www.ilo.org/public/portugue/region/eurpro/lisbon/pdf/repi-a.pdf). As was noted in the World Social Security Report 2010/11 for example, although the widest legal foundations can [n]ever result in adequate coverage outcomes if they are not enforced and not backed by sufficient resources (), strong legal foundations are a necessary condition for securing higher resources; there are no national situations where generous resources are available despite the lack of a legal basis. (p.3). 2. R. Anker et al.: Measuring decent work with statistical indicators, Integration Working Paper No.2 (Geneva, ILO, 2002). 3. These concern: unemployment insurance, minimum wage, hours of work, paid annual leave, maternity leave, parental leave, termination of employment, employment injury benefits, safety and health labour inspection, pension, incapacity to work due to sickness/sick leave, incapacity to work due to invalidity, freedom of association and the right to organize, collective bargaining.
General introduction
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Law, policy or institutions: This contains a brief description of the content of the law, policies and institutions related to the subject-matter of the indicator, as well as a description of the groups of persons that these law, policies and institutions apply to. Qualifying Conditions: When relevant, the qualifying conditions are specified. Benefits (level and duration): When relevant, the level and duration of benefits is specified. Financing: When relevant, the source of funds is specified. Evidence of implementation effectiveness: Comments of ILO supervisory bodies related to implementation (Observations and direct requests of the CEACR, conclusions and recommendations of the CFA, conclusions of the CCAS, Complaints, Representations, if any). Coverage of workers in law: If available, a broad estimate in percentage of the workforce covered by the law. Coverage of workers in practice: If available, broad estimate in percentage of workers covered in practice. Ratification of ILO Conventions: Title of relevant ILO Conventions and date of ratification, if any.
of workers covered by the law and workers covered in practice (under coverage in law and coverage in practice). As was highlighted during the Tripartite Meeting of Experts (TME) held in September 2008, noting differences in the benefits of national laws in different countries, or making a judgement on the national legislation, may be meaningless and may often be misleading without information on the number of workers who not only are covered in law, but who are also, actually covered in practice. Estimates in the percentage of coverage in law aim to highlight the scope of the legislation (i.e. to whom the law applies). The law might not apply to the whole workforce and might exclude, for example, certain sectors, enterprises, or professions, or certain workers on specific type of contracts (this information is detailed in the first heading of each Legal Framework Indicator: Law, policy or institutions). A clear understanding of who is covered by the law and who is excluded from it together with statistical information to that effect offers the necessary tools to further analyse the legal framework of a country and may have a direct impact on policy making concerning decent work. Estimates in the percentage of coverage in practice (or effective coverage) aim to highlight the actual application of the law and seek to show who is benefiting from the law. Coverage in practice may focus on actual coverage (e.g. number of people receiving unemployment benefits) or potential coverage (e.g. number of people contributing who could receive unemployment benefits if they lost their job). This measurement aims to find the number of persons covered de facto (who are those actually covered in practice) as a percentage of those covered de lege (who are those expected to be covered and protected under the law). The estimate of coverage in practice is usually lower that the estimate of coverage in law for several reasons, including lack of enforcement, ignorance of the law, avoidance of the application of the law, and more general lapses in governance. Hence, estimates of coverage in practice provide valuable information for policy makers. As the estimation of coverage in law and in practice in percentage terms is generally not straightforward, and is impossible for most countries to calculate in a robust way, the TME endorsed the proposition to use broad percentage ranges to make the estimates, such as: few (<10per cent), some (1032per cent), about half (3366per cent), most (6789per cent), virtually all, or all (90+per cent).
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Difficulties in estimating the numbers of workers covered in law and in practice include: y when calculating the number of workers covered by the law, a distinction needs to be made, when relevant, between a worker and an employee or a person who is self-employed (the existence of a disguised employment relationship, for example, makes this problematic); y the fact that formal/informal work is not a binary concept but operates on a spectrum (a worker may be formal in certain aspects of his work and informal in others, for example, an employees hours of work could be only partially declared); y lack of government records; y lack of information; y methodological difficulties (for example, how do we find out if the lawwhich includes not only the legislative minimums but collective bargaining and contract law as wellhas been respected); and y the fact that qualifying conditions may be applicable (this adds an additional layer of complexity when calculating the number of workers covered by the law). Some of the data needed to reflect coverage in practice is already reflected in the statistical decent work indicators. This regards, for example, the statistical indicators on unemployment insurance (EMP-2), maternity (COMB-2 methodology to be developed), pension (SECU-1), freedom of association and collective bargaining (DIAL-1 and DIAL-3). When this is the case, and when data are available, reference to the relevant statistical indicator is made. All LFIs draw on the following sources (additional sources and databases specific to each LFI are detailed in the following chapters): y ILO sources: NORMLEX database (http://www.ilo.org/dyn/normlex/en). This database provides access to the CEACRs comments (Observations and Direct Requests), the Conference Committee on the Application of Standards conclusions as well as Article26 complaints, Article24 representations, and information on ratifications (this information is consolidated in NORMLEX Country Profiles); NATLEX database provides abstracts of legislation and relevant citation information, and, where possible, the full text of the law or a relevant electronic source. y Other sources: Ministry of labour or other ministries websites (for general information and access to the text of national legislation).
General introduction
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he economic and social context for decent work is essential in order to analyse decent work indicators in the national context. It comprises indicators which are considered important for helping to interpret the decent work indicators classified under the ten substantive elements. The eleven statistical indicators introduced in this section can give a broad picture of the economic and social context for decent work. The legal framework indicator corresponds to Labour Administration. Since many of the indicators share common concepts and definitions (see Table1) this introduction provides some of the key concepts and definitions. Gross Domestic Product (GDP): according to the System of National Accounts (SNA), GDP is the sum of gross value added of all resident producer units plus that part (possibly the total) of taxes on products, less subsidies on products, that is not included in the valuation of output GDP is also equal to the sum of the final uses of goods and services (all uses except intermediate consumption) measured at purchasers prices, less the value of imports of goods and services GDP is also equal to the sum of primary incomes distributed by resident producer units. 1 GDP is the main measure of national output for a given countrys economy. It is the total value of all final goods and services produced in a particular economy; the dollar value of all goods and services produced within a countrys borders in a given year. GDP can be measured using the expenditure or the income approach:
GDP = Consumption + Gross Investment + Government Spending + (Exports-Imports) or GDP = Compensation of employees + Rent + Interest + Proprietors Income + Corporate Profits +Indirect business taxes + Depreciation + Net foreign factor income
Employed persons: persons of working age are classified as employed if, during a short reference period such as a day or a week, (i) they did some work (even for just one hour) for pay, profit or family gain, in cash or in kind; or (ii) they were attached to a job or had an enterprise from which they were temporarily absent during this period (for such reasons as illness, maternity, parental leave, holiday, training, industrial dispute). Employed persons include those persons of working age who worked for at least one hour during the reference period as contributing family workers (formerly referred to as unpaid family workers) working in a family business.2
1. UNSD: System of National Accounts 2008 (New York, 2009). Available at: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/nationalaccount/docs/SNA2008.pdf 2. ILO: Resolution concerning statistics of the economically active population, employment, unemployment and underemployment, adopted by the Thirteenth International Conference of Labour Statisticians (Geneva, October 1982). Available at: http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---integration/---stat/documents/normativeinstrument/ wcms_087481.pdf
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Table1. Overview of decent work indicators for the economic and social context for decent work
Statistical Decent Work Indicator Concepts Coverage Preferred data source
CONT-1. Children not in school (% by age) (S) CONT-2. Estimated % of working age population who are HIV positive CONT-3. Labour productivity (GDP per employed person, level and growth rate) MDG indicator * CONT-4. Income inequality (percentile ratio P90/ P10, income or consumption) CONT-5. Inflation rate (CPI) ** CONT-6. Employment by branch of economic activity CONT-7. Education of adult population (adult literacy rate, adult secondary-school graduation rate) (S) CONT-8. Labour share in GDP CONT-9. (additional)Real GDP per capita in PPP$ (level and growth rate) CONT-10. (additional)Female share of employment by industry (ISIC tabulation category) CONT-11. (additional)Earnings inequality (percentile ratio P90/P10)
Levelof education and age bands HIV prevalence and working age population GDP and employed persons Income, percentile
Children by age groups Working-age population All employed persons All households
Administrative data Population census surveys Administrative data Demographic health surveys National accounts LFS, household surveys with employment module Household budget surveys or other surveys covering income and expenditure National accounts LFS, household surveys, Establishment surveys, Census Population census Household surveys Administrative records National accounts National accounts LFS, household surveys, Establishment surveys Household income and expenditure surveys Household budget surveys, Population census Household income and expenditure surveys Household budget surveys, Population census
Price index Employment and ISIC Adult literacy Secondary school graduation Compensation of employees and GDP GDP per capita in PPP terms Employment and ISIC
n/a All employed persons Adult population All employees n/a All female employed persons All employees
All population
It should be noted that the concept of employment does not include household members engaged in the provision of unpaid services for their own family use such as cooking at home or caring for their own children as well as volunteers providing services to households for their own final use. These activities are not included within the production boundaries of the SNA.3 However, persons engaged in the production of economic goods and services for their own and household consumption should be considered as in self-employment if such production comprises an important contribution to the total consumption of the household.4 Employees are all those workers who hold paid employment jobs. These are jobs where the incumbents hold explicit (written or oral) or implicit employment contracts which give them a basic remuneration that is not directly dependent upon the revenue of the unit for which they work (this unit can be a corporation, a non-profit institution, a government unit or a household). Some or all of the tools, capital equipment, information systems and/or premises
3. UNSD: Ibid. 4. ILO: Ibid.
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used by the incumbents may be owned by others, and the incumbents may work under direct supervision of, or according to strict guidelines set by the owner(s) or persons in the owners employment. Persons in paid employment jobs are typically remunerated by wages and salaries, but may be paid by commission from sales, by piece-rates, bonuses or in-kind payments such as food, housing or training.5 In practice, the status in employment to be attributed to a person may not always be clear. For instance, if the owner or a shareholder of a corporation works for the corporation for paid remuneration, s/he would be considered as an employee according to the SNA whereas they may be self-employed according to labour statistics. Outworkers may be considered as self-employed or as an employee depending on their specific situation, particularly based on their remuneration. The remuneration of the self-employed is considered as mixed income by the SNA. The International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities defines the economic sectors. For instance, the agricultural sector covers agriculture, forestry and fishing (category A in ISIC, Revision4). The non-agricultural sector refers to industry and services. Industry includes mining and quarrying (including oil production), manufacturing, construction, electricity, gas, and water (categories B-F in ISIC, Revision4). Services include wholesale and retail trade and restaurants and hotels; transport, storage, and communications; financing, insurance, real estate and business services; and community, social and personal services (categories G-U in ISIC, Revision4). The System of National Accounts and the Resolutions of the International Conference of Labour Statisticians (ICLS) are aligned as regards the definition of economic activity.
5. ILO: Resolution concerning the International Classification of Status in Employment (ICSE), adopted by the Fifteenth International Conference of Labour Statisticians (Geneva, January 1993). Available at: http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/ groups/public/---dgreports/---integration/---stat/documents/normativeinstrument/wcms_087562.pdf
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STATISTICAL INDICATORS
CONT-1.Children not in school (percentage by age)
Measurement objective and rationale This indicator is designed to give information on school-age children who are not attending school. Provision of education at primary and secondary levels is an important foundation for building skills and providing a pathway to decent work. Children not in school is related to Millennium Development Goals (MDG) 2 and 3 as follows: the Net enrolment ratio in primary education, which is MDG indicator 2.1 for monitoring progress towards achieving Target 2.A.: Ensure that, by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling under Goal 2: Achieve universal primary education; and MDG indicator 3.1: Ratios of girls to boys in primary, secondary and tertiary education for monitoring progress towards Target 3.A.: Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education, preferably by 2005, and in all levels of education no later than 2015 under Goal 3: Promote gender equality and empower women. Method of computation The Gross enrolment ratio (GER) shows total enrolment in a specific level of education, regardless of age, expressed as a percentage of the population in the official age group corresponding to this level of education.6
GER (%) = Number of children enrolled in a given level of education 100 Total number of children of official age group for the level of education
In order to reach the percentage of children not in school GER is subtracted from 100 for each level of education.
Concepts and definitions The age bands for school education vary from country to country. However, the indicator covers three categories with usual age groups as defined by UNESCO:7
y Children in primary educationusually from age 5 or 6 to 11 or 12 y Children in lower secondary educationusually from age 11 or 12 to age 14 or 15 y Children in upper secondary educationusually to 17 or 18
Recommended data sources and metadata Enrolment data are usually available from administrative records maintained by the ministry of education. They can also be obtained from surveys and censuses which include questions on schooling. Population censuses and/or vital statistics registers provide information on the population in different age cohorts. Internationally comparable data on school participation are maintained by the UNESCO Institute of Statistics and are also available in the Millennium Development Goals Indicators Database of the United Nations. This indicator should be disaggregated by sex, location (urban/rural), economic activity and if possible by geographical area and social/ethnic groups in order to portray any differences in enrolment rates of children from different backgrounds.
6. The GER is preferred to the net enrolment ratio as net enrolment is restricted to the official age group. 7. UNESCO: International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) 1997 (Paris, 2006). Available at: http://www. uis.unesco.org/Library/Documents/isced97-en.pdf
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Interpretation guidelines Enrolment is not equivalent to attendance or completion rates. Hence, it would be informative to analyse this indicator together with data on completion of primary and secondary education, if available. GER data are usually available separately for primary, lower and upper secondary levels. Some GERs exceed 100per cent as a result of late school entry and/or grade repetition. If NER data are available it is preferable to use this measure; however, NER may overestimate the percentage of children out of school, as they may be enrolled at other levels of education. Concern for the provision of basic education is reflected in the ILOs child labour Conventions. The Minimum age Convention, 1978 (No.138) states that the minimum age shall not be less than the age of completion of compulsory schooling and that any permitted light work should not be such as to prejudice their attendance at school.8 The Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No.182) also refers to the importance of free basic education.9 Significant positive changes can be an indication that countries are taking seriously their commitment to ensure of childrens access to education. This can have a highly significant influence on tackling the elimination of child labour and promoting development by increasing human capital. In order to assess the impact of changes in this indicator on child labour, it is important to analyse the trends together with those of child labour indicators (ABOL-1, ABOL-2 and ABOL-3).
Concepts and definitions While no international standard on age limits exists, for purposes of statistical measurement the working-age population is commonly defined as persons aged 15 years and older, but this may vary from country to country. Some countries also impose an upper limit, for example, Finland defines its working-age population as persons aged 1574. The working-age limits should correspond to those defined in the source of data collection. HIV prevalence refers to the percentage of persons living with HIV in a given population, as defined by age, sex, ethnicity, etc.
8. ILO: The Minimum age Convention, 1978 (No.138) (Geneva, 1978). Available at: http://www.ilo.org/ilolex/cgi-lex/ convde.pl?C138 9. ILO: The Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No.182) (Geneva, 1999). Available at: http://www.ilo.org/ ilolex/cgi-lex/convde.pl?C182
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Recommended data sources and metadata Administrative data at the national level are available from ministries of health (reported cases, data from antenatal clinics, mortality data) and national AIDS commissions. In countries with a generalized epidemic, national estimates of HIV prevalence are based on data generated by surveillance systems that focus on pregnant women who attend a selected number of sentinel antenatal clinics, and in an increasing number of countries on nationally representative serosurveys.10 Based on earlier validation exercises, sentinel surveillance of antenatal clinics) provide estimations that approximate HIV prevalence among adult population (women and men); however, the coverage is limited to pregnant, hence sexually active, women aged 15 to 49. Furthermore, the geographical coverage of such clinics may not be representative, as they are often in urban areas.11 National population-based household surveys, such as the Demographic Health Survey, AIDS Indicator Survey, Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey or other representative survey, cover wider age groups and both urban and rural areas; however, they exclude high-risk sub-populations such as military personnel and are subject to non-response errors. Especially when blood tests are involved, household surveys are complex and costly; hence data collection is not frequent.12 Case reporting, on the other hand, focuses on specific high-risk populations, for example, injecting drug users and does not cover newly-infected persons. Sentinel surveillance of highrisk groups, such as sex workers, may bias the estimates upwards, as they cover persons who are seeking treatment in sexually transmitted disease clinics, etc.13 The most widely available data sources are the regular reports from UNAIDS and WHO. The nearest equivalent to working age in these reports is adults aged 15 to 49, and for many countries this is likely to be the only data source. At the international level, UNAIDS and WHO publish the Report on the global AIDS epidemic14 every two years, supplemented by an AIDS epidemic update every year (except 2008).15 The UN Population Division data give estimates and projections of populations by age and sex, with and without HIV/AIDS. Interpretation guidelines The main drawback of limiting the coverage to the 1549 age group is the exclusion of older working adults. Although the HIV epidemic is often concentrated in the younger adult age group, especially 25 years and under, a substantial share of people living with HIV are over 50years of age and they are likely to become more numerous as the availability of antiretroviral treatment extends life expectancy. Recognizing this limitation, UNAIDS has recommended changing the reporting to all ages, but this will take time to implement. At older ages, changes in HIV prevalence are slow to reflect changes in the rate of new infections, while at younger ages, trends in HIV prevalence are a better indication of recent trends in HIV incidence and risk behaviour.16 This indicator does not capture elements such as HIV costs for enterprises/ employers, costbenefits of workplace programmes, or legal-policy responses nor the ability of persons, especially women to negotiate. It is much too broad to give any indication of the impact of workplace policies and programmes.
10. UNAIDS: Methods and assumptions for estimates. Available at: http://www.unaids.org/en/media/unaids/ contentassets/documents/dataanalysis/Epi_MethodsAssumptionsEstimates_en.pdf 11. UNAIDS: Q&A on HIV/AIDS estimates (Geneva, July 2008). Available at: http://data.unaids.org/pub/ InformationNote/2008/070608_epi_backgrounder_on_methodology_en.pdf 12. UNAIDS: Q&A on HIV/AIDS estimates (Geneva, July 2008). Available at: http://data.unaids.org/pub/ InformationNote/2008/070608_epi_backgrounder_on_methodology_en.pdf 13. UNAIDS: Ibid. http://data.unaids. f 14. UNAIDS and WHO: Report on the global AIDS epidemic, 2008 (Geneva, 2008). Available at: http://www.unaids. org/en/dataanalysis/epidemiology/2008reportontheglobalaidsepidemic/ 15. UNAIDS and WHO: Aids Epidemic Update (Geneva, 2009). Available at: http://www.unaids.org/en/media/unaids/ contentassets/dataimport/pub/report/2009/jc1700_epi_update_2009_en.pdf 16. UNAIDS: United Nations General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS. Monitoring the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS, Guidelines on construction of core indicators 2010 Reporting (Geneva, 2009). Available at: http://data.unaids.org/pub/manual/2009/jc1676_core_indicators_2009_en.pdf
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CONT-3.Labour productivity (GDP per employed person, level and growth rate)
Measurement objective and rationale Labour productivity represents the total volume of output (measured in terms of GDP) achieved per unit of labour (measured in terms of employed persons). The purpose of this indicator is to assess the role of labour, which is one of the inputs to the production process, in terms of GDP growth. It does not inform on the underlying technical process in output growth. Labour productivity is also MDG indicator 1.4 for monitoring progress towards Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, Target 1B: Achieve full and productive employment and DW for all, including women and young people. Method of computation The labour productivity level is measured as GDP per employed person and can be calculated as:
Labour productivity = GDP Number of employed persons
The labour productivity growth rate is measured as the annual change in GDP per person employed. It can be calculated as:
labour productivity year N labour productivity year N1 Labour productivity = 100 growth rate labour productivity year N1
The System of National Accounts (SNA) 2008 recommends computing GDP per hours worked as the simplest measure of productivity.17 This measure would require the division of GDP by the total number of hours worked in all jobs during the reference period.
Concepts and definitions Labour output is measured as GDP. For the definition of GDP, see the introduction to this chapter. Labour input is measured as the number of employed persons or total employment. See the definition of employment in the introduction to this chapter. Recommended data sources and metadata Output measures are obtained from national accounts and represent, as much as possible, GDP at market prices for the aggregate economy. Employment data can be obtained preferably from labour force or other household surveys that have an employment module. In the absence of the above, establishment surveys, administrative records and official estimates based on results from several of these sources can be used. In any case, it is crucial to ensure that the coverage of employment and national accounts data is consistent; for instance, data discrepancies may be observed for categories such as border workers, defence and diplomatic staff, self-employment etc.. Establishment surveys are an important source of data for national accounts but their coverage does not match that of household surveys, especially since they do not usually take into account the informal sector and informal employment.
17. UNSD: System of National Accounts 2008 (New York, 2009). Available at: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/national account/docs/SNA2008.pdf
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Interpretation guidelines Productivity growth refers to the volume of output rising faster than the volume of inputs.18 The main limitation of labour productivity as an indicator lies in the fact that it associates changes in output with only one factor of production, labour. Most significantly, the amount of capital used by labour or changes in that capital is/are not taken into account. However, investment in technology, human capital and increase in inputs other than labour can affect labour productivity growth.19 Computing labour productivity as GDP per employed person (or per hours worked) does not separate labour productivity from the capital used and/or changes in labour force composition. SNA 2008 recommends measuring labour productivity per hours worked as it allows more detailed analysis, for example, measuring productivity by industry thus making it possible to take into account multiple jobs in different industries.20 Analysing labour productivity growth together with employment indicators, for example, the employment-to-population ratio or the unemployment rate can inform about labour utilization. For instance, a combination of low labour productivity with low unemployment and a rising GDP can point to high labour utilization. Labour productivity is dependent on both employment and GDP which are subject to different factors of seasonality and volatility.21
In addition to the income percentile ratio, a consumption percentile ratio could be calculated.
Concepts and definitions An income (consumption) percentile ratio summarizes the relative distance between two points on the income (consumption) distribution and is a relative measure of inequality. The top of the distribution is the 90th percentile and the bottom is the 10th percentile. This gives an indication about the size of the gap between the richest and the poorest households in each country: the higher this ratio, the greater the level of inequality.
18. Australian Bureau of Statistics: Feature Article, A Spotlight on Quarterly Labour Productivity. Australian Economic Indicators (November 2008). Available at: http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/[email protected]/Lookup/1350.0Feature+Artic le1Nov+2008 19. Australian Bureau of Statistics: Ibid. 20. UNSD: System of National Accounts 2008 (New York, 2009). Available at: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/national account/docs/SNA2008.pdf 21. Australian Bureau of Statistics: Ibid.
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Recommended data sources and metadata Data on household income, including income in kind, consumption and expenditure are generally collected through household budget surveys or other surveys covering income and expenditure. As households headed by women may be concentrated in the bottom decile, disaggregation by the sex of the household head is recommended. However, this relationship should be carefully studied to take into account national circumstances and the definition of head of household as adopted in the data collection, which may not necessarily be related to the chief source of economic support. Whether households are headed by women or men, gender relationsespecially the situation of women in society, including their participation in paid employmentas well as relations of power between women and men, affect intra-household resource allocation and use. Interpretation guidelines This indicator is easy to interpret, as it provides the average income/consumption of the richest decile as a multiple of the average income/consumption of the poorest decile. The main shortcoming is that it does not provide information on the distribution of income within the deciles or in the middle of the income distribution. The decile dispersion ratio could remain the same if the incomes of the 90th and 10th percentile change by the same amount in the same direction. In other words, it satisfies the mean independence criterion of inequality measures. 22 This indicator may not reflect changes in inequality when it is due to transfers between deciles other than the 90th and 10th percentile. Other indicators that can be used to measure inequality are the Gini coefficient and the Share of poorest quintile in national consumption. The Gini coefficient is a summary indicator of the degree of inequality. It lies between 0 and 1, with values closer to 0 representing a lesser degree of inequality, and values closer to 1 representing greater inequality. In most of the countries, the value of the Gini coefficient is between 0.2 and 0.4. The poorest quintiles percentage share of national income or consumption is the share that accrues to the bottom fifth (quintile) of the population. Generalized entropy measures and Atkinsons inequality measures are more complicated to compute but satisfy all criteria of indicators of inequality.23
22. The other criteria desirable for inequality measures are: population size independence, symmetry, Pigou-Dalton Transfer sensitivity, decomposability and statistical testability. See J.Haughton and S. R. Khandker: Handbook on poverty and inequality, The International Bank of Reconstruction and Development/The World Bank (Washington, D.C. 2009). 23. J. Haughton, and S. R. Khandker: op.cit. 24. ILO: Resolution concerning consumer price indices, adopted by the Seventeenth International Conference of Labour Statisticians (Geneva, 24 November-3 December 2003). Available at: http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/--dgreports/---integration/---stat/documents/normativeinstrument/wcms_087521.pdf
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Method of computation The CPI is constructed as a weighted average of a large number of elementary aggregate indices. Each of the elementary aggregate indices is estimated using a sample of prices for a defined set of goods and services obtained in, or by residents of, a specific region from a given set of outlets or other sources of consumption goods and services. Given the multiple uses of the CPI, there are various ways of constructing it.25 Concepts and definitions The CPI can be constructed as a fixed-basket price index where the change in the price of a basket of goods and services, representative of a households consumption pattern for a reference period, is monitored. The CPI can also take the form of a cost-of-living-index (COLI) where the effects of price changes on the cost of achieving a constant standard of living (i.e. level of utility or welfare) are measured.26 As the prices of different goods and services do not all change at the same rate, a price index is designed to reflect their average movements. A price index is typically assigned a value of 100 in a selected index base period, and the values of the index for other periods of time are intended to provide an estimate of the average percentage change in prices compared with the base period. Recommended data sources and metadata In addition to the index level showing the change from the index reference period, it is also useful to present derived indices, such as the one that shows changes in the major aggregates between: (i) the current month and the previous month; (ii) the current month and the same month of the previous year; and (iii) the average of the latest 12 months and the average of the previous 12 months. The indices should be presented in both seasonally adjusted and unadjusted terms.27 As significant differences in the expenditure patterns and/or price movements between specific population groups or regions may exist, especially in the developing countries, separate indices for these population groups or regions may be computed. Interpretation guidelines The CPI measures price movements (i.e. relative changes) and not absolute price levels. The CPI is not a complete measure reflecting all price changes in an economy. The CPI does reflect the development of the prices of the items that particular individuals or households buy during the same period, as it is designed to represent the average experience of all private households. Variations from one individual/household to another can be important relative to this average. It does not measure the cost of living as understood with reference to economic theory on consumers behaviour. Regional CPIs cannot be used to compare differences in price levels or living costs between one place and another, they measure only the changes that take place in each place over time. In addition to the standard subindices published alongside the allitems CPI, special indices can be computed to suit user requirements; for example, separate indices for goods and for services, all-items index excluding seasonal products or excluding energy and petrol, etc. An analysis of the contributions of various products or group of products to the overall change and an explanation of any unusual factors affecting the price changes of the major contributors to the overall change provide a powerful analytical tool for understanding movements in the CPI.
25. See ILO, IMF, OECD, Eurostat, UN, and WB: Consumer price index manual. Theory and practice (Geneva, 2004); and United Nations: Practical Guide to Producing Consumer Price Indices (New York and Geneva, 2009). Available at: http://live.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/stats/publications/Practical_Guide_to_Producing_CPI.pdf 26. ILO: Ibid. 27. ILO, IMF, OECD, Eurostat, UN, and WB: Ibid; and United Nations: Ibid.
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Concepts and definitions See the introduction to this chapter for a definition of employed persons and for the International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities which defines the economic sectors. Recommended data sources and metadata While labour force surveys constitute the preferred primary source of information, some of the data can also be obtained from other sources such as population censuses, establishment censuses and surveys, other household surveys, administrative records of different types, as well as official estimates based on results from several of these sources. The breakdown of the indicator by sex allows for the analysis of gender segregation of employment by economic activity. It is possible to see to what extent men and women are equally distributed across the different economic activities, and whether, for instance, females are concentrated in services and in labour-intensive industries where wage rates are generally below those in the industry. Further disaggregation by occupation and age would facilitate detailed analysis. Interpretation guidelines Information on the distribution of employment by economic activity is particularly useful for identifying broad shifts in employment at different stages of development. These shifts over time would indicate labour flows from one sector for example, agriculture and other labourintensive activities to other(s) such as industry and services. Employment by branch of economic activity should be interpreted in combination with indicators on urban-rural migration as the labour flows may coincide with such migration. The indicator can be analysed together with the CONT-10 Female share of employment by industry (ISIC tabulation category). The indicator can inform policymaking in various ways. For instance, by studying trends over time, it is possible to identify individual industries and services where employment is growing, regressing or stagnating. Combined with information on job vacancies by economic activity, it can indicate where demand for labour is focused, and thus could guide policymakers responsible for designing skills and training programmes to develop coherent national and sectoral human
28. UNSD: International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities (ISIC) Rev. 4 (New York, 2008). Available at: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/cr/registry/regcst.asp?Cl=27
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resources development plans, including training and re-training. This information is essential to mitigate labour mismatch and subsequently create employment.
CONT-7.Education of adult population (adult literacy rate, adult secondary school graduation rate)
Measurement objective and rationale Education of adult population can be measured through two indicators: adult literacy rate and adult secondary graduation rate. The adult literacy rate gives a snapshot of the basic level of education and the capability to access written information in a given country. The adult graduation rate from secondary school shows the proportion of adults who have had formal schooling. There is no specific literacy goal or target in the Millennium Development Goals, although Goal 2: Achieve universal primary education by 2015 is closely associated with it. In particular, MDG indicator 2.3: Literacy rate of 1524 year-olds, women and men used to monitor progress towards Target A: Ensure that, by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling is directly linked with CONT-7. Method of computation Education of adult population refers to two indicators. (a) The adult literacy rate gives the proportion of the literate adults. It is calculated as:
Adult literacy rate = Total number of literate adults Total number of adults
(b) Adult secondary level graduation rate refers to the ratio of the number of adults who have graduated from secondary school to the number of adults who should have graduated. It can be calculated as:
Adult Total number of adults who have graduated from secondary school secondary school = Total number of adults who should have graduated from secondary school graduation rate
Concepts and definitions The Recommendation concerning the International Standardization of Educational Statistics (ISES) adopted by UNESCOs General Conference in 1958 concluded that a person is literate who can with understanding both read and write a short simple statement on his (her) everyday life. National definitions tend to vary slightly from the standard definition. UNESCO distinguishes between adults aged 15 years and over and mature adults aged 25years and over. Coverage of persons aged 15 and above may facilitate the analysis of the indicator together with other Decent Work indicators covering the working-age population. The secondary school graduation rate should represent the number of students who graduated from secondary level education, as a percentage of those who should have graduated. The rate may not be easy to capture because students do not all go through the same steps to obtain a diploma. Recommended data sources and metadata Literacy statistics reported by the UNESCO Institute of Statistics (UIS) are most often based on self-reported data from population censuses and reports through household surveys of the respondents own literacy status and those of other household members. Another source of information is through direct literary assessments. 34
Decent work indicators. Concepts and definitions
Information on graduation rates comes from administrative records. The age coverage of this indicator could vary from country to country based on the length of the secondary school education. For instance, the entry to lower secondary education is indicated as some 6 years after primary education whereas the end would be after some 9 years of schooling since the beginning of primary school education. The entry age to upper secondary education is indicated as usually 1516 years in ISCED 1997.29 Disaggregation by sex and, if possible, by ethnicity is recommended for both indicators in order to analyse any gender/ethnic discrepancies in terms of access to education and participation in socio-economic life.
Interpretation guidelines Literate people are better able to access other education and employment opportunities; and, collectively, literate societies are better geared to meet development challenges.30 Illiteracy, on the other hand, brings with it a loss of human potential and economic capacity. It tends to prevail in low-income countries where severe poverty is widespread. Some research provides evidence of economic benefits to the raising of the literacy level of the population; see, for example, Naud (2004), who used panel data for the period 1970 to 1990 for 44 African countries and found that literacy was among the variables with a positive effect on GDP per capita growth.31 The sparse evidence that exists indicates that the returns to investment in adult literacy programmes generally compare favourably with those from investments in primary education.32 UNESCO advises against drawing strict comparison of the extent of illiteracy between countries. However, following the course of progress within each country over several decades, can offer some useful lessons. Graduation rates are a fundamental indicator of whether or not the nations public school system is doing what it is intended to do: enrol, engage, and educate youth to be productive members of society. Unacceptably low graduation rates, particularly among poor and minority students, reflect high costs in terms of lost potential to both the early school-leaver and to society at large.
29. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO): International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED-97) (1997). Available at: http://www.uis.unesco.org/TEMPLATE/pdf/isced/ISCED_A.pdf 30. UNESCO Institute of Statistics: International Literacy Statistics: A Review of Concepts, Methodology and Current Data (Montreal, 2008). Available at: http://www.uis.unesco.org/template/pdf/Literacy/LiteracyReport2008.pdf 31. W. A. Naud: The effects of policy, institutions and geography on economic growth in Africa: An econometric study based on cross-section and panel data. Journal of International Development (2004), Vol. 16, pp.82149. 32. UNESCO Institute of Statistics: Ibid.
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Concepts and definitions Compensation of employees is the total in-cash or in-kind remuneration payable to the employee by the enterprise for the work performed by the employee during the accounting period. Compensation of employees includes: (i) wages and salaries (in cash or in kind) and (ii) social insurance contributions payable by employers. For further details on the components of compensation of employees, please see the System of National Accounts 2008.33
For a definition of employed persons and of employees, as well as of GDP, see the introduction to this chapter.
Recommended data sources and metadata The preferred primary data sources for this indicator are the national accounts estimates of labour share of GDP. The periodicity of this indicator will hence depend on the national accounts data produced in the given country, for instance, quarterly and/or annually. Interpretation guidelines In general, labour share in GDP will underestimate the proportion of gross value added accrued to labour, as it covers only the compensation of employees and not that of the self-employed. In order to interpret this indicator effectively, it is important to consider it together with GDP trends. For instance, if the labour share in GDP is declining in the midst of economic growth, this can be interpreted as stagnation or slower growth in wages and/or employment.
In order to compute the real GDP per capita in PPP terms, one way is to take the nominal GDP per capita in PPP$ for a given base year, and apply the growth rates of GDP per capita, at constant prices (volume growth rates) in order to revise the series backwards and forwards. The use of PPP allows having common units across space, and the use of growth rates of real GDP series in national currency allows time series analysis. The growth rate can be presented as a percentage change from the previous year.
33. UNSD: System of National Accounts 2008 (New York, 2009). Available at: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/national account/docs/SNA2008.pdf
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Concepts and definitions For a definition of GDP, see the introduction to this chapter. GDP per capita should be measured in PPP terms, i.e. as the current price GDP of a country converted into U.S. dollars on the basis of the purchasing power parity (PPP) of the countrys currency. PPP is a method to eliminate price level differences in currency conversion of GDP. Purchasing power parities (PPPs) are used in producing a reliable set of estimates of the levels of activity between countries, expressed in a common currency. Purchasing power parity (PPP) is defined as the number of units of country Bs currency that are needed in B to purchase the same quantity of individual goods or services as one unit of country As currency will purchase in A. Typically, PPP is expressed in terms of the currency of a base country, with the US dollar commonly being used. PPPs are thus weighted averages of the relative prices, quoted in national currency, of comparable items between countries. Used as deflators, they enable cross-country comparisons of GDP and its expenditure components.34 Recommended data sources and metadata The recommended primary data sources for this indicator are the national accounts estimates of the labour share of GDP. The periodicity of this indicator will hence depend on the national accounts data produced in the given country, for example quarterly and/or annually. Interpretation guidelines GDP per capita is often used as an indicator of the standard of living in a country. It is assumed that with the increased production and GDP, the living standards of individuals will tend to increase as well. There are a number of limitations to the use of GDP as an indicator of the living standard, including the fact that it excludes activities that are not provided through the market, such as services produced by the households for their own consumption, transaction taking place in the informal economy or in illegal markets, etc. Exclusion or underreporting of these activities may understate the GDP. Changes in GDP per capita are related to changes in the share of the working-age population, in the employment-to-population ratio, hours worked per capita and GDP per hours worked, i.e. labour productivity. The relations between these indicators can be explained through the identity below, where hours worked refer to total hours actually worked:
GDP GDP Hours Total employed Working age population = Total population Hours Total employed Working age population Total population
Note that the second, third and fourth terms on the right hand side can be combined to give hours per capita.35 Hence, it is recommended to analyse this indicator together with labour productivity (CONT-3) and the employment-to population ratio (EMPL-1).
34. UNSD: System of National Accounts 2008 (New York, 2009). Available at: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/national account/docs/SNA2008.pdf 35. For a comparative analysis of these indicators across provinces in Canada see J.R. Baldwin, M. Brown and J. P. Maynard: Interprovincial Differences in GDP per Capita, Labour Productivity and Work Intensity: 19902003 (Statistics Canada, Ottawa, 2005). Available at: http://dsp-psd.pwgsc.gc.ca/Collection/Statcan/11-624-M/11-624-MIE2005011.pdf
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Concepts and definitions For a definition of employed persons and of The International Standard Industrial Classification, see the introduction to this chapter. Recommended data sources and metadata While labour force surveys constitute a primary source of information, some of the data can also be obtained from other sources such as population censuses, establishment censuses and surveys, other household surveys, administrative records of different types, as well as official estimates based on results from several of these sources. Further disaggregation, for example, by age, ethnicity, location (urban/rural), etc. can be useful for in-depth analysis. Disaggregation of data should assist policy makers in monitoring the progress achieved, creating enabling environments that promote decent, productive work for both women and men, as well as implementing specifically targeted policies and programmes. Interpretation guidelines This indicator supports the analysis of segregation by sex of employment by economic activity. It is possible to see to what extent men and women are equally distributed across the different economic activities, and to check whether females are concentrated in the services and in labourintensive industries where wage rates are generally lower.
Method of computation This indicator refers to the ratio of the average earnings of employees in the top percentile to that of employees in the bottom percentile of earnings distribution. It is calculated as:
P90 Average earnings of employees in the 90th percentile (earnings) = P10 Average earnings of employees in the 10th percentile
Concepts and definitions For a definition of employed persons and employees, see the introduction to this chapter. Earnings in this context refer to regular remuneration received from employers, in cash and in kind. These i include direct wages and salaries for time worked or work done, remuneration for time not worked (for example, paid annual leave), as well as bonuses and gratuities regularly received. They exclude employers contributions paid to social security and pension schemes in respect of their employees, as well as the benefits received by employees under these schemes. Earnings also exclude severance and termination pay.36 Recommended data sources and metadata The preferred sources of data are establishment surveys or labour force surveys including information on earnings. In the absence of the above, other household surveys with employment and income data such as household budget surveys or household income surveys can be used. When the data source is an establishment survey or administrative sources, not all jobs will be taken into account and the coverage of the data source is likely to be limited to formal establishments. This may give a partial view of the situation, especially in developing countries where the informal sector is important. When figures for this indicator are reported, detailed information on the coverage, as well as the definitions of employee and earnings used should be given in order to facilitate the analysis. Disaggregation of the indicator by sex is highly recommended. Further breakdown by location (urban/rural), economic activity and occupation may be useful for policymaking. Interpretation guidelines This decile dispersion ratio gives a measure of inequality based on income from employment for employees only. Considering the level of the average earnings and comparing them with the minimum wage or median earnings in the country would provide (albeit partial) information on the well-being of these persons and would facilitate analysis. It has to be noted that wages do not cover the total income or consumption capacity of an individual. Hence, this indicator should not be taken as a measure of well-being per se. The level of earnings is important to consider, as the decile dispersion ratio may remain the same although an upward or a downward shift may occur in the levels of average wages of the two groups. When level values are compared over time, they should be adjusted for inflation.
36. ILO: Resolution concerning an integrated system of wage statistics, adopted by the Twelfth International Conference of Labour Statisticians (Geneva, October 1973). Available at: http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/--stat/documents/normativeinstrument/wcms_087496.pdf
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CONT-12.Poverty measures
Measurement objective and rationale Poverty here is measured using two indicators: the Headcount Index and the Poverty Gap Index. The indicators give information on the well-being of the population by indicating the poverty status and the severity of poverty, respectively. Both of these poverty measures are also MDG indicators under Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, Target 1: Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people whose income is less than one dollar a day. Method of computation The Headcount Index is computed as the percentage share of the population living below the national poverty line:
Headcount ratio (%) = Number of persons living in households below the poverty line 100 Total population
where N is the total population, I is a function that takes the value of 1 if the expression in the parentheses is true and 0 otherwise, yi is the household expenditure/income and z is the poverty line. The Poverty Gap Index, on the other hand, is the mean distance separating the population from the poverty line (with the non-poor being given a distance of zero), expressed as a percentage of the poverty line.37 In other words, the Poverty Gap Index adds up the extent to which individuals on average fall below the poverty line, and expresses it as a percentage of the poverty line. The formal equation for it is:
Poverty Gap Index = 1 Gi N z
where N is the total population, Gi is the poverty gap (z yi,), where yi is the expenditure/income and z is the poverty line.
Concepts and definitions Households are defined as poor if their personal income (consumption expenditure) is below a specified threshold, referred to as the poverty line. The threshold level can be set at the amount of net income necessary to buy a specified quantity of household goods and services, referred to as the absolute poverty line. Alternatively, it is taken as a cut-off point in the distribution of income (or consumption expenditure) such as 60per cent of the median value, referred to as the relative poverty line. While many countries have established their own poverty line, the international poverty line of 1.25 US$ at 2005 purchasing power parity (PPP$) is generally used to monitor progress towards eradicating working poverty at the international level under MDG Target 1B.38
37. United Nations: Indicators for monitoring the Millennium Development Goals (New York, 2003). Available at: http:// mdgs.un.org/unsd/mdg/Resources/Attach/Indicators/HandbookEnglish.pdf 38. J. Haughton and S. R. Khandker: Handbook on Poverty and Inequality (The World Bank, Washington, D.C., 2009).
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Recommended data sources and metadata While the data for computing poverty measures comes from surveys such as household income, expenditure surveys and household budget surveys, population censuses can provide the population data when the time of data collection is close enough to the other surveys used. The Headcount Index is commonly disaggregated by location (urban/rural) and is sometimes provided at other sub-national levels. If data is available by sex of household head, it should be used for both poverty indicators. Interpretation guidelines The Headcount Index gives the human size of poverty. The advantage of using this index as a poverty measure is that it is simple to construct and interpret. However, it does not take into account the intensity of poverty (how poor the poor are) or intra-household allocation (whether different members of a household enjoy different levels of well-being). The Poverty Gap Index, on the other hand, can be interpreted as the cost of eliminating poverty, expressed in relative terms to the poverty line. In an ideal world where 100per cent targeted and efficient transfers are feasible, the Poverty Gap Index gives the sum of all transfers needed to bring every poor household to the poverty line where the Poverty Gap Index equals 0. Another way to interpret the Poverty Gap Index is as the ratio of the minimum cost of eliminating poverty with perfect targeting (that is Gi) to the maximum cost with no targeting (that is z).39
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Additional sources of information ILO sources y Lab/Admin website: http://www.ilo.org/labadmin; y Labour administration audit reports, if any.
Additional information: the share of budget (compared to overall governmental budget) allocated to ministries in the field of labour administration; development of the budget allocated to the Ministry of labour or other ministries in the field of labour administration over a period of ten years and in the situation of a crisis; and resource situation (human and material) in general.
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Employment opportunities
key dimension of decent work, the substantive element Employment opportunities is comprised of indicators that provide insights as to the quantity of labour demand and supply in an economy. It thus targets an important aspect of the labour market conditions faced by workers and potential workers, as well as employers. Moreover, it includes indicators which permit the analysis of the quality of employment measured through the lens of informal employment and other key components of total employment. This element also targets indicators related to labour slack and the underutilization of labour among which the unemployment rate is often used as a main indicator to signal changes in the business cycle. In general terms, it includes indicators derived from the basis of the labour force measurement framework, relying in particular on the concepts of employment, unemployment, workers in the labour force and not in the labour force. These indicators are measured in relation to a broader reference variable of the population. Many of them are defined in terms of disaggregation of labour force concepts, allowing data users to understand key differences in employment opportunities experienced by component groups; for example, by age group, level of educational attainment or status in employment. Employment opportunities encompass the largest set of indicators within the decent work measurement framework, and comprises eleven statistical indicators (Table2). The legal framework indicators corresponding to these statistical indicators are: Government commitment to full employment and Unemployment insurance. Some of the indicators are in fact components of others (for example, the youth unemployment rate is a disaggregation by age of the unemployment rate) while others are highly complementary and should be analysed jointly, including the employment-to-population ratio, unemployment rate and labour force participation rate. Whenever possible, all indicators should be disaggregated by sex in order to evaluate the differences in employment opportunities experienced by women and men. The interpretation of the indicators requires careful analysis, as changes in the levels or trends in a given indicator must be understood in terms of underlying components and factors and, moreover, should be evaluated jointly with changes in other related decent work indicators, both quantitative and qualitative (i.e. rights at work/legal framework) indicators. In addition, it is important to analyse them together with economic and social context indicators. Thus a decline in a given indicator in one country could contribute towards progress in that dimension while signalling a deterioration in that particular area in another country due to differences in underlying components or factors. It is worth noting that three of the five employment-related Millennium Development Goal (MDG) indicators are contained under Employment opportunities, namely the Employmentto-population ratio, the Proportion of own-account and contributing family workers in total employment, and Share of wage employment in non-agricultural employment (disaggregated by sex). While the MDG indicators were conceived as part of a broad development agenda targeting developing countries, their inclusion here among the full set of decent work indicators is intended to allow countries at all levels of development to monitor them.
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Employed persons
LFS Population census Other household surveys (with employment module) LFS Other household surveys (with employment module) LFS Population census Other household surveys (with employment module) LFS Other household surveys (with employment module) LFS Population census Other household surveys (with employment module) LFS Population census Other household surveys (with employment module) LFS Other household surveys (with employment module) LFS Other household surveys (with employment module) LFS Population census Other household surveys (with employment module) LFS Other household surveys Establishment surveys Administrative data n/a
Unemployed persons
Youth (1524)
Employment Informal employment Informal sector Employment Unemployment Labour force Working-age population Unemployment Labour force Youth Unemployment Education Employment ICSE (status) Employment Own-account workers Contributing family workers Employment Classification of economic activity (ISIC) n/a
Employed persons
Labour force
Unemployed persons
Employed persons
EMP-9. Proportion of own-account and contributing family workers in total employment (A)
Employed persons
Wage employees
EMP-11. Labour underutilization (F) * Legal framework indicators: L2 Government commitment to full employment L3 Unemployment insurance
n/a
* This indicator under development by the ILO will allow data users to analyse the levels and trends of one or more alternative measures to the unemployment rate, EMPL-2. The concept of labour underutilization was discussed during the 18th Conference of Labour Statisticians in 2008, which adopted Resolution III, concerning the development of measures of labour underutilization, and containing recommendations on the future work of the Office on this topic. Progress on the topic has been achieved by the ILO Working Group for the Advancement of Employment and Unemployment Statistics which is expected to present a standard on the measurement of labour underutilization during the 19th ICLS in 2013.
As many of the indicators share common concepts and definitions (See Table2) this introduction provides some key concepts and definitions. The reference population comprises usual residents living in the country during the reference period, regardless of legal residency status or citizenship.For statistical purposes, the workingage population comprises all persons above a specified minimum age threshold for which an inquiry on economic activity is made. While no international standard on age limits exists, for purposes of statistical measurement the working-age population is commonly defined as persons aged 15 years and older, but this varies from country to country. The concepts of employment and unemployment concern the supply of labour for the production of economic goods and services (that is, they refer to productive activity within the
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production boundary) as defined by the United Nations systems of national accounts and balances during a specified time-reference period. The employed comprise all persons of working age who during a specified brief period, such as one week or one day, were in the following categories: a) paid employment (whether at work or with a job but not at work); or b) self-employment (whether at work or with an enterprise but not at work). Temporary absence from work includes reasons such as illness, maternity and parental leave, holiday, training, and industrial disputes.1 The concept at work refers to persons who during the reference period performed some work for wage or salary, in cash or in kind (for paid employment), or persons who during the reference period performed some work for profit or family gain, in cash or in kind (for self-employment). For operational purposes, the notion some work may be interpreted as work for at least one hour. Employed persons include those persons of working age who worked for at least one hour during the reference period as contributing family workers (formerly referred to as unpaid family workers) working in a family business. The unemployed comprise all persons of working age who were: a) without work during the reference period, i.e. were not in paid employment or self-employment; b) currently available for work, i.e. were available for paid employment or self-employment during the reference period; and c) seeking work, i.e. had taken specific steps in a specified recent period to seek paid employment or self-employment.2 For purposes of international comparability, the period of job search is often defined as the preceding four weeks, but this varies from country to country. It should be noted that the ILO recommendations in some circumstances allow countries to apply a relaxed definition of unemployment; that is, taking into account persons who only meet the criteria of without work and currently available for work. The economically active population (EAP) comprises all persons of either sex who furnish the supply of labour for the production of economic goods and services as defined by the United Nations systems of national accounts and balances during a specified time-reference period.3 The labour force or currently active population comprises all persons who fulfil the requirements for inclusion among the employed or the unemployed as previously defined. It therefore consists of all persons of working age who were either employed or unemployed. Many of these indicators are best calculated using estimates derived from a labour force survey (LFS). The primary objective of the LFS is to obtain reliable estimates about the labour force of a given population based on a sample of households. This instrument permits the estimation of the number of persons employed as well as the size of the working-age population and can be designed to provide both stock and flow estimates. It generally covers all workers, including all self-employed persons and often allows disaggregation of data by demographic variables such as sex, age group and in some cases, ethnic group.Moreover, it often allows breakdown by status in employment, occupation and economic activity.
1. ILO: Resolution concerning statistics of the economically active population, employment, unemployment and underemployment, adopted by the Thirteenth International Conference of Labour Statisticians. (Geneva, October 1982). Available at: http://www.ilo.org/global/statistics-and-databases/standards-and-guidelines/resolutions-adopted-by-internationalconferences-of-labour-statisticians/WCMS_087481/lang--en/index.htm 2. ILO: Ibid. 3. ILO: Ibid.
2. Employment opportunities
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STATISTICAL INDICATORS
EMPL-1.Employment-to-population ratio (EPR)(M)
Measurement objective and rationale The employment-to-population ratio (EPR) is the first of the four main indicators (denoted by an M) within the Employment opportunities substantive element. , It is often considered a basic yardstick for understanding the overall demand for labour in an economy as provides information on the ability of an economy to generate employment. Method of computation The EPR is defined as the percentage of employed persons in the working-age population. The indicator is calculated as follows:
EPR (%) = Number of employed persons in the working age population 100 Total number of persons in the working age population
For a given component group of the working-age population, the EPR is the percentage of this group that is employed. For example, the EPR for women would be calculated as:
EPRw (%) = Number of employed women in the working age population 100 Total number of women in the working age population
Concepts and definitions For the definitions of working-age population and employment, see the introduction to this chapter. Recommended data sources, metadata and disaggregation Both employment and population estimates should be derived from the same source whenever possible. The preferred official national data source for this indicator is a household-based labour force survey (LFS). The population census and/or other household surveys with an appropriate employment module may also be used to obtain the required data to calculate the EPR, and employment and population related administrative records may also serve as an additional source. Nonetheless, such sources may have limitations related to periodicity (in the case of a population census), geographic coverage or worker coverage about which data users should be made aware. When the EPR is published, appropriate metadata (or statistical documentation information) regarding the data should be provided to users. For the EPR, it is recommended that as minimum information, data on the source, data reference period, population coverage and geographic coverage be made easily available to data users. Disaggregation of the EPR by component groups such as sex, age group, urban and rural areas, and educational attainment provides measures by which to evaluate the relative differences in employment demand across different population groups. Disaggregation of total employment by key classifications such as status in employment, economic activity, and occupation provides valuable information regarding the structure of employment whose changing composition will affect the EPR. Interpretation guidelines An increasing trend in the EPR usually indicates increasing employment demand within the economy in terms of the quantity of workers. A high ratio is not necessarily a positive result, as it may signal, for example, limited education options for young people, minimal or non-existent unemployment assistance or other social 48
Decent work indicators. Concepts and definitions
benefits and/or economic hardship.Ratios above 80per cent often indicate an abundance of low quality jobs. Sharp increases could point to decreasing levels of labour productivity if not matched by increases in GDP. A low ratio means that a large share of the working-age population is unemployed and/or not attached to the labour force. Persons may not be in the labour force for reasons such as enrolment in an educational institution, retirement, carrying out domestic chores in their own household, illness or incapacity for work. Still others in this group may express a desire to work and be available to work but may not be seeking work for various reasons, both economic and noneconomic. This kind of information is essential for interpreting the EPR of various demographic groups, including youth, women and older persons. There is no optimal value and the EPR alone is not sufficient for assessing the employment opportunities dimension of decent work. For a better understanding of the labour demand and labour supply dynamic, changes in the indicator should be analysed jointly with changes in other key employment opportunities indicators (especially the unemployment rate and the labour force participation rate). The EPR is relatively stable in the short term as compared with the unemployment rate and may vary over the medium-to-long term thus reflecting the impact of social, cultural, technological and economic changes as well as employment policy initiatives. Short-term changes in the EPR should be evaluated using seasonally-adjusted data. Employment elasticity seeks to measure the employment intensity of output growth and may provide insights regarding changes in the EPR vis--vis GDP growth. Such elasticity can be disaggregated by economic activity for a more targeted analysis. Elasticity volatility may be an issue, which requires caution in the interpretation of results.
For a given component group of the labour force, the UR is the percentage of this group that is unemployed. For example, the UR for youth would be calculated as:
URy (%) = Number of youth in the working age population who are unemployed 100 Total number of youth in the labour force
Concepts and definitions For the definitions of unemployment and labour force, see the introduction to this chapter.
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Recommended data sources, metadata and disaggregation The preferred official national data source for this indicator is a household-based labour force survey. A population census and/or other household surveys with an appropriate employment module may also be used to obtain the required data. Unemployment registers can also serve as instruments to collect data on unemployment levels, and are commonly used in many EUROSTAT Member states to supplement the information obtained in quarterly labour force surveys. When the UR is published, appropriate metadata (or statistical documentation information) regarding the data should be provided to users. For the UR, it is recommended that information on the data source, data reference period, population coverage and geographic coverage be made available to data users. Moreover, it is essential that data users be informed whether the standard unemployment definition (which applies to all three criteria) 4 or the relaxed or partially relaxed definition of unemployment (where the job search criterion is not applied in all cases) is used. Calculation of the unemployment rate by component groups such as by sex and age group provides a useful profile with regard to the lack of access to employment of persons within key demographic groups of the economy. The UR may also be disaggregated by marital status, educational attainment, migrant status, race or ethnicity and for any other demographic groups that may demonstrate a differentiated access to employment or suffer from discrimination in the labour market. It is advisable to disaggregate according to the duration of unemployment such as long-term unemployment (or the number of persons who have been unemployed for a year or more), which tends to rise during economic downturns. Disaggregation by geographical area (especially rural/urban) is also highly desirable. Other indicators which provide additional detail on the unemployment situation are: previous status in employment, industry and occupation group for persons formerly employed. Interpretation guidelines Progress is measured by achieving acceptably low UR levels. Frictional unemployment is always present as persons laid off from their jobs seek new ones and new entrants and re-entrants to the labour market begin their job search. At the same time, structural unemployment is also commonly present as industry-occupation staffing patterns shift over time. Thus in the best of circumstances, the UR can be expected to remain above zero. In most developed countries, the unemployment rate continues to prove its usefulness as an important indicator of labour market performance, and specifically, as a key measure of labour underutilization. In developing countries, the significance and meaning of the unemployment rate is much more limited. In the absence of unemployment insurance, other unemployment relief schemes or social safety nets, the majority of persons of working age must engage in some form of economic activity, however insignificant or inadequate. These persons often work in the informal economy and in self-employment characterized by poor working conditions and inadequate social protection. The indicator is often used to analyse gender differences in labour force behaviour and trends. The unemployment rate is often higher for women than for men, but it varies by country. While labour markets have unique characteristics reflecting their particular social, cultural and economic factors, this overall result points to the fact that worldwide, women are more likely than men to exit and re-enter the labour force for family-related reasons. Moreover, there is a general crowding of women into fewer occupations of lower decision-making status as compared to men so that women often find a smaller number of opportunities for employment. Other gender inequalities, for example in access to education and training, also negatively affect how women fare in finding jobs.
4. The only exception might be for future starters, that is, persons who are not working, but available to work and expect to start a job within a limited time period.
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The UR is relatively volatile. It is measured monthly or quarterly in most developed countries that have an established statistical system but less frequently in others. In order to conduct sound short-term trend analysis, it is advisable to seasonally adjust the UR to filter out usual seasonal fluctuations and typical calendar effects within the movements of the time series under review. UR trends should be analysed with changes in total output measured by the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Healthy economic growth is often associated with a decrease in the UR, but this may depend on the point in the business cycle. At the start of economic expansion, the unemployment rate may actually increase as discouraged workers and other persons previously not in the labour force test the labour market by commencing a job search. Changes in the UR should also be analysed jointly with measures of total labour supply and labour demand, in particular the labour force participation rate (LFPR) and the employmentto-population ratio (EPR), respectively.5 In most cases, a decline in the UR is accompanied by an increase in the EPR. Occasionally however, the UR declines in the context of falling labour demand. The UR should also be analysed together with complementary measures of labour slack and labour underutilization, including time-related underemployment and discouraged workers whose ranks often increase during periods of economic weakness. Complementary indicators regarding the proportion of the unemployed who benefit from unemployment insurance schemes or temporary work schemes (where they exist) should be analysed together with the unemployment rate. Moreover, information on the availability of job skills development training and/or apprenticeships and the number of persons benefitting from such programmes (including separately the number of unemployed who benefit) should be collected and analysed jointly with the unemployment rate.
For a specific component of the youth population, the NEET is the percentage of this group who are not in employment and not in education or training. For example, the rural NEET would be calculated as:
Number of rural unemployed youth + Number of rural youth not economically active (Number of rural youth not economically active and rural unemployed youth who are in education or training) 100 NEETr (%) = Total number of rural youth
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Concepts and definitions For statistical purposes, the United Nations defines youth as those persons between the ages of 15 and 24 years, and as the age group recommended to define unemployed youth. In practice, many national statistics offices apply definitions of youth which differ from the international standard. Youth not economically active are youth who are not employed or unemployed.
According to the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED), education is defined as organized and sustained communication designed to bring about learning.6 Youth in both formal and non-formal educational programmes should be included in the scope of coverage for NEET. However, youth in informal educational programmes should not be included as they do not fall within the scope of ISCED for measuring participation in education. Formal education is defined in ISCED as education that is institutionalized, intentional, and planned through public organizations and recognized private bodies which in their totality make up the formal education system of a country. Non-formal education, like formal education is defined in ISCED as education that is institutionalized, intentional and planned by an education provider but is considered an addition, alternative and/or a complement to formal education. Informal learning, which is to be excluded from the scope of NEET, is defined in ISCED as forms of learning that are intentional or deliberate, but not institutionalized. The training concept as used in NEET refers to non-academic learning in which trainees acquire specific skills intended for vocational or technical jobs. Vocational training prepares trainees for jobs that are based on manual or practical activities, and for skilled operative jobs, both blue and white collar which are related to a specific trade, occupation or vocation. Technical training, on the other hand, imparts learning that can be applied in intermediate-level jobs, in particular those of technicians and middle managers. The coverage of vocational and technical training includes only programmes that are solely school-based vocational and technical training. Employer-based training is, by definition, excluded from the scope of NEET.
Recommended data sources, metadata and disaggregation The preferred official national data source for this indicator is a household-based labour force survey. The population census and/or other household surveys with an appropriate employment module can also be used to obtain the required data. When the NEET is published, appropriate metadata (or statistical documentation information) regarding the data should be provided to users. For this indicator, it is recommended that information on the data source, data reference period, population coverage and geographic coverage be made available to data users. Moreover, the definition of youth (i.e. the age band) as well as of the concept of in education and training used to calculate the indicator should be made clear to data users. In some countries, more than one youth age group may be identified for policy purposes, for example ages 1517 (adolescents of working age) and 1824 (young adults). The breakdown of NEET by sex can reveal differences in the extent to which young women and men are outside of the educational and training system and employment. A breakdown by geographical area (urban/rural) and by other relevant characteristics such as educational attainment7 may inform policy actions in view of addressing the labour potential of the youth population. Similarly, breakdowns by youth who are not economically active can provide insights as to the reasons why youth who are in this group and want a job are not in the labour force, including for example discouragement, disability, lack of transportation, domestic chores, etc.
6. For more information, see the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) developed by UNESCO: http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/Pages/international-standard-classification-of-education.aspx 7. For more information, please refer to ISCED-2011: http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/Documents/ UNESCO_GC_36C-19_ISCED_EN.pdf
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Interpretation guidelines A high NEET rate as compared with the youth unemployment rate could mean that a large number of youths are discouraged workers, or do not have access to education or training. Some of these youths may be unable to participate in education or in employment due to severe disabilities or lack of transportation among other factors, and it is important to evaluate such reasons for potential policy interventions. A high NEET rate among females as compared with males is often an indication that female youths are engaged in household chores such as washing clothes, cooking, cleaning and taking care of siblings. Such activities can be detected in the labour force survey questionnaire with appropriate probing of persons who are not in the labour force or through time-use surveys. When they involve excessive hours, such activities prevent female youth from going to school, thus placing young women at risk of not gaining the skills they need to succeed in the labour market. While the NEET rate includes unemployed and not-in-labour force youth who are not in training, it may be useful to analyse information on the availability of existing job skills development training and/or apprenticeships in the economy and the number of youth benefitting from such programmes (including separately the number of unemployed youth who benefit) together with the NEET. If no job skills training or apprenticeship programmes exist, it could be useful to develop a core set of indicators related to the skills gap or requirements vis--vis jobs that exist or are likely to be in demand and that are suitable for youth at different levels of educational attainment. Such a core set of indicators could complement the NEET and provide information for policy action related to enhancing the youth labour supply and employability, for example through the development of targeted skills training or apprenticeship programmes.
For a specific group of the employed population, the IER is the percentage of this group that are in informal employment. For example, IER for women would be calculated as:
IERw (%) = Number of employed women in informal employment 100 Total number of employed women
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Concepts and definitions The definition of employment is provided in the introduction to this chapter. Two separate but related concepts of informality are relevant for this indicator: employment in the informal sector and informal employment. These concepts refer to different aspects of the informalization of employment, as employment in the informal sector is an enterprise-based concept and informal employment is a job-based concept. The informal sector consists of unregistered and/or small unincorporated private enterprises engaged in the production of goods or services for sale or barter. 8 The enterprises typically operate on a small scale at a low level of organization, with little or no division between labour and capital as factors of production.. Labour relations are based mostly on casual employment, kinship or personal and social relations. The fixed and other assets do not belong to the production units as such but to their owners, and the units cannot engage in transactions or enter into contracts with other units, nor incur liabilities, on their own behalf. An unincorporated enterprise is a production unit that is not constituted as a separate legal entity independently of the individual (or group of individuals) who owns it, and for which no complete set of accounts is kept.
Employment in the informal sector refers to the total number of jobs in informal sector enterprises. For practical reasons, the concept is measured as the number of persons employed in informal sector enterprises in their main job.9 The key characteristics of informal employment are that it is a job-based concept (focus on characteristics of the job) that includes: (1) all jobs (main and secondary jobs); (2) jobs in all types of production units; (3) workers in all status in employment; and (4) all branches of economic activity (agriculture and non-agriculture). This final element is particularly important in economies where subsistence agriculture exists. Informal employment, which encompasses all of the jobs included in the concept of employment in the informal sector (except those which are classified as formal jobs in informal sector enterprises), refers to those jobs that generally lack basic social or legal protections or employment benefits and may be found in formal sector enterprises, informal sector enterprises or households.10 Informal employment includes the following types of jobs: (i) own-account workers employed in their own informal sector enterprises; (ii) employers employed in their own informal sector enterprises; (iii) contributing family workers, irrespective of whether they work in formal or informal sector enterprises; (iv) members of informal producers cooperatives; (v) employees holding informal jobs in formal sector enterprises, informal sector enterprises, or as paid domestic workers employed by households; (vi) own-account workers engaged in the production of goods exclusively for own final use by their household, if they are considered employed given that the production comprises an important contribution to total household consumption. For operational reasons the concept is measured as the number of persons employed (and not the number of jobs) in informal employment in their main job. Where they exist, employees holding formal jobs in informal sector enterprises should be excluded from informal employment. As regards (v) above, employees are considered to have informal jobs if their employment relationship is, in law or in practice, not subject to national labour legislation, income taxation, social protection or entitlement to certain employment benefits (such as advance notice of dismissal, severance pay, paid annual or sick leave).
8. ILO: Resolution concerning statistics of employment in the informal sector adopted by the 15th ICLS (January 1993). 9. ILO: Resolution concerning statistics of employment in the informal sector adopted by the 15th ICLS (January 1993). 10. ILO: Guidelines concerning a statistical definition of informal employment adopted by the 17th ICLS (November 2003).
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Recommended data sources, metadata and disaggregation The preferred official national data source for this indicator is a household-based labour force survey which should include questions specifically designed to capture information on informal employment. Other household surveys with an appropriate employment module that includes questions targeting informal employment can also be used to obtain the required data. When the IER is published, appropriate metadata (or statistical documentation information) regarding the data should be provided to users. For the IER, it is recommended that information on the data source, data reference period, population coverage and geographic coverage be made available to data users. Moreover, it is essential that data users be informed regarding the operational definition used to define informal employment. The breakdown of the IER by sex is useful for understanding gender differentials. The IER may also be disaggregated by age group (including child labour categories) to obtain the age profile of informal employment, and by other classifications including geographic area (urban/ rural) and educational attainment. Disaggregating informal employment by status in employment and simultaneously by type of production unit (formal sector enterprises, informal sector enterprises, and households) is also recommended. New indicators may be obtained from these component categories. Given its relatively low volatility, the frequency of data collection and dissemination for the IER may be less than that for other key employment opportunities indicators such as the unemployment rate. Interpretation guidelines A decreasing IER indicates progress as regards the proportion of persons employed that generally lack basic social or legal protections or employment benefits, whether they work in the formal sector, informal sector, or households. As informal employment is comprised of several component categories defined by status in employment and type of production unit, data users are advised to analyse the levels and changes in component rates which may differ in direction and magnitude from the overall change in the IER. Analysts are encouraged to track those components which are numerically important and those in which workers are most likely to be at risk of poverty or not covered by social safety nets. Thus, countries with high concentrations of self-employed workers may wish to monitor the trends in component groups such as contributing family workers and workers producing goods for their own final use. Employees in informal employment and its subcomponents (such as those in the formal sector, or paid domestic workers) may be of particular relevance to countries with a high proportion of employees in total employment where the informal sector is very small. Analysing the levels and trends of the component categories of informal employment will be critical to addressing policy needs. It is also recommended that data users analyse the trends of the proportion of total employment in the informal sector and evaluate this jointly with changes in the IER to analyse the interaction between the two indicators. Employment in the informal economy is defined as the sum of employment in the informal sector and informal employment which is outside the informal sector. It is also useful to track this aggregate indicator to understand the full dimensions of informality in an economy. The IER is an indicator which reflects the social, economic and legal framework context in an economy and may vary over the medium or long term depending on changes in this context. It may be helpful to analyse the IER jointly with other decent work indicators classified under Chapter 3, Adequate earnings and productive workas informal employment does not by itself indicate poor employment-related income or earningsunder Chapter 4, Decent working hours and Chapter 7, Stability and security of work.
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For a given group of the working-age population, the LFPR is the percentage of this group that is in the labour force. For example, the LFPR for women would be calculated as:
LFPRw (%) = Number of women employed + Number of women unemployed 100 Total number of women in the working-age population
Concepts and definitions For the definitions of employment, unemployment, labour force and working-age population, see the introduction to this chapter. Recommended data sources, metadata and disaggregation The preferred official national data source for this indicator is a household-based labour force survey.11 The population census and/or other household surveys with an appropriate employment module may also be used to obtain the required data. When the LFPR is published, appropriate metadata (or statistical documentation information) regarding the data should be provided to users. It is recommended that as minimum information, data on the source, reference period, population coverage and geographic coverage be made easily available to data users. The breakdown of this indicator by sex and age gives a more detailed profile of the demographic structure of the labour supply in the economy. Disaggregation by classifications such as geographic area (urban/rural) and educational attainment are also valuable for analysis. Interpretation guidelines As an indicator of the overall labour supply in an economy, the LFPR is generally relatively stable over the short term as compared with the unemployment rate. It may vary over the medium-to-long term reflecting the impact of socio-cultural, demographic, economic, and legal framework changes as well as employment and educational policy initiatives. For example, increases in the legal school leaving age could reduce the value of the LFPR, while rising educational attainment among women and an increasing acceptance of womens participation in the labour market often leads to a higher LFPR. There is no optimal value of the LFPR and the indicator alone is not sufficient for assessing the employment opportunities dimension of decent work. At the macroeconomic level, what is observed are average aggregated labour force participation rates for the whole population
11. For additional information on the labour force survey, please refer to the recommended data sources and metadata section of the indicator EMPL-1. Employment-to-population ratio (EPR), presented above in this chapter.
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or subgroups (male, female, prime age, youth, etc.). Month-to-month changes or quarter-toquarter changes in the LFPR should be evaluated using seasonally-adjusted data. When analysing LFPR disaggregated by age group, the data often present an inverted U shape as the labour supply is relatively small among younger workers, then increases as successive age groups enter the labour market, and finally declines as older workers begin to exit the labour force for reasons of retirement, health or other reasons. The LFPR disaggregated by sex and age group presented on the same graph often reveals a double inverted U effect, with mens LFPR taking on higher values than womens for each respective age group.This reflects the fact that in many economies, men are still more likely than women to participate in the labour force. Youth LFPRs are more sensitive to economic changes than adult LFPRs. During times of economic downturns, young workers who lack the job experience and tenure of adult workers are often more likely to become unemployed and also to exit the labour force as they become discouraged by the lack of job prospects or decide to return to school to gain new skills. As a measure of the labour supply in an economy, the LFPR should be analysed together with the employment-to-population ratio (EPR), a key measure of labour demand. The joint analysis of the changes in the EPR and the LFPR is essential to understanding movements in the unemployment rate (UR).
For a given group of unemployed youth, the YUR is the percentage of this group that is unemployed. For example, the YUR for females would be calculated as:
YURf (%) = Number of unemployed female youths 100 Total number of females in the youth labour force
Concepts and definitions For the definitions related to unemployment and labour force, see the introduction to this chapter. For statistical purposes, the United Nations defines youth as those persons between the ages of 15 and 24 years, and as the age group recommended to define unemployed youth. It is thus recommended that the youth labour force refer to all persons aged 1524 who are either employed or unemployed. In practice, many national statistics offices apply definitions of youth which differ from the international standard.
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Recommended data sources, metadata and disaggregation The preferred official national data source for this indicator is a household-based labour force survey. A population census and/or other household surveys with an employment module can be used to obtain the required data. When the YUR is published, appropriate metadata (or statistical documentation information) regarding the data should be provided to users. For the YUR, it is recommended that information on the definition of youth, data source, data reference period, population coverage and geographic coverage be made available to data users. Moreover, it is essential that data users be informed whether the standard unemployment definition (which applies to all three criteria) 12 or the relaxed or partially relaxed definition of unemployment (where the job search criterion is not applied in all cases) is used. The breakdown of the YUR by sex provides useful information on the different access to employment as experienced by female and male youths. The YUR may also be calculated for urban and rural areas, as well as for educational attainment groups, race or ethnicity and for other demographic groups that may demonstrate a differentiated access to employment or suffer from discrimination in the labour market. The YUR may also be disaggregated by age to enable the analysis of unemployment differences between component youth groups, for example, between those aged 1517 (children) and 1824 (young adults). Interpretation guidelines As in the case of the unemployment rate, progress in the YUR is measured by achieving acceptably low levels. Given that frictional unemployment is always present as new entrants and re-entrants begin their job search and that structural unemployment is also commonly present as economic activity-occupation staffing patterns shift over time, the YUR can be expected to remain above zero. For additional interpretation guidelines regarding the unemployment rate which also generally apply to the YUR, please see the section on the unemployment rate (UR). The YUR is typically two to three times higher than the adult unemployment rates in economies throughout the world. One reason is that youth comprise the majority of first-time job seekers, who usually have difficulties finding employment due to lack of experience and inadequate access to job vacancy information. Another factor is that youth tend to have high job turnover rates and at each separation they risk a spell of unemployment. There are gender differences in the unemployment experience of young persons. Female youth tend to have higher unemployment rates than their male counterparts, but this varies by country. Possible explanations are similar to those for the total female labour force described previously under EMPL-2. Like the UR, the YUR is relatively volatile. Monthly or quarterly changes in the YUR should be evaluated using seasonally-adjusted data. As in the case of the UR, YUR trends should be analysed jointly with changes in measures of total youth labour supply, in particular the youth labour force participation rate, and youth labour demand, especially the youth employment-to-population ratio. Declining youth unemployment rates could in some cases signal not an increasing labour demand for young workers, but a falling labour supply among youth. It may also be useful to examine the YUR in relation to the following supplementary indicators: (a)ratio of the youth unemployment rate to the adult unemployment rate, (b)youth unemployment as a proportion of the total unemployment, and (c)youth unemployment as a proportion of the youth population. Information on the availability of existing job skills development training and/or apprenticeships and the number of youth benefitting from such programmes (including separately the number of unemployed youth who benefit) should be collected and analysed jointly with the YUR. It is useful to monitor job placement of youth who have completed these programmes in order to monitor their effectiveness.
12. The only exception might be for future starters; that is, persons who are not working, but available to work and expect to start a job within a limited time period.
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For a given group of the unemployed, the ULEA is the percentage of this group that has a given educational attainment level. For example, the ULEA for women would be calculated as:
ULEAw (%) = Number of unemployed women with a given level of educational attainment 100 Total number of women who are unemployed
Concepts and definitions For the definition of unemployment, see the introduction to this chapter. The five levels of educational attainment recommended are: (i)no schooling (less than 1year); (ii)pre-primary level (less than primary); (iii)primary level; (iv)secondary level; and (v)tertiary level. The levels are based on the following categories of the International Standard Classification of Education, 1997 (ISCED-97): no schooling (categoryX); pre-primary education (Level0); primary education or first stage of basic education (Level1); lower secondary or second stage of basic education (Level2); upper secondary education (Level3); post-secondary non-tertiary education (Level4); first stage of tertiary education (Level5); and second stage of tertiary education (Level6).13 Recommended data sources, metadata and disaggregation The preferred official national data source for this indicator is a household-based labour force survey. A population census and/or other household surveys with an appropriate employment module may also be used to obtain the required data. Unemployment registers can also serve as instruments to collect data on unemployment levels, and are commonly used in many EUROSTAT Member states to supplement the information obtained in quarterly labour force surveys. When the ULEA is published, appropriate metadata (or statistical documentation information) regarding the data should be provided to users. For the ULEA, it is recommended that information on the data source, data reference period, population coverage and geographic coverage be made available to data users. It is essential that data users be informed whether the standard unemployment definition (which applies to all three criteria) 14 or the relaxed or partially relaxed definition of unemployment (where the job search criterion is not applied in all cases) is used. Moreover, the definitions for the educational attainment levels should be provided to users.
13. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization: International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED-97) (UNESCO, 1997). http://www.uis.unesco.org/TEMPLATE/pdf/isced/ISCED_A.pdf 14. The only exception might be for future starters; that is, persons who are not working, but available to work and expect to start a job within a limited time period.
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The breakdown of this indicator by sex provides information for the analysis of gender differences in the unemployed by educational attainment. The indicator can also be analysed for urban and rural areas, ethnicity and for other demographic groups that may demonstrate a differentiated access to education or employment and thus suffer from discrimination in the labour market.
Interpretation guidelines Progress is achieved when the ULEA for different educational attainment groups reaches acceptably low levels and when gaps between different educational attainment groups are also acceptably low. Achieving acceptable levels should be considered in the context of national circumstances. However, as in the case of the unemployment rate (UR), the ULEA alone will not adequately reflect labour underutilization. It should also be analysed together with complementary measures of labour slack and labour underutilization, including time-related underemployment and discouraged workers whose ranks often increase during periods of economic weakness or recession. ULEA levels and trends over time should be analysed together with the volume of unemployment in each educational attainment group to understand whether unemployment affects a large number of people in selected groups. In many economies, unemployment rates are often highest among persons with lower levels of educational attainment. This reflects the fact that the demand for workers with higher levels of educational attainment (with more professional and technical skills) is higher in many economies than that for workers with lower levels of schooling (less skilled workers). However, in countries where unemployment insurance schemes or social safety nets are weak or non-existent, persons with lower levels of education without alternative income sources will need to find or create employment for themselves, resulting in downward pressure on the unemployment rate for this group in particular. This is especially true in rural areas where the educational infrastructure is weak and subsistence farming is prevalent. Such factors should be taken into consideration when interpreting results.
For a given group of the total employed population, the ESE is the percentage of this group that is classified in a given status in employment category. For example, the ESE for women would be calculated as:
ESEw (%) = Number of employed women in a given status in employment category 100 Total number of women who are employed
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Concepts and definitions For the definition of employment, see the introduction to this chapter. As defined by the International Classification of Status in Employment (ICSE-93), employed persons are classified according to the following categories: (a)employees; (b)employers; (c)members of producers cooperatives; (d)own-account workers; (e)contributing family workers (formerly referred to as unpaid family workers); and (e)workers not classifiable by status.15 The groups in the ICSE-93 are defined with reference to the distinction between paid employment jobs and self-employment jobs. Paid employment jobs are those jobs where the incumbents hold explicit (written or oral) or implicit employment contracts which give them a basic remuneration not directly dependent upon the revenue of the unit for which they work. Selfemployment jobs are those jobs where the remuneration is directly dependent upon the profits (or the potential for profits) derived from the goods and services produced (where own consumption is considered to be part of profits). The incumbents make the operational decisions affecting the enterprise, or delegate such decisions while retaining responsibility for the welfare of the enterprise.
Employees are all those workers who hold paid employment jobs. It is often useful to differentiate between key components of the employee group.Employees with stable contracts are those employees who have had, and continue to have, an explicit (written or oral) or implicit contract of employment, or a succession of such contracts, with the same employer on a continuous basis. Regular employees are those employees with stable contracts for whom the employing organization is responsible for payment of relevant taxes and social security contributions and/or where the contractual relationship is subject to national labour legislation. Employers are those workers who, working on their own account or with one or a few partners, hold a self-employment job, and, in this capacity, on a continuous basis have engaged one or more persons to work for them in their business as employee(s). The partners may or may not be members of the same family or household. Own-account workers are those workers who, working on their own account or with one or more partners, hold a self-employment job and have not engaged on a continuous basis any employees to work for them during the reference period. The partners may or may not be members of the same family or household. Members of producers cooperatives are workers who hold a self-employment job in a cooperative producing goods and services, in which each member takes part on an equal footing with other members in determining the organization of production, sales and/or other work of the establishment, the investments and the distribution of the proceeds of the establishment amongst their members. Contributing family workers (CFW) are those workers who hold a self-employment job in a market-oriented establishment operated by a related person living in the same household, who cannot be regarded as partners, because their degree of commitment to the operation of the establishment, in terms of working time or other key factors, is not at a comparable level to that of the head of the establishment.
15. ILO: Resolution concerning the International Classification of Status in Employment (ICSE) adopted by the Fifteenth International Conference of Labour Statisticians (Geneva, January 1993). Available at: http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/ groups/public/---dgreports/---integration/---stat/documents/normativeinstrument/wcms_087562.pdf
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Recommended data sources, metadata and disaggregation The preferred official national data source for this indicator is a household-based labour force survey. This instrument permits the estimation of the number of persons employed. It generally covers all workers, including all self-employed persons and often allows disaggregation of data by demographic variables such as sex, age group and in some cases, ethnic group. Other household surveys with an appropriate employment module may also be used to obtain the required data to calculate the ESE, and employment-related administrative records may serve as an additional source. Nonetheless, such sources may have limitations related to periodicity, geographic coverage or worker coverage about which data users should be made aware. When the ESE is published, appropriate metadata (or statistical documentation information) regarding the data should be provided to users. For the EPR, it is recommended that information on the data source, data reference period, population coverage, definition of status of employment categories and geographic coverage be made easily available to data users. Disaggregation of the ESE by component groups such as sex, age group, and urban and rural areas, provides measures by which to evaluate the relative differences in employment crosstabulated by status in employment and simultaneously with a selected key variable. Care must be taken to ensure the statistical reliability of such cross-tabulations if the estimates are derived from a sample survey. Interpretation guidelines Classification of an employed person into any of the aforementioned status in employment categories by itself is not an indication of decent work and data users are encouraged to analyse the indicator with complementary indicators which provide information regarding decent work deficits among the component categories. However, to the extent that the categories reveal a degree of economic risk and type of authority, the categories by their definitions do suggest some important differences. The category of employees is a heterogeneous group that includes both formal and informal workers and workers in the formal and informal sectors. As a result, analysing the informal characteristics of employees should be done together with the analysis of the extent to which employees have stable versus unstable contracts and the extent to which there are regular versus irregular employees in the economy. Regular employees are the most privileged component group (among employees) while irregular employees and those with unstable contracts are characterized by decent work deficits in this particular dimension. Each of the ICSE categories corresponding to self-employed jobs (that is, employers, ownaccount workers, members of producers cooperatives and contributing family workers) is characterized as having a greater degree of economic risk than that of employees since their remuneration is directly dependent upon the profits or potential for profits. However, employers, by definition, hold positions of authority over employees while own-account workers and producers cooperatives may supervise other workers including employees.16 Therefore, a clear hierarchy does not exist among these self-employed and employee groups in terms of both economic risk and authority. Nonetheless, contributing family workers are viewed as having the highest economic risk and least authority of all the groups, and are thus at greatest risk of decent work deficits in this dimension. The analysis of the indicator disaggregated by sex is recommended in order to understand the different experiences of men and women as regards status in employment. For example, in countries where contributing family workers are prevalent, it is common for the majority of these to be women. It follows that these female workers experience a higher degree of economic risk and greater lack of authority vis--vis other status in employment categories. Since employment by status in employment reflects the structure of employment, changes in the indicator can be expected to occur slowly over time. Economic development is often accompanied by an increasing proportion of employees and a decline in self-employment jobs.
16. According to the ICSE-93, own-account workers may supervise employees but not on a continuous basis.
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Moreover, it is recommended that the indicator be analysed together with complementary indicators disaggregated by status in employment which may point to decent work deficits in key areas including informal employment, employment-related income (or earnings in the case of employees), and excessive hours of work. To the extent that certain status-in-employment categories like contributing family workers (CFW) are associated with notable decent work deficits, progress in the indicator would be achieved by a declining trend in that particular component (fewer CFW relative to total employment) and/or by progress made vis--vis the complementary indicators which establish decent work deficits in that worker category.
EMPL-9.Proportion of own-account workers and contributing family workers in total employment (POACFW)(A)
Measurement objective and rationale This indicator provides information regarding the proportion of workers whose status in employment may place them at a higher degree of economic risk than other employed persons. It is an aggregation of two of the components of indicator EMPL-8, Employment by status in employment (ESE).17 Method of computation The POAFCW is defined as the percentage of total employed persons who are own-account workers or contributing family workers. It is calculated as:
POACFW (%) = Total number of own-account workers and contributing family workers 100 Total employed population
For a given group of the total employed population, the POACFW is the percentage of this group that is classified as own-account workers and contributing family workers. For example, the POACFW for women would be calculated as:
POACFWw (%) = Number of women own-account workers + women contributing family workers 100 Total number of women who are employed
Concepts and definitions For the definition of employment, see the introduction to this chapter. For the definitions associated with own-account workers and contributing family workers see the section on concepts and definitions under indicator EMPL-8, Employment by status in employment. Recommended data sources, metadata and disaggregation The preferred official national data source for this indicator is a household-based labour force survey. Other household surveys with an appropriate employment module may also be used to obtain the required data to calculate the POACFW, and employment-related administrative
17. It should be noted, as indicated under indicator EMPL-8, Employment by status in employment (ESE), that status in employment categories other than own-account workers and contributing family workers may also experience decent work deficits in specific dimensions. Thus for example, employees with unstable contracts and irregular employees do not meet the standards of decent work in that dimension.
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records may serve as an additional source. Nonetheless, such sources may have limitations related to periodicity, geographic coverage or worker coverage about which data users should be made aware. When the POACFW is published, appropriate metadata (or statistical documentation information) regarding the data should be provided to users. For the POACFW, it is recommended that information on the data source, data reference period, population coverage, definitions used for own-account workers and contributing family workers, and geographic coverage be made easily available to data users. Disaggregation of the POACFW by component groups such as sex and urban and rural areas provides information to help evaluate the relative differences within the aggregate group of own-account and contributing family workers by one of these key variables. Care must be taken to ensure the statistical reliability of such cross-tabulations if the estimates are derived from a sample survey.
Interpretation guidelines As stated under indicator EMPL-8, Employment by status in employment (ESE), contributing family workers (CFW) (workers who hold a self-employment job in a market-oriented establishment operated by a related person living in the same household) are viewed as having the highest economic risk and least authority of all the status in employment groups, and are therefore at greatest risk of decent work deficits in this dimension. By virtue of their status in employment, CFW are classified in informal employment reflecting the fact that they are likely to hold jobs without clearly agreed working conditions or social protection. In many economies, CFW tend to be women, warranting disaggregation and analysis of the indicator by sex. Some own-account workers (that is, workers holding self-employment jobs who may be working alone or with one or more partners and have not hired any employees on a continuous basis) may have inadequate employment conditions (for example, inadequate employment-related income and excessive hours) and jobs of short duration. This may be especially true in developing countries among many own-account informal sector enterprises and own-account subsistence agriculture production units. Thus, high levels of the indicator may point to inadequate employment conditions. However, in order to establish actual decent work deficits among own-account workers and CFW, the indicator should be analysed together with other indicators, including informal employment of own-account workers and CFW, employment-related income of such workers relative to cost of living, excessive hours and social protection coverage. To the extent that the indicator is associated with decent work deficits, progress in the indicator would be achieved by a declining trend over time and/or by progress made as regards the complementary indicators which establish decent work deficits in specific dimensions.
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Method of computation The SENAE is defined as the percentage of total employment in the non-agricultural sector that is represented by employees. The indicator is calculated as:
SENAE (%) = Number of employees in the non-agricultural sector 100 Total employment in the non-agricultural sector
For a given group of the total employed population in the non-agricultural sector, the SENAE is the percentage of this group that is classified as employees. For example, the SENAE for women would be calculated as:
SENAEw (%) = Number of women employees in the non-agricultural sector 100 Total women in employment in the non-agricultural sector
Concepts and definitions For the definition of employment, see the introduction to this chapter.
For the definition of employees, see the section on concepts and definitions under indicator EMPL-8, Employment by status in employment. This indicator is defined in part by the classification of economic activity, in particular, the non-agricultural sector. The classification by economic activity refers to the main activity of the establishment in which a person worked during the reference period. If possible, the classification used should be the International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities (ISIC), which provides a framework for the international comparison of national statistics, or a national classification that allows easy conversion to the ISIC. Moreover, it is best to use the latest version, ISIC Revision4. The non-agricultural sector comprises industry and services activities. Industry includes mining and quarrying (including oil production), manufacturing, construction, electricity, gas, and water (categories B-F in ISIC Rev.4). Services include wholesale and retail trade and restaurants and hotels; transport, storage, and communications; financing, insurance, real estate and business services; and community, social and personal services (categories G-U in ISIC Rev. 4).18
Recommended data sources, metadata and disaggregation The preferred official national data source for this indicator is a household-based labour force survey (LFS) or an employment-based establishment survey with good coverage of non-agricultural sectors. A LFS permits the estimation of the number of persons employed and generally allows disaggregation of data by economic activity and demographic variables such as sex, age group, etc. An establishment survey captures the number of jobs by economic activity and may be used to calculate ESE if it allows disaggregation of data by sex. Other household surveys with an appropriate employment module may also be used to obtain the required data to calculate the indicator, and employment-related administrative records may serve as an additional source. Nonetheless, such sources may have limitations related to periodicity, geographic coverage or worker coverage about which data users should be made aware. When the SENAE is published, appropriate metadata (or statistical documentation information) regarding the data should be provided to users. For the SENAE, it is recommended that information on the data source, data reference period, population coverage, definition of the non-agricultural sector, and geographic coverage be made easily available to data users. Disaggregation of the SENAE by key variables such as sex, age group, educational attainment, economic activity group within the non-agricultural sector, working time (hours actually
18. UNSD: International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities (ISIC) Rev. 4 (New York, 2008). Available at: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/cr/registry/regcst.asp?Cl=27
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worked or hours paid for and working time arrangements), and establishment size may provide useful information for analysing the relative differences between employees in non-agricultural employment. Care must be taken to ensure the statistical reliability of such cross-tabulations if the estimates are derived from a sample survey. In order to help understand the nature of employee contracts in the economy and thus interpret appropriately the changes in the indicator, it is recommended that the total number of eemployees in the non-agricultural sector be disaggregated by (1) those with stable contracts and (2) regular employees.
Interpretation guidelines Classification of an employed person as an employee or engaged in a given economic activity or aggregate grouping (in this case, non-agricultural employment) by itself is not an indication of decent work, and data users are encouraged to analyse the indicator jointly with complementary indicators such as earnings and excessive hours of employees. This category of employees is a heterogeneous group that includes both formal and informal employees and employees in the formal and informal sectors. Analysing the incidence of informality among this category of workers is therefore recommended. Moreover, it is recommended that data users analyse the extent to which employees have stable versus unstable contracts and also the extent to which regular versus irregular employees are employed in the economy. Regular employees are the most privileged component group of employees while irregular employees and those with unstable contracts are characterized by decent work deficits in this particular dimension. The analysis of the indicator disaggregated by sex is recommended in order to measure the degree to which women have equal access to paid employment in the industry and services sectors. It also provides information on the openness of labour markets to women in these sectors. In this case too, joint analysis with complementary indicators (earnings, excessive hours) and type of employees is recommended. Changes in this indicator can be expected to occur slowly over time given that the categories relating to status in employment and economic activity classification reflect the structure of employment. Economic development is often accompanied by an increasing proportion of employees and a decline in self-employment jobs. Employees can be found in establishments of all sizes and it is therefore useful to analyse the indicator by establishment size. A progress would be achieved by an increase of the indicator if employees are not associated with notable decent work deficits (high proportions of unstable contracts and irregular employees, excessive hours, low earnings, high rates of informal employees). The increase of the indicator needs to be analyzed with the progress made vis--vis the indicators which establish the decent work deficits among the group (for example, by achieving higher proportions of stable and regular contracts among employees). The value of this indicator could decrease through an increase in the number of employed persons engaged in self-employment, for example as a result of rural-urban migration. In recent years, with urbanization and rapid rural-urban migration, non-agricultural wage employment has not been able to keep pace with urban population growth. Many urban workers, unsuccessful in finding suitable wage employment, rely on self-employment to support themselves and their families.
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Additional sources of information ILO sources y CEACR: General Survey concerning employment instruments in light of the 2008 Declaration on Social Justice for a Fair Globalization, ILC, 99th Session, 2010 (http:// www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_norm/---relconf/documents/meetingdocument/ wcms_123390.pdf) and Article 19 Government report (if Convention No.122 has not been ratified); y Employment Sector website (http://www.ilo.org/employment/lang--en/index.htm).
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Additional sources of information ILO sources y CEACR: General Survey concerning social security instruments in light of the 2008 Declaration on Social Justice for a Fair Globalization, ILC, 100th Session, 2011 (not yet published) and Article 19 reports; y SECSOC websitehttp://www.ilo.org/public/english/protection/secsoc/; y GESS Country Profiles, (http://www.socialsecurityextension.org/gimi/gess/Show CountryProfiles.do?aid=2);
Other sources y ISSA Country Profiles (http://www.issa.int/aiss/Observatory/Country-Profiles); y Social security throughout the world: http://www.socialsecurity.gov/policy/docs/progdesc/ssptw/
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n order to be decent, work has to be productive and provide workers with adequate earnings. One of the objectives of the ILO, as set down in the Declaration of Philadelphia, is to ensure a just share of the fruits of progress to all, and a minimum living wage to all employed and in need of such protection. Equally, promoting adequate earnings and productive work is a central element of the Decent Work Agenda and the Millennium Development Goals. Seven statistical indicators are introduced in this section to help countries to monitor the progress they have made in achieving this objective. The legal framework indicator corresponding to these statistical indicators is the statutory minimum wage. Since many of the indicators share common concepts and definitions (See Table1) this introduction provides some of the key concepts and definitions. Wages: Wages in this context refer to total earnings, i.e. total regular remuneration received from employers, in cash and in kind. They include direct wages and salaries for time worked or work done, remuneration for time not worked (for example, paid annual leave), as well as bonuses and gratuities regularly received. They are reported gross, i.e. before deduction of taxes and mandatory contributions to social security, and exclude employers contributions paid to social security and pension schemes in respect of their employees, as well as the benefits received by employees under these schemes. Earnings also exclude severance and termination pay.1 The concept is relevant for EARN-2, EARN-3, EARN-4 and EARN-5. Consumer Price Index (CPI): The Consumer Price Index measures changes over time in the general level of prices of consumer goods and services that households acquire, use or pay for consumption. It is constructed as a weighted average of a large number of elementary aggregate indices. Each of the elementary aggregate indices is estimated using a sample of prices for a defined set of goods and services obtained in, or by residents of, a specific region from a given set of outlets or other sources of consumption goods and services. The index aims to measure the change in consumer prices over time or it may also aim to measure the effects of price changes on the cost of achieving a constant standard of living (i.e. level of utility or welfare). This concept is called a cost-of-living index (COLI). For this indicator, the CPI is used to adjust for inflation and to provide the real average hourly earnings in a given occupation.2 See CONT-5 for a more detailed definition of CPI. Information on the CPI is needed to convert nominal wages into real wages in EARN-3 and EARN-4.
1. ILO: Resolution concerning an integrated system of wage statistics, adopted by the Twelfth International Conference of Labour Statisticians (Geneva, October 1973). Available at: http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/--stat/documents/normativeinstrument/wcms_087496.pdf 2. ILO, IMF, OECD, Eurostat, UN, and WB: Consumer price index manual. Theory and practice. (Geneva, 2004); and UNECE: Practical guide to producing Consumer Price Indices (Geneva, 2009).
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Table3. Overview of decent work indicators for adequate earnings and productive work
Statistical Decent Work Indicators Income concept Coverage Measure of central tendency Preferred data source
Total household income/ consumption Gross earnings Gross earnings Gross earnings Gross earnings
Mean equivalized per capita household income Low-pay threshold based on median Mean, per hour Mean, per month Median monthly wage as numerator n/a (Index of wage rates) n/a
HIES and LSMS with employment modules LFS with household income module LFS with earnings module Establishment surveys LFS with earnings module Establishment surveys LFS with earnings module, establishment surveys LFS with earnings module, establishment surveys, wage orders for minimum wage rates Establishment surveys LFS with module on training
EARN-2. Low Pay Rate (LPR)(M) EARN-3. Average Hourly Earnings in Selected Occupations (AHE)(A) EARN-4. Average Real Wages(A) EARN-5. Minimum Wage as a Percentage of the Median Wage(A) EARN-6. Manufacturing Wage Index(A) EARN-7. Employees with Recent Job Training(A)
Employed persons: Indicator EARN-1 is computed for all employed persons. Persons of working age are classified as employed if, during a short reference period such as a day or a week, (i) they did some work (even for just one hour) for pay, profit or family gain, in cash or in kind; or (ii) they were attached to a job or had an enterprise from which they were temporarily absent during this period (for such reasons as illness, maternity, parental leave, holiday, training, industrial dispute). Employed persons include those persons of working age who worked for at least one hour during the reference period as contributing family workers (formerly referred to as unpaid family workers) working in a family business.3 It should be noted that the concept of employment does not include household members engaged in the provision of unpaid services for their own family use, such as cooking at home or caring for their own children as well as volunteers providing services to households for their own final use. These activities are not included within the production boundaries of the System of National Accounts (SNA).4 However, persons engaged in the production of economic goods and services for their own and household consumption should be considered to be in selfemployment if such production comprises an important contribution to the total consumption of the household.5 Employees: Indicators EARN-2, EARN-3, EARN-4, EARN-5 and EARN-7 are usually computed for all employees. Employees are all those workers who hold paid employment jobs. These are jobs where the incumbents hold explicit (written or oral) or implicit employment contracts which give them a basic remuneration that is not directly dependent upon the revenue of the unit for which they work (this unit can be a corporation, a non-profit institution, a government unit or a household). Some or all of the tools, capital equipment, information systems and/or
3. ILO: Resolution concerning statistics of the economically active population, employment, unemployment and underemployment, adopted by the Thirteenth International Conference of Labour Statisticians (Geneva, October 1982). Available at: http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---integration/---stat/documents/normativeinstrument/ wcms_087481.pdf 4. UNSD: System of National Accounts 2008 (New York, 2009). Available at: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/national account/docs/SNA2008.pdf 5. ILO: Ibid.
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premises used by the incumbents may be owned by others, and the incumbents may work under the direct supervision of, or according to strict guidelines set by the owner(s) or persons in the owners employment. Persons in paid employment jobs are typically remunerated by wages and salaries, but may be paid by commission from sales, by piece-rates, bonuses or in-kind payments such as food, housing or training.6
6. ILO: Resolution concerning the International Classification of Status in Employment (ICSE,.adopted by the Fifteenth International Conference of Labour Statisticians (Geneva, January 1993). Available at: http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/ groups/public/---dgreports/---integration/---stat/documents/normativeinstrument/wcms_087562.pdf
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STATISTICAL INDICATORS
EARN-1.Working poverty rate (WPR)(M)
Measurement objective and rationale The concept of the working poor aims to measure how many workers, despite being in employment, live in poverty. The working poverty rate therefore gives the proportion of the employed population living in households that are classified as poor, i.e. have consumption or income levels below a determined national or international poverty line. WPR is also an MDG indicator (1.6) for monitoring progress towards Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, Target 1B: Achieve full and productive employment and Decent Work for all, including women and young people. Method of computation
WPR (%) = Number of employed persons living in poor households 100 Total number of employed
The above definition depends on the availability of household survey data which include poverty and employment variables together.
Concepts and definitions For a definition of employed persons, see the introduction to this chapter. Household in poverty: Households are defined as poor if their personal consumption expenditure or income is below a specified threshold, referred to as the poverty line.7 The threshold level can be set at the amount of net income necessary to buy a specified quantity of household goods and services, referred to as the absolute poverty line. Alternatively, it is taken as a cutoff point in the distribution of consumption expenditure or income such as 60per cent of the median value, referred to as the relative poverty line. While many countries have established their own poverty line, and monitor progress towards eradicating working poverty accordingly, the international poverty line of 1.25 US$ in 2005 purchasing power parity (PPP$) is generally used to monitor progress under MDG Target 1B. Recommended data sources and metadata The preferred data source is a household survey with variables that can identify both the poverty status of households and give information on the economic activity of the households members. Examples include household income and expenditure surveys (HIES), living standards measurement surveys (LSMS) with employment modules, or labour force surveys (LFS) that collect information on household income. It has to be noted, however, that employment estimates derived from a household survey other than the labour force survey may not be robust due to the differences in the design and questionnaire of the survey and sampling.8 Conversely, a labour force survey is not the best tool for collecting household consumption or income data given the shorter reference period, the limits of the questionnaire and survey implementation. A possibility is to use data from a household income and expenditure survey, as well as the labour force survey when the respondent
7. For a discussion of measures of welfare see A. Deaton: The analysis of household surveys: A microeconometric approach (The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 1997); and J. Haughton and S: R. Khandker: Handbook on Poverty and Inequality (The World Bank, Washington, D.C., 2009). 8. E. Bardasi. et al.: Do Labor Statistics Depend on How and to Whom the Questions Are Asked? Results from a Survey Experiment in Tanzania, World Bank Economic Review (2011), advance access published online June 14, 2011.
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households are matched, as is done, for instance, in the Philippines.9 Given the shortcomings that many HIES/LSMS and related surveys have in terms of probing questions to determine employment status, when the surveys are good enough to obtain working poverty estimates, it is necessary to document metadata, such as the reference period for employment, and whether certain categories of workers are excluded. In order to determine likely biases in the working poverty estimate, it is also desirable to compare the employment and unemployment rates derived from the HIES/LSMS to estimates derived from a labour force survey from the same year. Disaggregation by sex and location (urban/rural) is highly recommended. Other informative breakdowns can be done by age band, economic activity, status in employment and education level.
Interpretation guidelines The WPR combines the data on household income/consumption with that of labour market indicators measured at the individual level and sheds light on the relationship between poverty and employment. Generally, the more a country is developed, the smaller its absolute WPR should be. In other words, countries with lower levels of labour productivity and wages, higher shares of workers in subsistence agriculture and excessively high employment-to-population ratios are likely to have higher working poverty rates. If national poverty thresholds are used, this general pattern may not be the case. Note that poverty is a concept that is applied to households, and not to individuals. Based on the assumption that households pool their income, the question asked is whether a households total income is sufficient to lift the entire household out of poverty. The poverty status of a household is therefore a function of the income generated by those household members who work (plus of possible transfer payments) and the number of household members. Whether a worker is counted as working poor therefore depends on his own income, the income of other household members and the number of household membersfor example, childrenwho need to be supported. It is important to note that in some countries, household production for their own final use is an important component of consumption or income, although it is not yet systematically measured. If a country decides to include this kind of production in measuring living standards, the WPR may differ significantly. If the underlying data for calculating the WPR are not available, the low pay rate can be used to give information on the well-being of the working population, even though this indicator is limited to wage income and employees (see EARN-2).
9. United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific: Micro- and Macro-based Approaches for Estimating Working Poverty, Note by the Secretariat. United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, Committee on Poverty Reduction, 1214 December 2007. Available at: http://www.unescap.org/pdd/CPR/ CPR2007/English/CPR4_5E.pdfhttp://www.unescap.org/pdd/CPR/CPR2007/English/CPR4_5E.pdf
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Concepts and definitions For a definition of employees and wages, see the introduction to this chapter. Recommended data sources and metadata In order to be able to obtain earnings data on all jobs, labour force surveys or other household surveys that include an employment module should be used. In practice, sample surveys of establishments, such as an occupational or industry wage survey, provide data on the distribution of earnings and hours of work. Possibly, administrative records related to social security may be used as a source of data. However, when the data source is other than a household survey, not all paid jobs will be taken into account and the coverage of the data source is likely to be limited to formal sector establishments. This may give a partial view of the situation, especially in developing countries where the informal sector is a major source of employment. While industrialized countries calculate the LPR with reference to hourly earnings (or convert part-time jobs into full-time equivalents), this information is often not available in reliable form for many developing countries. In this case, the LPR can be calculated on the basis of monthly earnings (although this is not ideal). When presenting the data, the reference period which was used should be made clear. Note that the LPR, as a relative indicator, can be calculated either on the basis of nominal wage data or on the basis of real wage data (i.e. adjusted for inflation). The breakdown of the LPR by sex and location (urban/rural) is crucial. This and further breakdowns by occupation, economic activity, education and migration status can help to identify typical characteristics of low-paid workers, which can serve as a basis for policy interventions such as minimum-wage setting. Interpretation guidelines The LPR is a relative measure, which depends on the distribution of hourly earnings in a country. It is likely to decrease when the low-paid at the bottom end of the distribution increase their hourly earnings relative to other workers. If all workers increase (or decrease) their hourly earnings by relatively the same proportion the rate would remain the same. It is therefore useful to analyse the indicator in conjunction with EARN-4 that maps trends in average real wages. The use of the median wage as a reference point to establish the low-pay threshold helps to limit the influence of outliers in the wage data at the level of the threshold. In addition to the analysis of time-series data, it is highly informative to compare low-pay incidence between different groups of workers. Typically, women workers have a higher incidence of low pay than men, and low pay tends to be concentrated in certain occupations or economic activities, for example, among domestic workers. As a measure of relative low pay, this indicator complements the absolute measure provided by the working poverty rate (WPR). The joint analysis of both is thus necessary to obtain a better understanding of the adequacy of earnings and the relationship between income from employment and living standards. Typically, a decrease in the LPR will signal an improvement in the living conditions of workers at the bottom end of the wage distribution, and therefore contribute to a decline in the WPR. However, there can be cases where the creation of new, lowwage employment generates additional household income and an increase in the LPR coincides with a falling WPR.10 The cut-off point of two-thirds of the median hourly earnings used for the LPR may be unrealistic for developing countries, as in many of these countries this value would be below the absolute subsistence minimum. In such circumstances, it may be advisable to use the minimum living wage as the cut-off point instead, and to document the choice of the low-pay threshold in the metadata.
10. See Chapter 2 of the ILO, Decent Work Country Profile for Austria (Geneva, 2009).
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Option b:
AHEi =
Step 2
Real AHEi = AHE i CPI
When calculating average hourly earnings from establishment surveys that usually contain firm-level data on total wages and total hours, Option a is the natural choice to calculate AHE. However, when using household surveys, it can be difficult to compute total earnings and total hours worked. In this case, Option b can be used where a weighted average of the AHE of all workers in an occupation is calculated. Note that the hours worked are used as a weight so that the AHE of workers who work more hours have a greater weight. When the indicator is computed from labour force surveys or other household surveys that contain data about the hourly earnings of individual employees, Option b is the natural choice for the first step, AHEi refers to the average hourly earnings of individual, j, in occupation, i. Similarly Hij refers to the number of hours worked by individual, j, in occupation, i. The numerator results in the sum of the total wage bill for all paid employees in occupation i, divided by the sum of total hours worked by paid employees in the same occupation. In effect, it calculates a weighted average of the hourly earnings off all employees in a given industry, where the number of hours worked serves as a weight.
Concepts and definitions For a definition of Consumer Price Index (CPI), wages and employees, see the introduction to this chapter. Recommended data sources and metadata Sample surveys of establishments, such as occupational or industry wage surveys, provide data on average earnings and hours of work. In the absence of the above, labour force surveys and
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other household surveys with employment and income data such as household budget surveys or household income surveys can be used. Possibly, administrative records related to social security may also be used as a source of data. It is important to give information on the CPI used to adjust this indicator, for example, the end-of-year or average CPI and whether the reference periods of the numerator and the denominator match. It is essential to study this indicator disaggregated by sex, and further disaggregation by age band (youth versus adult population) and location (urban/rural) can also be helpful. Disaggregation by educational attainment, status in employment and economic activity may be interesting if the sample size permits representative estimates.
Interpretation guidelines The analysis of this indicator has to be conducted for different occupations separately in order to be sufficiently informative for policy making. In particular, it is useful for setting wage rates through collective bargaining and for minimum wage fixing in countries where minimum wage rates are set by occupation.
Step 2
ARW = Average nominal earnings 100 CPI
Concepts and definitions For a definition of Consumer Price Index (CPI), wages and employees, see the introduction to this chapter. Recommended data sources and metadata The preferred sources of data are establishment surveys or labour force surveys that collect information on earnings. In the absence of the above, other household surveys with employment and income data such as household budget surveys or household income surveys can be used. When the data source is an establishment survey or an administrative record, not all jobs will be taken into account and the coverage of the data source is likely to be limited to formal sector 76
Decent work indicators. Concepts and definitions
establishments. This may give a partial view of the situation, especially in developing countries where the informal sector is a major source of employment. It is important to give information on the CPI used to adjust this indicator, for example, the end-of-year or average CPI and whether the reference periods of the numerator and the denominator match. ARW should be disaggregated by sex and if possible by age band, location (urban/rural), status in employment and economic activity in order to inform policy making.
Interpretation guidelines Note that real wage statistics are usually based on gross earnings. This affects the explanatory power of the indicator with regard to the monetary aspects of purchasing power, for which net wages are relevant (i.e. wages after deduction of taxes and mandatory contributions to social security). Earnings data show fluctuations which reflect the influence of changes both in wage rates and in supplementary wage and non-wage payments. Weekly, daily and monthly earnings are also dependent on variations in hours of work. The fluctuations of average earnings obtained from global payrolls or responses to household surveys are also influenced by compositional changes, i.e. the relative importance of males, females, unskilled and skilled labour, full-time and parttime workers etc. among those in paid employment. Sometimes, counter-intuitive developments can be observed over the business cycle. For example, during a recession low-skilled workers with temporary employment contracts might be the first to be dismissed by enterprises. Since the remaining work-force then consists of relatively betterpaid workers, this can bias trends in average wages upwards. The reverse effect can sometimes be observed during the recovery, when low-paid workers are often the first to be re-hired. However, this effect is often dominated by changes in working time that generally decrease during a recession (and hence monthly wages fall) and increase during a recovery (when monthly wages rise as a result). Some countries therefore also compute average real monthly wages of full-time workers or full-time equivalents.
Concepts and definitions For the definition of wages, see the introduction to this chapter. The denominator for this indicator corresponds to EARN-4, except that the measure of central tendency is the median (and
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not the mean) and that the nominal value is used. This helps to minimize the impact of extreme values and outliers. Minimum wages: Minimum wages benefit from the force of law and may be defined as the lowest level of wage rate permitted, which is enforceable under threat of penal or other appropriate sanctions. The Minimum Wage Fixing Convention, 1970 (No.131), which considers that minimum wage systems are necessary to protect wage earners against unduly low wages, calls for setting levels that take into consideration: (a)the needs of workers and their families, taking into account the general level of wages in the country, the cost of living, social security benefits, and the relative living standards of other social groups; as well as (b)economic factors, including the requirements of economic development, levels of productivity and the desirability of attaining and maintaining a high level of employment.11 According to the Minimum Wage Fixing Recommendation, 1970 (No.135), the minimum wage fixing machinery can take a variety of forms, such as the fixing of minimum wages by (a)statute; (b)decision of the competent authority, with or without formal provision for taking account of recommendations from other bodies; (c)decisions of wages boards or councils; (d)industrial or labour courts or tribunals; or (e) giving the force of law to provisions of collective agreements. The system of minimum wages may be applied either by fixing a single minimum wage of general application or by fixing a series of minimum wages applying to particular groups of workers. When countries have multiple minimum wage rates, one option is to calculate a single national indicator by using as a numerator a weighted average of the different minimum wage rates or the most representative rate. An alternative is to calculate multiple indicators, for example by region or industry (depending on the minimum wage structure). In this case, both the minimum wage rate and the median wage should refer to the same group of paid employees.
Recommended data sources and metadata The underlying data for the numerator can be obtained from official sources, such as wage orders or laws that set the minimum wage. The preferred sources of data for the denominator are establishment surveys that allow the estimation of the median earnings or labour force surveys that include information on income from paid employment. In the absence of the above, other household surveys with employment and income data such as household budget surveys, or household income surveys can be used. When the data source is other than a household survey, not all paid jobs will be taken into account and the coverage of the data source is likely to be limited to formal establishments. When there is a change in minimum wages during the course of a given year, the valid value as of 30June or as of 31December is taken. The information on the level of minimum wage as well as its coverage should be indicated for each data point. Interpretation guidelines Expressing minimum wage (typically set between one-third and two-thirds of the median wage) as a percentage of the median earnings provides information on the relevance and potential effectiveness of the minimum wage in improving the relative position of low-paid workers in a given country. If a minimum wage is set at a very low level, it will not meet this objective. On the other hand, if the minimum wage is too high relative to the median wage, this may have negative effects on compliance and/or employment generation.
11. ILO: The Minimum Wage Fixing Convention, 1970 (No.131). Available at: http://www.ilo.org/ilolex/cgi-lex/convde. pl?C131
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Where wit is the average wage rate of employees in group i, for instance, employees working in the manufacturing of food products (it is possible to introduce additional variables such as sex and part-time/full-time workers in grouping employees), at current year t, and wio is the average wage rate of employees in group i at base year o. The number of employees in group i at base year o is given by eio. The expression in the parentheses comprises the weight based on the base period.13
Concepts and definitions For a definition of employees, see the introduction to this chapter. Wage Rate: wages can refer to the price of labour service, workers income or to the cost to an employer. For each of these uses, different data sources and methodologies have to be used. Since the purpose of the manufacturing wage index is to inform on the trend of labour cost, it is an index of wage rates. The nominal wage rates cover basic wages, cost-of-living allowances and other guaranteed and regularly paid allowances, but exclude overtime payments, bonuses and gratuities, family allowances and social security contributions made by employers. Ex gratia payments in kind, supplementary to normal wage rates, are also excluded. As indicated above, the MWI is constructed as a Laspeyres index. For wage statistics, the Laspeyres formula is preferred, as it keeps base period weights over time considering that data availability on the current period is often limited. Recommended data sources and metadata Sample surveys of establishments may provide data on average wage rates. Wage indices can be updated quarterly and annually. Indices of wage rates, including for manufacturing, are often compiled by central banks as part of their programmes to monitor changes in prices. When providing manufacturing wage index data, detailed information on the construction of the index should be provided. For instance, the computation of lower level indices, the aggregation structure and the aggregation formula should be given. In addition, weighting procedures should be explained, for example, if different weights are used by economic activity, sex and
12. UNSD: International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities (ISIC) Rev. 4. (New York, 2008). Available at: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/cr/registry/regcst.asp?Cl=27 13. Swiss Federal Statistical Office: Statistic of the wage evolutionSwiss wage indexMethodological foundations (2005).
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hours of work. Similarly, the coverage of the wage data should be clearly indicated, and should include, for instance conceptual coverage as well as geographical, economic activity, etc. Any revisions, for instance, of the base year should be explained.
Interpretation guidelines Index numbers are used in measuring trends or changes in levels, such as seasonal variations, business cycles, etc. Hence, the MWI does not give information on wage levels per se but only on relative change in wages rates in the manufacturing sector. It can be a useful substitute when data on EARN-4 Average real wages are not available. However, as a measure of labour costs it is less meaningful from the perspective of the worker and is of limited relevance in countries where wage employment in the manufacturing sector represents only a small fraction of total wage employment. This indicator is related to changes in the wage rate and corrects for changes in the structure of employment in the various industries. As the MWI keeps the base period weights constant over time, the nominal wage index can take a different path from the nominal average wages. In addition, wage indices with different base years can diverge. Note that the MWI is normally calculated in nominal terms since often its primary purpose is to monitor inflationary pressure emerging from wages. Nominal wage rates are therefore only informative about changes in real wage rates when they are compared to changes in the CPI.
Concepts and definitions For a definition of employees, see the introduction to this chapter. Training: The 18th ICLS Resolution concerning the measurement of working time provides a definition of training to be counted as part of actual hours worked. This refers to training and skills enhancement required by the job or for another job in the same economic unit, at or away from the work location. In a paid-employment job this may be given by the employer or provided by other units.14 This definition is highly relevant to the measurement of decent work and is likely to be measured in labour force surveys that measure working time.
14. ILO: Report II, Measurement of Working Time. Eighteenth International Conference of Labour Statisticians (Geneva, 24 November-5 December, 2008).
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Recommended data sources and metadata It is recommended to use the labour force survey or other household surveys that include an employment module in order to collect the required data. Sample surveys of establishments may provide data on occupational training financed by the employer, albeit limited to formal establishments. It is possible to disaggregate the indicator by sex, by location (urban/rural), occupation and economic activity in order to help to identify targeted policy actions. Interpretation guidelines The indicator gives the share of persons who have recently participated in training. It does not provide information on the content, quality or duration of training. If further information on the coverage of the training activities and the duration, etc. can be categorized, it may be useful for more in-depth analysis.
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Additional sources of information ILO sources y TRAVAIL Database of Conditions of Work and Employment Laws (http://www.ilo.org/dyn/travail/travmain.home).
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dequate working time arrangements constitute an essential part of Decent Work. The Decent working time substantive element covers indicators that are related to employment and working time; that is, the time associated with activities within the System of National Accounts (SNA) production boundary and the arrangement of this time. Included in the scope are two types of indicators: (1) those that provide information on employment by working time band(s) or according to a lack of work relative to a working time threshold and (2) those that focus on measures of time worked by employed persons, that is, the hours worked. Such measures complement each other, offering information on the number of employed persons working long or short hours and the actual hours worked per employed person. Five statistical indicators1 are included as follows: (1) Employment in excessive working time (more than 48 hours per week) (M), (2) Employment by weekly hours worked (A), (3) Average annual working time per employed person (A), (4) Time-related underemployment rate (A), and (5) Paid annual leave (F). Whenever possible, these indicators should be disaggregated by sex in order to analyse differences in the working time indicators between women and men. The Legal Framework Indicators corresponding to these statistical indicators are: Paid annual leave and Maximum hours of work. Employment in excessive working time and time-related underemployment, which fall under the first type of indicator, can reveal deficits in the quality of employment as regards the dimension of working time. The average of annual hours worked per employed person measures the volume of time worked and serves as a more refined indicator of labour input for a given year as compared to the total average of annual employment. The interpretation of the indicators is best carried out through a joint analysis with other related decent work indicators, both qualitative (e.g. normal hours of work defined in national legislation and paid annual leave) and quantitative indicators ( e.g. the unemployment rate and employment-related income or earnings), as well as context indicators such as GDP growth. Additional topics suggested for joint analysis include combining work, family and personal life; working time of child labour;2 stability and security of work (including precarious employment and working time) and labour productivity defined by using a working time variable for labour input. Since many of the indicators share common concepts and definitions (See Table4) this introduction provides some of the key concepts and definitions.
1. The five statistical indicators are divided into main, additional and future indicators as follows: one main indicator (denoted M), three additional indicators (denoted A) and one future indicator (denoted F). 2. Note that according to the Resolution concerning statistics of child labour adopted by the Eighteenth International Conference of Labour Statisticians (2008), the concept of child labour may be measured with respect to the general production boundary.
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Table4. Overview of decent work indicators for decent working time indicators
Statistical Decent Work Indicators Concepts Coverage Preferred data source
TIME-1. Employment in excessive working time (more than 48 hours per week)(M) TIME-2. Employment by weekly hours worked(A) TIME-3. Average annual working time per employed person(A) TIME-4. Time-related underemployment rate(A) TIME-5. Paid annual leave(F) Legal Framework Indicators: L5 Paid annual leave L6 Maximum hours of work
Employment Working time Employment Working time Employment Working time Employment Working time Time-related underemployed persons Under development
LFS, household survey with employment module, establishment survey LFS, household survey with employment module, establishment survey LFS, household survey with employment module, establishment survey LFS, household survey with employment module, administrative records LFS, household survey with employment module, administrative records
* Classified as a future indicator (F) within the Decent Working Time substantive element, paid annual leave is an indicator under development by the ILO. It is an indicator that will seek to quantify the incidence (and perhaps also key provisions) of paid annual leave among employees.
Employment: the concept of employment concerns the supply of labour for the production of economic goods and services (that is, it refers to productive activity within the production boundary) as defined by the United Nations systems of national accounts and balances during a specified time-reference period. The employed comprise all persons of working age who during a specified brief period, such as one week or one day, were in one of the following categories: a) paid employment (whether at work or with a job but not at work); or b) self-employment (whether at work or with an enterprise but not at work). Temporary absence from work includes reasons such as illness, maternity and parental leave, holiday, training, and industrial disputes.3 At work: the concept at work refers to persons who during the reference period performed some work for wage or salary, in cash or in kind (for paid employment), or persons who during the reference period performed some work for profit or family gain, in cash or in kind (for selfemployment). For operational purposes, the notion some work may be interpreted as work for at least one hour. Employed persons include those persons of working age who worked for at least one hour during the reference period as contributing family workers (formerly referred to as unpaid family workers) working in a family business. Hours actually worked: the preferred concept of working time used to calculate the indicators in this chapter is hours actually worked. This concept is defined as the time spent in a job for the performance of activities that contribute to the production of goods and/or services during a specified short or long reference period. It applies to all types of jobs and is not linked to administrative or legal concepts of working time. For purposes of the working time indicators presented in this chapter, it refers to time spent on productive activities defined within the SNA production boundary. It covers time spent directly on and in relation to productive activities, as well as down time and resting time. Hours actually worked excludes time not worked, such as annual and sick leave, public holidays, parental leave, commuting time, educational activities and longer pauses, for example lunch breaks.4
3. ILO: Resolution concerning statistics of the economically active population, employment, unemployment and underemployment, adopted by the Thirteenth International Conference of Labour Statisticians (Geneva, October 1982). Available at: http://www.ilo.org/global/statistics-and-databases/standards-and-guidelines/resolutions-adopted-by-internationalconferences-of-labour-statisticians/WCMS_087481/lang--en/index.htm 4. ILO: Resolution concerning the measurement of working time, adopted by the Eighteenth International Conference of Labour Statisticians: http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---stat/documents/normativeinstrument/ wcms_112455.pdf
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Hours paid for: should hours actually worked not be adequately captured by data collection instruments, as a secondary option countries may consider using the concept of hours paid for.5 For a paid-employment job, hours paid for refers to the time for which employees have received payment from their employer (at normal or premium rates, in cash or in kind) during a specified reference period, regardless of whether the hours were actually worked or not. It includes time paid but not worked such as paid annual leave, paid public holidays and certain absences such as paid sick leave, and excludes time worked but not paid by the employer, such as unpaid overtime, and absences that are not paid by the employer, such as unpaid educational leave or maternity leave.6 Data on working time reported should reflect the hours worked in different types of working time arrangements ( e.g. full-time or part-time) and include the hours worked in all jobs of employed persons (if the data are derived from a labour force survey). Labour force surveysource (LFS): the indicators in this chapter are best calculated using estimates derived from a labour force survey. The primary objective of the LFS is to obtain reliable estimates about the labour force of a given population based on a sample of households. This instrument permits the estimation of the number of persons employed and working time variables (including hours actually worked of employed persons) and can be designed to provide both stock and flow estimates. It generally covers all workers, including all self-employed persons and often allows disaggregation of data by demographic variables such as sex, age group and in some cases, ethnic group.Moreover, it often allows breakdowns by status in employment, occupation and economic activity.
5. Unlike the concept of hours actually worked, the concept hours paid for covers the working time of covered employees only and thus excludes the hours worked of self-employed workers, a category which may be particularly important in developing countries. 6. Idem.
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STATISTICAL INDICATORS
TIME-1.Employment in excessive working time (more than 48 hours per week)(M)
Measurement objective and rationale The indicator of employment in excessive working time (EEWT) provides information about the share of employed persons whose hours worked exceed 48 hours per week. It is an indicator of exposure to overwork; that is, of persons experiencing working time that exceeds the threshold beyond which negative effects on workers become visiblenot only on workers health, but also on their safety (for instance increasing injury hazard rates) and on work-lifebalance. Method of computation EEWT is defined as the percentage of the employed population whose hours actually worked in the reference week in all jobs exceed 48 hours, i.e. 49 hours or more, per week.
Number of employed persons whose number of hours actually worked is more than 48 hours per week 100 EEWT (%) = Total number of employed persons
Concepts and definitions For the definition of employment and working time concepts, see the introduction to this chapter. While data users may wish to apply the national thresholds which are used to define excessive working time for national monitoring, they are encouraged to use the 48-hour threshold to construct the indicator in order to enhance international data comparability. The principle of the 8-hour day or the 48-hour week threshold was first adopted in ILO Convention No.1, Hours of Work (Industry) Convention, 1919 and later in the Hours of Work (Commerce and Offices) Convention, 1930 (No.30). This threshold was referenced in 2008 in the Resolution concerning the measurement of working time, adopted by the Eighteenth International Conference of Labour Statisticians (ICLS). In particular, the ICLS Resolution recommends that States collect and report working time statistics for different hour bands, including the band up to and including 48 hours. Recommended data sources, metadata and disaggregation The preferred official national data source for this indicator is a household-based labour force survey (LFS). A LFS permits the estimation of the number of employed persons and generally allows disaggregation of data by economic activity and demographic variables such as sex, age group, etc. The concept of hours actually worked (cross tabulated with employed persons) is best captured through a labour force survey or other household survey with an appropriate employment module. Nonetheless, household surveys other than labour force surveys may have limitations related to periodicity, geographic coverage or worker coverage about which data users should be made aware. An employment-based establishment survey (intended to capture the number of jobs by economic activity) with good economic activity coverage may be considered only as a secondary option. This type of instrument excludes self-employment from the survey scope, is generally better suited to capturing data on the concept of hours paid for and may not allow disaggregation of data by sex. If a country applies a different excessive working time threshold in the national context it is encouraged to produce estimates using both the national threshold as well as the over 48hours threshold in order to facilitate international comparisons. 86
Decent work indicators. Concepts and definitions
When the EEWT is published, appropriate metadata (or statistical documentation information) regarding the data should be provided to users. For this indicator, it is recommended that as minimum information, data on the source, reference period, population coverage, job coverage (main job or all jobs), definition of excessive hours (if different from over 48 hours per week) and geographic coverage be made easily available to data users. Disaggregation of EEWT by sex is recommended and is fundamental to understanding the different experiences of women and men as regards employment in excessive working time. Disaggregating EEWT by urban and rural areas, status in employment (especially employees versus self-employed workers and in particular the latters component category contributing family workers), as well as by other household-related variables, such as presence of dependents, can provide useful information regarding conditions of work prevailing for these different groups.
Interpretation guidelines Progress is achieved when acceptably low levels of employment in excessive working time (EEWT) are achieved according to national circumstances. Progressive increases in the indicator point to a deterioration of decent work in this dimension. The labour market adjustment mechanisms most evident during periods of cyclical economic expansion or contraction are changes in employment levels, working time, as well as changes in employment-related income which over a given interval of time may occur in one, two or even all three dimensions simultaneously. Such cyclical changes are best monitored through short-term observations ( e.g. quarterly or continuous LFS), and it is recommended that data be seasonally adjusted in order to capture true underlying trends. As employment in excessive working time is often sensitive to the business cycle (potentially, pro-cyclical), it is recommended that the indicator be analysed together with changes in total output ( e.g. GDP growth), as well as other key indicators such as the employment-to-population ratio and mean weekly hours actually worked. While average working time often declines during recessions, there may be economic sectors or status in employment categories that experience increases in employment in excessive working time if layoffs of some workers (e.g. temporary hires) yield longer work hours for remaining workers. It is therefore recommended that the indicator be analysed by economic sector, status in employment categories, and/or by stability and security of work ( e.g. contract duration). If reliable estimates are available, data users may wish to evaluate indicators for employmentrelated income or earnings cross-tabulated by employment in excessive working time in order to evaluate the adequacy of hourly remuneration among those working excessive hours. It is recommended that employment in excessive working time be analysed for differences between women and men. Given that employment by definition covers productive work within the SNA production boundary, it is found that in many countries a higher percentage of men in paid employment work excessive hours as compared to women in paid employment.7 To the extent that working time data are available for work activities in relation to the general production boundary (measured for example through time-use surveys), it is recommended that data users analyse employment in excessive working time jointly with information regarding the share of mens and womens responsibility for unpaid household service work, by age-group, household composition (presence of dependants), marital status, etc.
7. Lee, Sangheon et al.: Working Time Around the World (Geneva,, ILO, 2007); and Eurofound: Changes over time First findings from the fifth European Working Conditions Survey (Dublin, Eurofound, 2010). Available at: http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/pubdocs/2010/74/en/3/EF1074EN.pdf
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Concepts and definitions For the definition of employment and working time concepts, see the introduction to this chapter. Recommended data sources, metadata and disaggregation The preferred official national data source for this indicator is a household-based labour force survey (LFS). A LFS permits the estimation of the number of employed persons and generally allows disaggregation of data by economic activity and demographic variables such as sex, age group, etc. The concept of hours actually worked (cross-tabulated with employed persons) is best captured through a labour force survey or other household survey with an appropriate employment module. Nonetheless, household surveys other than labour force surveys may have limitations related to periodicity, geographic coverage or worker coverage about which data users should be made aware. An employment-based establishment survey (intended to capture the number of jobs by economic activity) with good economic activity coverage may be considered only as a secondary option. This type of instrument excludes self-employment from the survey scope, is generally better suited to capturing data on the concept of hours paid for and may not allow disaggregation of data by sex. The weekly hours band intervals selected should reflect national circumstances. However, in order to enhance data comparability between countries, it is recommended that countries provide data for the following weekly hours band intervals (using the concept of hours actually worked in the reference week): (1) no hours actually worked, (2) 114 hours, (3) 1529 hours, (4) 3034 hours, (5) 3539 hours, (6) 4048 hours, (7) 49 hours or more, and (8) Total (all weekly hours band categories). When the EWHW is published, appropriate metadata (or statistical documentation information) regarding the data should be provided to users. For this indicator, it is recommended that as minimum information, data on the source, reference period, population coverage, job coverage (main job or all jobs), and geographic coverage be made easily available to data users. Disaggregation of EWHW by sex is recommended and is fundamental to understanding the different experiences of women and men as regards the distribution of employment by selected weekly hours bands. Disaggregating EWHW by urban and rural areas, status in employment (especially employees versus self-employed workers and in particular the latters component category contributing family workers), as well as by other household-related variables, such as presence of dependants, can provide useful information regarding conditions of work prevailing for these different groups. 88
Decent work indicators. Concepts and definitions
Interpretation guidelines The indicator provides information on the distribution of employed persons according to the weekly hours they have actually worked. Economies will present different distributions from one another and also show changes over time in the distribution, reflecting differences inter alia in macroeconomic conditions and the business cycle, employment policy, social and cultural factors. The full distribution of working time in an economy can make an important contribution towards understanding the type of working time regime which exists. For example, the clustering of hours actually worked around one or more time band value(s) may indicate adherence to statutory or collectively-bargained norms regarding working time. There is no ideal distribution for employment by weekly hours worked; however, high concentrations of workers in the time band 49 hours or more, which classifies workers in excessive working time, points to a decent work deficit in this dimension. Thus, progress is achieved when acceptably low levels of employment in excessive working time are achieved. Workers classified in the lower weekly hours time bands may be voluntarily working short hours or may experience time-related underemployment, the latter indicating a lack of decent work in this dimension. This indicator can thus be used as a screening indicator before studying in depth the phenomenon of inadequate employment. The adjustment mechanisms in the labour market most evident during periods of cyclical economic expansion or contraction are changes in employment levels, working time as well as changes in employment-related income which over a given interval of time may occur in one, two or even all three dimensions simultaneously. Such cyclical changes are best monitored through short-term observations (, quarterly or continuous LFS), and it is recommended that data be seasonally adjusted in order to capture true underlying trends. Analysis of the indicator disaggregated by sex often reveals important differences in the distribution of working time of women and men. Women are often more likely to work in part-time jobs (which often lack social protection) while men are more likely to work excessive hours, in both cases reflecting employment activities within the SNA production boundary.
The numerator, i.e. the total annual hours actually worked of all employed persons, is best calculated by aggregating weekly or monthly hours actually worked of this group over the entire year.
Concepts and definitions For the definition of employment and working time concepts, see the introduction to this chapter.
4. Decent working time
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Recommended data sources, metadata and disaggregation The preferred official national data source for this indicator is a household-based labour force survey (LFS). A LFS permits the estimation of the number of employed persons and generally allows disaggregation of data by economic activity and demographic variables such as sex, age group, etc. The concept of hours actually worked is best captured through a labour force survey or other household survey with an appropriate employment module. Nonetheless, household surveys other than labour force surveys may have limitations related to periodicity, geographic coverage or worker coverage about which data users should be made aware. An employment-based establishment survey (intended to capture the number of jobs by economic activity) with good economic activity coverage may be considered only as a secondary option. This type of instrument excludes self-employment from the survey scope, is generally better suited to capturing data on the concept of hours paid for and may not allow disaggregation of data by sex. When the AAWTE is published, appropriate metadata (or statistical documentation information) regarding the data should be provided to users. For this indicator, it is recommended that as minimum information, data on the source, reference period, population coverage, job coverage (main job or all jobs), and geographic coverage be made easily available to data users. It is recommended to study this indicator by sex, and if possible by age, status in employment, occupation and economic activity as well as geographic area (urban/rural). Interpretation guidelines The indicator is intended to measure aggregate average annual levels of labour utilization per employed person through the working time concept of hours actually worked. This is a more refined measurement of labour utilization than average annual employment since it reflects the labour input of workers across the working time distribution, i.e. those who work long, average and short hours, rather than count their labour input equally. Similar to other working time indicators, changes in this indicator will reflect changing economic structure and macroeconomic conditions, the business cycle, employment policy, as well as social and cultural factors, etc. Yet, because this is an annual indicator, it is not susceptible to seasonal factors and will reflect fundamental underlying changes in working time. The analysis of the year-over-year changes in this indicator jointly with changes in total output, the employment-to-population ratio and employment-related income (or total earnings where employees represent an important employment component) will be useful to understand the mechanisms through which changes in GDP growth are being transmitted to the labour market: i.e. through adjustments in employment, working time and/or employment-related income. Progress in the indicator is achieved when an acceptable level of average annual hours actually worked per employed person is observed. To help determine this, data users may wish to establish time band thresholds of low, average, and high annual working hours that are based on national circumstances.8 When disaggregated by sex, age group, status in employment group, economic activity or occupation group, the indicator provides information about the aggregate working time per worker in the various sub-groups of the employed population over a given year. Breakdowns by sex often reveal a gender gap in annual working time within the SNA production boundary (men working longer hours in employment than women, on average). Breakdowns by economic activity, occupation group or status in employment allow data users to evaluate the effect of such variables on aggregate working time, for example due to differences in paid leave of employees (including public holidays) or related to the seasonality of employment of some economic activities or occupation groups ( e.g. agricultural sector and occupations).
8. To accomplish this, data users are advised to consider the range of working time arrangements prevalent in the economy (e.g. part-time and full-time work) as well as holidays and weekends which may reduce the working time of some workers during the course of the year.
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When the denominator is replaced by the labour force, i.e. the sum of employed and unemployed persons, the resulting indicator can supplement the unemployment rate.9
Concepts and definitions For the definition of employment and working time concepts, see the introduction to this chapter. The measurement of time-related underemployment is considered an integral part of the framework for measuring the labour force. The time-related underemployed includes all employed persons whose working time in all jobs is insufficient in relation to an alternative employment situation in which the person is willing and available to engage. The criteria for defining time-related underemployment are: (i) willingness to work additional hours;10 (ii)availability to work additional hours and, (iii) having worked (total number of hours actually worked) below a threshold of working hours. The threshold of working time has to be determined at the national level in order to identify those who worked a sufficient number of hours and to integrate the labour demand aspect into the indicator.11 Examples of practices used to determine a national threshold of hours actually worked include the boundary between full-time and part-time employment; median values, averages, or norms for hours of work as specified in relevant legislation; and collective agreements, or agreements on working time arrangements or labour practices in countries. In some instances, countries may consider applying sub-national thresholds of hours actually worked in addition to a national threshold, for example in the agricultural and non-agricultural sectors where working time norms may be quite different.
9. For the definition of the labour force, please refer to the chapter introduction of Employment opportunities. 10. Note that in the number of time-related underemployed, those who want to work one additional hour and those who want to work, for instance, 15 additional hours are given the same weight. 11. ILO: Resolution concerning the measurement of underemployment and inadequate employment situations, adopted by the Sixteenth International Conference of Labour Statisticians, October 1998. Available at: http://www.ilo.org/global/ statistics-and-databases/standards-and-guidelines/resolutions-adopted-by-international-conferences-of-labour-statisticians/WCMS_087487/lang--en/index.htm.
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Recommended data sources, metadata and disaggregation The preferred official national data source for this indicator is a household-based labour force survey (LFS). A LFS permits the estimation of the number of employed persons and generally allows disaggregation of data by demographic variables such as sex, age group, etc. The concept of hours actually worked is best captured through a labour force survey or other household survey with an appropriate employment module. Nonetheless, household surveys other than labour force surveys may have limitations related to periodicity, geographic coverage or worker coverage about which data users should be made aware. Administrative records may in some cases provide adequate data to calculate the indicator. When the TRU is published, appropriate metadata (or statistical documentation information) regarding the data should be provided to users. For this indicator, it is recommended that as minimum information, data on the source, reference period, population coverage, job coverage (main job or all jobs), national threshold of hours worked used to define the TRU and time unit, as well as geographic coverage be made easily available to data users. It is recommended to disaggregate the TRU by sex and if possible by age, educational attainment, geographic area (urban/rural) and economic activity (of the main job). Additional disaggregation may include status in employment categories and occupation group (of the main job). Data users may also wish to disaggregate the TRU by persons actively seeking additional work in order to confirm the willingness and availability of the underemployed to increase their working time. Interpretation guidelines Time-related underemployment is an employment indicator that highlights a particular decent work deficit, namely labour underutilization in the dimension of working time. As some degree of time-related underemployment is likely to exist even during periods of favourable employment conditions, progress is achieved when the TRU reaches an acceptably low level according to national circumstances. The TRU is often counter-cyclical, increasing during economic recessions and declining with economic expansion. The cyclical changes in the indicator are best monitored through shortterm observations (quarterly or continuous LFS), and it is recommended that data be seasonally adjusted in order to capture underlying trends. It is recommended that the indicator be analysed together with changes in total output (e.g. GDP growth) as well as other key indicators such as the employment-to-population ratio, the unemployment rate and employment-related income (or earnings where employees are an important component of total employment) in order to establish the key transmission mechanisms of economic changes to the labour market or new employment policies that may affect working time and related indicators. Data users may wish to analyse the rate of volume of time-related underemployment, i.e. the volume of time-related underemployment as a share of potential time for work of the employed population.12 When the denominator used to calculate the TRU is the labour force instead of total employed persons, it is possible to compare this with the unemployment rate as a distinct measure of labour underutilization or even to add the two indicators together in order to yield a summary indicator of labour underutilization.
12. Ibid.
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Additional sources of information ILO sources y CEACR: General Survey concerning the Hours of Work (Industry) Convention, 1919 (No.1), and the Hours of Work (Commerce and Offices) Convention, 1930 (No.30), ILC, 93th Session, 2005 (http://www.ilo.org/public/english/standards/relm/ilc/ilc93/pdf/rep-iii1b.pdf) and Article 19 Government report (if the relevant Convention has not been ratified); y TRAVAIL Database of Conditions of Work and Employment Laws (http://www.ilo.org/ dyn/travail/travmain.home).
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Additional sources of information ILO sources y CEACR: General Survey concerning the Hours of Work (Industry) Convention, 1919 (No.1), and the Hours of Work (Commerce and Offices) Convention, 1930 (No.30), ILC, 93th Session, 2005 (http://www.ilo.org/public/english/standards/relm/ilc/ilc93/pdf/rep-iii1b.pdf) and Article 19 Government report (if the relevant convention has not been ratified); y TRAVAIL Database of Conditions of Work and Employment Laws (http://www.ilo.org/ dyn/travail/travmain.home).
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he substantive element Combining Work, Family and Personal Life covers a small set of decent work indicators related to standards and fundamental principles and rights at work and social protection. Two statistical indicators have been identified in this grouping, both of which are established as future indicators where developmental work is to be done by the Office: (1)Asocial/unusual hours and (2)Maternity protection. The Legal Framework Indicators corresponding to the statistical indicators are: (1)Maternity leave (including weeks of leave, and rate of benefits) and (2)Parental leave. Some pilot experiences at the national level provide inputs for initial discussion and analysis of potential statistical indicators.1
1. Brazil In Brazil, the following statistical indicators have been tested: y Home-to-work commuting time, given as a percent by time band (S)2 y Average weekly hours spent on housework and in the main job (S)
This country has also identified four additional statistical indicators which are being further developed: y Access to childcare facilities: Percent of employed women aged 16 years and over with children up to 3 years old as a percent of total employed women and by frequency of childcare use3 y Administrative record data on maternity leave (social insurance) and corroboration with household survey data on fertility and the labour market: Maternity leave beneficiaries granted job leave as a percent of employed women in childbearing age who had children over the past year. y Family arrangements: Percent distribution of families by type of family living arrangements y Family care (restriction of activities): Percent of persons that have difficulties to carry out basic activities (eating, walking, etc.) due to health problems4
1. For sources of the information presented here, see the Decent Work Country Profiles of the selected countries: http:// www.ilo.org/mdw and www.ilo.org.map 2. Note that a similar indicator has been developed in Indonesia for key metropolitan areas. 3. A second indicator proposes the child age range of 4 to 6 years. 4. The indicator targets the demand for personal care in households, which is increasing due to the ageing population. The indicator may be measured as a percent of families or households that have at least one family member under care.
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2. Tanzania In Tanzania, time-use survey data were used to calculate the distribution of time devoted to key categories of daily activities, disaggregated by sex.5 The categories used are: y Employment y Primary production y Service for income y Household maintenance y Care of family y Community service y Learning y Mass media use y Social and cultural y Personal care 3. Ukraine In Ukraine, the following statistical indicators have been used to measure the Combining Work, Family and Personal Life dimension of decent work: y Relative number of workers on leave to care for a child until attainment of a statutory age, in percent of the registered number of employees y Relative number of women on maternity leave, in percent of the registered number of employees y Share of economically inactive population performing household (family) duties, caring for children, sick and other family members, in percent y Share of children enrolled in pre-school education, in percent y Total fertility rate (per woman) 4. Indonesia In Indonesia, various statistical indicators have been used from different sources:
y Coverage of workers by maternity leave benets (number of men and women having enjoyed the benet of paternity/ maternity leave, and their proportion inper cent of informal workers and formal workers) from specific surveys at provincial level y Informal and casual employment rates and the proportion of workers with excessive working hours, given the direct implications for the allocation of family and private life time y The female labour force participation rate y Commuting times between home and work, given their impact on the time allocated to family and personal life (proportion of workers having less than 30 minutes, between 31 and 60 minutes and more than 60 minutes, by sex and marriage status) from a specific study on metropolitan areas in Indonesia.
5. A similar indicator has been developed in South Africa, where categories included unpaid care work which includes household maintenance (housework), care of persons in the household (mainly childcare), and unpaid care for people from other households.
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5. Philippines In Philippines, three statistical indicators have been used from labour force surveys:
y Economic inactivity rate due to household/family duties (percent of working age population, by sex and age bands) y The proportion of the employed who are married (percent of employed, by sex and age bands) y The proportion of the employed who are household heads (percent of employed, by sex and age bands). The first indicator aims to measure the segment of the working age population who are outside of the labor force, voluntarily or involuntarily, due to household/family duties, e.g., taking care of young children or the elderly. The other two indicators indicate the proportion of the employed that are doubly burdened as workers and as family members, and who have to strike a balance between potentially competing demands on their time and attention. Another source has been used (establishments surveys) to measure the proportion of establishments implementing various programs to help workers balance their work and family responsibilities: flexible work schedule, compressed workweeks, work and family programs and conducting seminars on balancing work as well as non-statutory leave arrangements allowed by employers (use of leave benefits to attend to urgent family concerns, extended maternity leave with pay and without pay, extended paternity leave with pay and without pay, flexible holiday schedule, time off in lieu of extra hours worked, career break, study leave).
7. Cambodia In Cambodia, despite the absence of data on the extent to which working men and women benefit from the work-life balance provisions of the labour law, the following statistical indicators have been used:
y Factory compliance rates (compliance rates: % of factories complying with maternity leave) in the garment sector, to assess whether or not employers pay their staff for maternity leave y Excessive working hours, that can be damaging since they not only infringe on the ability to balance work-family responsibilities, but they may also have a negative effect on individual and family health and wellbeing y Commuting patterns in Cambodia since nine in every ten employed workers worked outside the home y The share of employed persons working at home by sex.
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Additional sources of information ILO sources y TRAVAIL Database of Conditions of Work and Employment Laws (http://www.ilo.org/ dyn/travail/travmain.home); y ILO: Maternity at work: A review of national legislation. Findings from the ILOs Conditions of Work and Employment Database. Second edition, 2010 (http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/ groups/public/---dgreports/---dcomm/---publ/documents/publication/wcms_124442.pdf); y SECSOC websitehttp://www.ilo.org/public/english/protection/secsoc;
Other sources y ISSA: maternity http://www.issa.int/aiss/Observatory/Country-Profiles; y Social security throughout the world: http://www.socialsecurity.gov/policy/docs/progdesc/ ssptw/.
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between their employment and family responsibilities. The Workers with Family Responsibilities Recommendation, 1981 (No.165) defines parental leave as the possibility available to either parent of obtaining leave of absence, without relinquishing employment and with rights resulting from employment being safeguarded, within a period immediately following maternity leave.
Additional sources of information ILO sources y TRAVAIL Database of Conditions of Work and Employment Laws (http://www.ilo.org/ dyn/travail/travmain.home); y ILO: Maternity at work: A review of national legislation. Findings from the ILOs Conditions of Work and Employment Database. Second edition, 2010 (http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/ groups/public/---dgreports/---dcomm/---publ/documents/publication/wcms_124442.pdf);
Other sources y ISSA: maternity http://www.issa.int/aiss/Observatory/Country-Profiles; y Social security throughout the world: http://www.socialsecurity.gov/policy/docs/progdesc/ ssptw/.
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nternational Conventions and the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work require that certain types of work, such as child and forced labour, should be abolished. With this goal in mind, measurement of work that should be abolished is essential in order to gauge its incidence, distribution and characteristics and thus ultimately inform action and monitor progress towards its elimination. For the purpose of statistical measurement, national legislation, where available, and guidelines provided by international labour standards, international statistical standards and other international instruments should be used as the starting point for developing statistical concepts and definitions of child labour and forced labour. Therefore, in accordance with relevant international standards, this section presents the concepts, definitions, and statistical measurement of child labour and forced labour. Five statistical indicators are presented and two legal framework indicators on Child labour and Forced labour (Table6). Since many of the indicators share common concepts and definitions (See Table6) this introduction provides some of the key concepts and definitions. The 18th Conference of Labour Statisticians (ICLS, 2008) established directions for the statistical measurement of child labour. The resulting Resolution concerning statistics of child labour adopted at the Conference set forth the definitions that guide all subsequent statistical work on child labour. Child labour may be measured in terms of the engagement of children in productive activities either on the basis of the general production boundary, or on the basis of the SNA production boundary. For the purpose of the ILO global estimation of child labour, child labour is measured on the basis of the SNA production boundary. Child labour under the SNA production boundary is a subset of children in employment or working children. It includes all persons aged 5 to 17 years who, during a specified time period, were engaged in one or more of the following categories of activities: (a) worst forms of child labour; and (b) employment below the minimum age, excluding children in permissible light work. In terms of the implementation of this framework, the estimate of child labour consists of all children in the age group 5 to 14 who are in economic activity, excluding those between 12 and14 years old who spend less than 14 hours a week on their jobs, unless their activities or occupations are hazardous by nature or circumstances. Added to this, is the category of children 15 to 17 years old in hazardous work.1 According to the international statistical standards, children are considered to be in child labour if they are (i) below the age of 12 and working; (ii) aged 12 to 14 years and usually
1. For further details on the ILO estimation of child labour, see Y. Diallo et al.: Global child labour developments: Measuring trends from 2004 to 2008 (Geneva, ILO/IPEC, 2010). A specific sequential procedure for measuring child labour within the framework of the international standards is schematically presented (page 19).
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Table6. Overview of decent work indicators for work that should be abolished
Statistical Decent Work Indicators Concepts Coverage Preferred data source
Household-based child labour survey Labour force surveys with child labour module Establishment surveys administered at childrens workplace Population census Other household survey with employment module Sector-specific surveys
ABOL-3. Rate of worst forms of child labour (WFCL) other than hazardous work(A) ABOL-4. Forced labour rate(A)
Employed persons
Dedicated surveys Forced labour modules in household income and expenditure surveys, labour force surveys and child labour surveys Establishment surveys Household survey (migration, labour force or household income and expenditure surveys) with a module on forced labour Administrative records
Employed persons
working more than 14 hours per week; (iii) aged 12 to 14 years, usually working 14 hours or less per week (permitted light work), but stated s/he was working in a designated hazardous industry and/or occupation or worked under hazardous conditions; (iv) aged 15 to 17 years and usually working more than 42 hours per week; and (v) aged 15 to 17 years and usually working less than or 42hours per week (normal work), but stated s/he was working in a designated hazardous industry and/or occupation.2 Hazardous work by children is statistically defined in terms of the engagement of children in activities of a hazardous nature (designated hazardous industries and occupations) or as work under hazardous conditions, for example, long hours of work in tasks and duties which by themselves may or may not be of a hazardous nature for children (paragraph 21 of the Resolution concerning statistics of child labour). The measurement of children in these hazardous work conditions depends on the extent to which the relevant elements are covered by the surveys. In the implementation of this framework by ILO,3 the total number of children in designated hazardous industries, designated hazardous occupations, as well as children with long hours of work and those working in other hazardous work conditions comprise in aggregate the total number of children in hazardous work. When the SNA production boundary is the basis for child labour measurement, hazardous work by children is a subcategory of child labour, which in turn is a subcategory of children in economic activity or children in employment. Therefore, children below the age of 18 years are considered to be engaged in hazardous work4 if (i) they performed tasks and duties of hazardous nature even for one hour during the reference period (designated hazardous occupations) or (ii) worked long hours (usually working more than 42 hours per week) or worked under hazardous conditions regardless of the tasks and duties being of hazardous nature or not. The hazardous occupations are designated by national legislation.5
2. ILO: Resolution concerning statistics of child labour, adopted by the Eighteenth International Conference of Labour Statisticians (Geneva, 2008). Available at: http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---integration/---stat/ documents/normativeinstrument/wcms_112458.pdf 3. See Y. Diallo et al.: op.cit. 4. See Y. Diallo et al.: op.cit. 5. ILO: Resolution concerning statistics of child labour, adopted by the Eighteenth International Conference of Labour Statisticians (Geneva, 2008). Available at: http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---integration/---stat/ documents/normativeinstrument/wcms_112458.pdf
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Some countries may also designate hazardous industries, for example, mining and quarrying. In addition, the criterion of working conditions can be expanded to cover an unhealthy work environment, unsafe equipment or heavy loads, dangerous work location and exposure to abuse, in addition to long working hours.6 Forced labour is defined as all work or service which is extracted from any person under the menace of any penalty and for which the said person has not offered him or herself voluntarily. In terms of measuring forced labour, two criteria are applied: (i) involuntariness/deception, and (ii) penalty and coercion. A methodology7 including operational criteria to measure involuntariness and coercion in a survey has been developed. The criterion of involuntariness covers the three phases of an employment relationship during which coercion may be applied: recruitment (i.e. entry into the employment relationship), conditions of work and living conditions if imposed by employer (i.e. during the employment), and possibility to leave employer (i.e. exit from the relationship). The assessment of a forced labour situation requires the presence of the criteria of both involuntariness and coercion. The relevant international standards are the Forced or Compulsory Labour Convention, 1930 (No.29)8 and the Abolition of Forced Labour Convention, 1957 (No.105).9 The legal definition of forced labour is closely aligned with the definition of Trafficking in Persons.10
6. ILO: Ibid. 7. ILO: Hard to see, harder to count: Survey guidelines to estimate forced labour of adults and children (Geneva, 2011). 8. ILO: The Forced or Compulsory Labour Convention, 1930 (No.29). Available at: http://www.ilo.org/ilolex/cgi-lex/ convde.pl?C029 9. ILO: The Abolition of Forced Labour Convention, 1957 (No.105). Available at: http://www.ilo.org/ilolex/cgi-lex/ convde.pl?C105 10. United Nations: Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (2000). The definition of human trafficking is subject to different interpretations in national law and practice. It is therefore the responsibility of national competent authorities to determine the relevant categorization of victims, according to national standards.
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STATISTICAL INDICATORS
ABOL-1.Child labour rate (CLR)(M)
Measurement objective and rationale The international standards define the target population for measuring child labour as all persons in the age group from 5 to 17 years (paragraph 9 of the Resolution concerning statistics of child labour).11 CLR is the percentage of overall child population in child labour aged 5 to 17years. The term child labour reflects the engagement of children in prohibited work and, more generally, in types of work to be eliminated as they are socially and morally undesirable as guided by national and international standards. Method of computation
Child labour rate (%) = Number of children in child labour aged 5 to 17 100 Total number of children aged 5 to 17
Concepts and definitions For a definition of child labour, see the introduction to this chapter. Recommended data sources and metadata The preferred data source for this indicator is the household-based child labour survey. In the absence of the above, labour force surveys with a child labour module, as well as establishment surveys administered at childrens workplace or a population census/other household survey with an employment module may be used. The CLR should be disaggregated by sex, as there are significant differences in the experiences of girls and boys with respect to child labour. This is particularly so when hazardous unpaid household services are included in the measurement of child labour (hazardous unpaid household servicesnot all unpaid household servicesare included in the estimate of child labour when child labour is measured on the basis of the general production boundary). Also, cultural norms, especially with respect to the age of marriage of girls, may impact on the value of the CLR (married girls would tend to be excluded when data is being collected on the grounds that they are no longer children). Analysis by urban/rural location would identify more clearly the economic activities and occupations in which child labour predominate, and thus facilitate the formulation of action programmes to address its elimination. Interpretation guidelines Several elements in the definition of child labour require national consensus and consistency with the national legislation. This includes the list of designated hazardous occupations and/ or industries, a cut-off point in terms of weekly hours worked and legislated minimum age of employment. Differences between countries regarding the measurement of employment and of usual hours of work also apply when computing the CLR. Another key challenge is the quality of data collection methods, considering the possible variation in the nature of the target population.
11. ILO: Resolution concerning Statistics of Child Labour, adopted by the Eighteenth International Conference of Labour Statisticians (Geneva, 2008). Available at: http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---integration/---stat/ documents/normativeinstrument/wcms_112458.pdf
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The above international standard definition includes hazardous unpaid household services as child labour when child labour is measured on the basis of the general production boundary.12 These are services performed in the childs own household that are performed (a)for long hours, (b)in an unhealthy atmosphere, involving unsafe equipment or heavy loads, (c)in dangerous locations, and so on. Countries differ in the application of this criterion in their measurement of child labour.13 Child labour indicators should be analysed together with indicators such as Children not in school and other education and/or health-related indicators for the age group concerned.
Concepts and definitions For a definition of child labour and hazardous work by children, see the introduction to this chapter. Recommended data sources The preferred data source for this indicator is the household-based child labour survey. In the absence of the above, labour force surveys with a child labour module, as well as establishment surveys administered at childrens workplace or a population census/other household survey with an employment module may be used. A list of hazardous occupations and industries in which employment of children is prohibited, as identified by individual countries, is very useful for the estimation of hazardous child labour. The HCLR should be disaggregated by sex, as there are significant differences in the experiences of girls and boys with respect to hazardous child labour. Interpretation guidelines Several elements in the definition of child labour require national consensus and consistency with national legislation. This includes the list of designated hazardous occupations and/or industries, a cut-off point in terms of weekly hours worked and legislated minimum age of employment. The differences between countries regarding the measurement of employment and of usual hours of work also apply when computing the CLR. Another key challenge is the quality of data collection methods, considering the possible variation in the nature of the target population.
12. This inclusion is not systematic since child labour may be measured in terms of the engagement of children in productive activities either on the basis of the general production boundary, or on the basis of the SNA production boundary. 13. ILO: Report III, Child Labour Statistics. Eighteenth International Conference for Labour Statisticians (Geneva, 2008).
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The above international standard definition includes hazardous unpaid household services as child labour. These are services performed in the childs own household that are performed (a)for long hours, (b)in an unhealthy atmosphere, involving unsafe equipment or heavy loads, (c)in dangerous locations, and so on. Countries differ in the application of this criterion when measuring child labour. Child labour indicators should be analysed together with indicators such as Children not in school and other education and/or health-related indicators for the age group concerned.
ABOL-3.Rate of worst forms of child labour (WFCL) other than hazardous work (ROWFCL)(A)
Measurement objective and rationale The ROWFCL indicator gives the prevalence of the worst forms of child labour other than hazardous work among the population of children in the age group 5 to 17 years. Method of computation
ROWFCL (%) = Number of children in ROWFCL aged 5 to 17 100 Total number of children aged 5 to 17
Concepts and definitions For a definition of child labour and hazardous work by children, see the introduction to this chapter. Hazardous work is a component of the worst forms of child labour. Hazardous work is defined by Article 3(d)of the Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No.182). The worst forms of child labour other than hazardous work refer to child trafficking, forced child labour, bonded child labour, children in armed conflict/child soldiers, commercial sexual exploitation of children and children in illicit activities, as defined by Article 3(a), 3(b)and 3(c)of the Convention.14 Recommended data sources and metadata Household surveys are not an effective data collection tool for identifying most of the worst forms of child labour other than hazardous work, as most of these activities are clandestine and illicit. There are also difficulties with regard to interviewing children due to fear of the employer or guardian. Methodologies are currently being developed by SIMPOC for estimating the number of children in the worst forms of child labour other than hazardous work and some sector-specific surveys have been piloted for testing.15 The ROWFCL should be disaggregated by sex, as there are significant differences in the experiences of girls and boys. Interpretation guidelines Several elements in the definition of child labour require national consensus and consistency with national legislation. This includes the list of designated hazardous occupations and/or
14. ILO: The Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No.182). Available at: http://www.ilo.org/ilolex/cgi-lex/ convde.pl?C182 15. ILO: Hard to see, harder to count: Survey guidelines to estimate forced labour of adults and children, 2011 and 2012 editions.
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industries, a cut-off point in terms of weekly hours worked and legislated minimum age of employment. Another key challenge is the quality of data collection methods, given the nature of the target population. Child labour indicators should be analysed together with indicators such as Children not in school and other education and/or health-related indicators for the age group concerned.
Alternatively, the absolute number of workers in forced labour or households affected by forced labour may be provided (requiring that at least one household member is in forced labour).
Concepts and definitions For a definition of forced labour, see the introduction to this chapter. Recommended data sources and metadata The most appropriate data collection tools for forced labour depends on the forms of forced labour to be surveyed (e.g. stateor military imposed, forced labour in the private economy, including commercial sexual exploitation). Up until now, methodologies to survey only forced labour in the private economy have been developed and tested by the ILO. Data on forced labour is best collected through a dedicated survey but it is also possible to include forced labour modules in household income and expenditure surveys, as well as labour force surveys and child labour surveys (when the coverage is limited to children in forced labour, which is one of the worst forms of child labour). The recommended reference period for measuring the forced labour rate should be short, for instance, the last seven days, as the purpose is to capture those currently in forced labour. The reference periods of the numerator and the denominator should be the same. If the scope of the survey is limited to an economic activity, it is also possible to use establishment surveys, although this would cover only formal establishments. The greatest limitation for this indicator is the difficulty in getting a large enough set of observations which permits extrapolation and the required breakdowns. It is crucial to report the reference period together with the figures, as well as the international and national criteria for identifying forced labour. The forced labour rate should be given by sex, age, economic activity, location (urban/rural), and informal/formal employment, if possible. It is also important to analyse forced labour by its form, i.e. (i) stateor military imposed, and (ii) private economic exploitation, and to analyse as well the main mechanisms of forced labour (i.e. the forms of coercion and deception employed). Although the main purpose of this indicator is to measure the national forced labour rate, it may be more efficient to limit the scope of the survey to those economic activities (ISIC) and/or geographical areas where forced labour is known to be concentrated. In any case, such
6. Work that should be abolished
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concentration should be taken into account when designing the sample, for example, by oversampling in activities and/or areas where forced labour is known to exist. This approach is also recommended for estimating forced labour among internal labour migrants.
Interpretation guidelines All operational criteria regarding forced labour have to be customized according to the national context in order to be relevant to the situations of forced labour existing in the country and they also need to be consistent with the national legislation on forced labour. The framework for the identification of forced labour on the basis of the operational criteria is part of the survey methodology proposed by the ILO. Although forced labour usually takes place in the context of a paid employment relationship (whether formal or informal), it can also occur in disguised employment relationships, in which similar means of coercion are used against the own-account worker. If this indicator is measured through a labour force or an establishment survey, it is unlikely to detect forced labour in illicit activities such as drug trade.
It is recommended to present this indicator as a percentage of the total number of returned migrants. If this is not possible, the denominator could be the total number of labour emigrants from the country (whether or not they have returned to their source country). If data are available on labour emigrants, it may be possible to measure the proportion of households affected by forced labour among migrants (requiring that at least one household member be in forced labour abroad, currently or previously).
Concepts and definitions According to the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (2000), trafficking in persons refers to the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation.16
16. United Nations: Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (2000).
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Exploitation, according to the Protocol, includes, at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs.17
Recommended data sources and metadata The recommended data collection instrument for this indicator is a dedicated household survey (migration, labour force or household income and expenditure surveys) with a module on forced labour. The recommended reference period for measuring the forced labour rate among returned migrants is the last 12 to 24 months, as those previously involved in forced labour abroad should be captured. When the denominator is total labour emigrants, administrative records or registers (from source or destination countries where data exchange is available) can also be used. The greatest limitation for this indicator for the forced labour rate is the difficulty in getting a large enough set of observations which permits extrapolation and the required breakdowns. In addition, when entire households migrate outside the country, they fall out of the sampling frame making it impossible to capture them through household surveys conducted in the source country. It is crucial to report the reference period together with the figures, as well as the international and national criteria for forced labour. The scope of the indicator does not cover trafficking for purposes other than forced labour. The forced labour rate among returned migrants should be provided by sex, age, by type of forced labour, by type of recruitment and by economic activity, if possible. It is also important to analyse forced labour by its form, i.e. (i) stateor military imposed, and (ii) private economic exploitation. Since the main purpose of the indicator is to measure forced labour rate among returned migrants, it may be more efficient to limit the scope of the survey to those geographical areas or at least to oversample in these areas if they are known to be concentrated in certain geographical areas. Interpretation guidelines All operational criteria of forced labour have to be customized according to the national context in order to be relevant to the situations of forced labour existing in the country and they also have to be consistent with the national legislation on forced labour and trafficking. The framework for the identification of forced labour on the basis of the operational criteria is part of the methodology proposed by the ILO.
17. United Nations: Ibid. The definition of human trafficking is subject to different interpretations in national law and practice. It is therefore the responsibility of national competent authorities to determine the relevant categorization of victims, according to national standards.
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Additional sources of information ILO sources y Country baselines under the ILO Declaration Annual Review (20002010): the Effective Abolition of Child Labour (CL)for countries which havent ratified the C138 and/or the C182 (http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_norm/---declaration/documents/ publication/wcms_091263.pdf); y Accelerating action against child labour. Report of the Director-General, International Labour Conference, 99th session, 2010 (http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/--dgreports/---dcomm/documents/publication/wcms_126752.pdf); y IPEC website: http://www.ilo.org/ipec/lang--en/index.htm.
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Additional sources of information ILO Sources y CEACR: General Survey concerning General Survey concerning the Forced Labour y Convention, 1930 (No.29), and the Abolition of Forced Labour Convention, 1957 (No.105), ILC, 96th Session, 2007 (http://www.ilo.org/public/english/standards/relm/ilc/ilc96/pdf/ rep-iii-1b.pdf) and Article 19 Government report (if the C29 and/or C105 have not been ratified); y DECLAR ATION Country baselines under the ILO Declaration Annual Review (20002010): the Elimination of All Forms of Forced or Compulsory Labour (FL) http:// www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_norm/---declaration/documents/publication/ wcms_091264.pdf; Or see Status by Country: http://www.ilo.org/declaration/follow-up/ annualreview/ratificationstatus/lang--en/index.htm.
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tability and security of work is a dimension that allows the differentiation of workers between those whose jobs are characterized by a degree of relative permanence and reliability in terms of the absence of subsistence working conditions, from those whose jobs provide no expectation of a long-lasting employment relationship.The indicators are given in terms of the share of employment falling into a particular category of unstable or insecure worker. While the concept of precarious employment centres on the duration of job contracts (which may be renewed with the same employer over long periods of time yielding employees with stable contracts) or the possibility of rapid dismissal, the concept of job tenure focuses on the length of time workers have been in their current or main job or with their current employer, regardless of the contract duration. The measurement of the concepts which are used to define the indicators requires adequate questionnaire design. In order to be reliable, the estimates will require a sufficient sample size as the concepts refer to subgroups of employment which are best analysed through disaggregation by key components and classifications. Stability and security of work covers four statistical indicators within the decent work measurement framework as follows: (1)Precarious employment rate(M); (2)Job tenure(A); (3)Subsistence worker rate(A); and (4)Real earnings of casual workers(A).1 The main criteria used to measure the concepts are, respectively length of contract duration or ease of dismissal by an employer, length of job tenure, characterization as subsistence workers and casual workers. The Legal Framework Indicator corresponding to these statistical indicators is Termination of employment. Changes in the levels or trends in a given indicator are best understood when taking into account the changes in underlying components. The four indicators should be analysed together with changes in other related decent work indicators, both quantitative and qualitative. The rights at work and legal framework indicator that has been identified for decent work indicators is employment protection legislation (including notice of termination in weeks). It is important to analyse the four indicators together with economic and social context indicators, and, in the case of subsistence workers, it may also be beneficial to analyse the indicator jointly with environmental, climatic and land/natural resource use indicators. Since many of the indicators share common concepts and definitions (See Table7) this introduction provides some of the key concepts and definitions.
1. At the time of the Expert Group Meeting in September 2008, only two indicators had been identified for this substantive element: (1) Stability and security of work (M), for which developmental work was to be done by the Office, and (2) Number and wages of casual/daily workers. Three new indicators listed above have replaced indicator (1) (of which only one is a main indicator, M), and the indicator (2) has been modified and incorporated as a complementary indicator to the new indicator, Precarious employment rate and Real earnings of casual workers.
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Table7. Overview of decent work indicators for stability and security of work
Statistical Decent Work Indicators Concepts Coverage Preferred data source
Employed persons Works in precarious employment Employed persons Job tenure Employed persons Self-employed Subsistence workers Employment Earning Hours actually worked CPI
Employed persons
LFS, other household surveys LFS, other household surveys with employment module LFS (with information by job contract duration) Other household surveys (with employment, earnings and hours data)
Employed persons
The concept of employment concerns the supply of labour for the production of economic goods and services (that is, it refers to productive activity within the production boundary) as defined by the United Nations systems of national accounts and balances during a specified time-reference period. The employed comprise all persons of working age who during a specified brief period, such as one week or one day, were in the following categories: a) paid employment (whether at work or with a job but not at work); or b) self-employment (whether at work or with an enterprise but not at work). Temporary absence from work includes reasons such as illness, maternity and parental leave, holiday, training, and industrial disputes.2 The concept at work refers to persons who during the reference period performed some work for wage or salary, in cash or in kind (for paid employment), or persons who during the reference period performed some work for profit or family gain, in cash or in kind (for self-employment). For operational purposes, the notion some work may be interpreted as work for at least one hour. Employed persons include those persons of working age who worked for at least one hour during the reference period as contributing family workers (formerly referred to as unpaid family workers) working in a family business. The indicators in this chapter are best calculated using estimates derived from a labour force survey (LFS). The primary objective of the LFS is to obtain reliable estimates about the labour force of a given population based on a sample of households. This instrument permits the estimation of the number of persons employed as well as the size of the working age population and can be designed to provide both stock and flow estimates. It generally covers all workers, including all self-employed persons and often allows disaggregation of data by demographic variables such as sex, age group and in some cases, ethnic group.Moreover, it often allows breakdowns by status in employment, occupation and economic activity.
2. ILO: Resolution concerning statistics of the economically active population, employment, unemployment and underemployment, adopted by the Thirteenth International Conference of Labour Statisticians. (Geneva, October 1982). Available at: http://www.ilo.org/global/statistics-and-databases/standards-and-guidelines/resolutions-adopted-by-internationalconferences-of-labour-statisticians/WCMS_087481/lang--en/index.htm
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STATISTICAL INDICATORS
STAB-1.Precarious employment rate(M)
Measurement objective and rationale The precarious employment rate (PER) provides information regarding the share of the employed whose contract of employment, whether verbal or written, is of relatively short duration or whose contract can be terminated on short notice. Method of computation The PER is defined as the percentage of employed persons who are in precarious employment. The indicator is calculated as follows:
PER (%) = Number of persons who are in precarious employment 100 Total number of employed persons
The indicator may be complemented by a component indicator by calculating the share of a given component in total precarious employment. For example, the share of casual workers in precarious employment (CWPE) would be calculated as:
CWPE (%) = Number of casual workers 100 Total number of persons who are in precarious employment
Concepts and definitions For the definition of employed persons, see the introduction to this chapter. Workers in precarious employment can either: (a)be workers whose contract of employment leads to the classification of the incumbent as belonging to the groups of casual workers, short-term workers or seasonal workers; or (b)be workers whose contract of employment will allow the employing enterprise or person to terminate the contract at short notice and/or at will, with the specific circumstances to be determined by national legislation and custom. In the case of workers falling under category (a)above, workers may be classified as employees or own-account workers according to the characteristics of the employment contract.3 Workers under category (a)refer to the following:
y Casual workers: contracts are not expected to continue for more than a very short period. y Seasonal workers: contract duration is influenced by seasonal factors such as climate, public holidays, agriculture season, etc. y Short-term workers: contracts are expected to last for a short period, but longer than that of casual workers.4 The common element among the precarious employment categories is the precarious, short-term nature of the employment contracts (categorya) or their instability, as employers may terminate them upon short notice (categoryb).
3. Despite this, concept measurement methods are better suited for capturing employees than own-account workers. 4. ILO: Resolution concerning the International Classification of Status in Employment (ICSE), adopted by the Fifteenth International Conference of Labour Statisticians (Geneva, January 1993). Available at: http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/ groups/public/---dgreports/---stat/documents/normativeinstrument/wcms_087562.pdf
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Recommended data sources, metadata and disaggregation The preferred official national data source for this indicator is a household-based labour force survey (LFS) which includes information by job contract duration. Other household surveys with an appropriate employment module may also be used to obtain the required data to calculate the PER. Nonetheless, such sources may have limitations related to periodicity, geographic coverage or worker coverage about which data users should be made aware. When the PER is published, appropriate metadata (or statistical documentation information) should be provided to users (data on the source, reference period, population coverage and geographic coverage and the definition of precarious employment). Breakdowns of the indicator by component groups such as sex, age group, urban and rural areas, and educational attainment provides measures by which to evaluate the relative differences in precarious employment across different groups. Disaggregation by key classifications such as economic activity (agricultural and non-agricultural), status in employment (employee or own-account workers), and key occupation groups may also be quite valuable for the analysis of precarious employment. Interpretation guidelines Progress in the precarious employment rate is measured by achieving acceptably low levels according to national circumstances and/or a declining trend. An increasing trend in the indicator corresponds to a worsening of the decent work situation in this dimension, as it points to an increasing number of jobs becoming unstable and/or insecure. Different experiences suggest that the indicator is sensitive to changes in the business cycle, having a counter cyclical nature. An economic downturn or recession may result primarily in layoffs of employees with short-term contracts, who are often younger and less experienced workers. When an economy begins a period of expansion, businesses may wish to avert risk and keep costs down, at least initially, by cautiously hiring workers on short-term contracts. In the aggregate, the decisions of companies regarding their employees during the business cycle depend on the economic structure, product/service demand and prices in the output market, as well as labour supply. It is therefore worth analysing this indicator together with indicators of GDP growth by sector, labour force participation rate, unemployment rate and average earnings. An analysis of the differences by gender for each of the components of precarious employment is valuable for understanding the gender dimension of the indicator. Seasonal employment may occur in key industries, such as agriculture or tourism, and hiring may be subject to special legislation which should be analysed jointly with the indicator. Seasonal employment contracts in agriculture may be defined by work gang or crew members whose working conditions (including health, safety and sanitation) and earnings may be inadequate. Similarly, workers in casual employment are often hired as day labourers in sectors such as construction or agriculture where working conditions and pay can be substandard. Some degree of overlap may exist between this indicator and the one for informal employment, reflecting the fact that jobs in precarious employment generally lack basic social or legal protections or employment benefits. Assessing the extent to which self-employment jobs are precarious could be done in terms of defining the stability of the enterprises in which they work; for example, an analysis of the average time that self-employed enterprises remain in operation (disaggregated by formal/informal sector) could be carried out. It should be noted that some workers (including working students) may prefer casual, seasonal, or short-term jobs; hence it is important to identify whether the engagement in this type of employment is voluntary or not, given the possibility of an alternative employment situation that is not precarious.
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STAB-2.Job tenure(A)
Measurement objective and rationale The job tenure indicator measures the length of time workers have been in their current or main job or with their current employer and is valuable for analysing the degree of fluidity in the job market. There are two indicators for job tenure: (i) mean job tenure for all employed persons and (ii)per cent distribution of employed persons by length of job tenure. Method of computation 1. The mean job tenure gives the mean number of years of tenure per employed person. It is calculated as:
Mean job tenure = Total number of years of job tenure among employed persons 100 Total number of employed persons
2. The percentage distribution of employed persons by length of job tenure is computed as:
Percentage of employed persons = with job tenure in length of time i Number of employed persons whose job tenure falls in length of time i 100 Total number of employed persons
Concepts and definitions For the definition of employment, see the introduction to this chapter. Note within the status of employment categories, employees with stable contracts are those employees who have had, and continue to have, an explicit (written or oral) or implicit contract of employment, or a succession of such contracts, with the same employer on a continuousbasis.5
Job tenure measures the length of time employed persons have been in their current or main job (self-employed workers) or with their current employer (employees). Job tenure time band categories should reflect national circumstances. Nonetheless, data users are encouraged to apply the following categories for purposes of international comparability: (1) less than 6 months, (2) 6 months or more but less than 12 months, (3) one year or more but less than 5 years and (4) 5 years or more but less than 10 years and (5) 10 years or more.
Recommended data sources, metadata and disaggregation The preferred official national data source for these indicators is a household-based labour force survey (LFS). Other household surveys with an appropriate employment module may also be used to obtain the required data to calculate the indicators. Nonetheless, such sources may have limitations related to periodicity, geographic coverage or worker coverage about which data users should be made aware. Appropriate metadata (or statistical documentation information) should be provided to users when job tenure data are published (data on the source, reference period, population coverage and geographic coverage, definition of job tenure).
5. For more information regarding status in employment categories, please refer to decent work indicator EMPL-8. Employment by status in employment (ESE). See also: ILO: Resolution concerning the International Classification of Status in Employment (ICSE), adopted by the Fifteenth International Conference of Labour Statisticians (Geneva, January 1993). Available at: http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---stat/documents/normativeinstrument/ wcms_087562.pdf
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Disaggregation of the indicators by component groups such as sex, age group, urban and rural areas, and educational attainment provides interesting measures on the relative differences across different groups. Disaggregation by key classifications such as economic activity, status in employment (employees and self-employed workers), and key occupation groups may also be quite valuable for the analysis of job tenure.
Interpretation guidelines A mean job tenure which is increasing may be interpreted as increasing employment security and thus an improvement in decent work in this dimension. However, this indicator should be analysed cautiously with regard to the point in time of the business cycle and take into account the key transmission mechanism of changes in total output to the labour market (i.e. whether employment, working time and/or employment-related income or earnings are most affected). For instance, during periods of economic recession or contraction, when a large number of workers risk losing their jobs, mean job tenure may tend to increase, as those laid off are often workers with shorter tenure. In this scenario, the share of employed persons with job tenure in the lower time band categories would likely decrease, while the share in higher time band categories would increase. At times of increasing employment opportunities, the mean job tenure may tend to decrease as there would be a higher number of newly employed persons (new entrants or persons changing employers). In this case, the share of employed persons with employment tenure in the lower time band categories would likely increase. The age distribution of the labour force is also important to consider in analysing job tenure, as younger workers tend to have shorter tenure and therefore less job stability. Hence, in an economy where the labour force mostly comprises younger persons, the mean job tenure is expected to be lower. Women workers may be more likely to show greater flows into and out of the labour force due to child-bearing, and thus present lower mean job tenure than men of the same age group. It is recommended that data users analyse the indicators disaggregated by status in employment, and in particular, by the employees and self-employed workers categories in order to evaluate the different experiences of these groups as regards job tenure. Employees who are in informal employment may present poor job tenure characteristics. Moreover, it may be quite useful to disaggregate the indicators by economic activity in order to identify the sectors where turnover of labour tends to be more rapid or on the contrary, slower.
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Concepts and definitions For the definition of employment, please see the concepts and definitions section in the chapter introduction. The International Classification of Status in Employment (ICSE-93) defines self-employment jobs as those jobs where the remuneration is directly dependent upon the profits (or the potential for profits) derived from the goods and services producedwhere own consumption is considered to be part of profits. The incumbents make the operational decisions affecting the enterprise, or delegate such decisions while retaining responsibility for the welfare of the enterprise.6
Subsistence workers are workers who hold a self-employment job and in this capacity produce goods or services which are predominantly consumed by their own household and constitute an important basis for its livelihood.7 They are defined according to activities that fall within the production boundary of the System of National Accounts, i.e. including all production of goods for own use, but excludes all production of services for own final consumption within households.8 Subsistence workers are primarily found in agriculture, forestry and fishing activities; it is thus essential to properly code these economic activities if one seeks to capture such workers. For operational purposes, it may be useful to target International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO-08) Sub-Major Group 63, Subsistence farmers, fishers, hunters and gatherers. Subsistence workers should in theory be included in the measurement framework of informal employment (a category in the production unit households). However, many countries that measure informal employment exclude the agricultural sector although this is where the majority of subsistence workers are often found.
Recommended data sources, metadata and disaggregation The preferred official national data source for these indicators is a household-based labour force survey (LFS). Other household surveys with an appropriate employment module may also be used to obtain the required data to calculate the indicators. Nonetheless, such sources may have limitations related to periodicity, geographic coverage or worker coverage about which data users should be made aware. Appropriate metadata (or statistical documentation information) should be provided to users when subsistence worker data are published (data on the source, reference period, population coverage and geographic coverage, definition of subsistence workers). Disaggregation of the indicators by component groups such as sex, age group, urban and rural areas, and educational attainment provides measures by which to evaluate the relative differences in subsistence workers across different groups. Disaggregation by ethnicity (including indigenous populations) where data are available may also be very useful. Disaggregation by key classifications such as economic activity and occupation may also be quite valuable. In particular, if estimates are sufficiently reliable, disaggregation of ISCO-08 sub major group63, Subsistence farmers, fishers, hunters and gatherers into 3-digit minor groups may help to better quantify the types of subsistence occupations which are prevalent.
6. ILO: Resolution concerning the International Classification of Status in Employment (ICSE), adopted by the Fifteenth International Conference of Labour Statisticians (Geneva, January 1993). Available at: http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/ groups/public/---dgreports/---stat/documents/normativeinstrument/wcms_087562.pdf 7. Ibid. 8. Production of services is excluded except for the services produced by employing paid domestic staff and the ownaccount production of housing services by owner-occupiers.
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Interpretation guidelines An increasing subsistence worker rate may be interpreted as declining stability and security of work, and thus a deterioration of decent work in this dimension. While subsistence workers are mainly found in developing countries, they may also exist in developed countries, particularly in less developed regions or regions facing extreme economic hardship.Economies that suffer prolonged contractions, experience mass layoffs of workers and do not offer adequate employment opportunities or safety nets may witness unemployed persons seeking refuge in subsistence production activities. Similarly, employees whose real earnings are well below cost of living and who are living in extreme poverty may abandon their paid employment and join the ranks of subsistence workers where the payoff is higher per unit of time worked. In some economies, subsistence workers may include some workers with higher levels of education. It is recommended that the indicator be analysed by level of educational attainment. Subsistence workers often suffer deficits of decent work in other dimensions, and it is recommended that the indicator be analysed jointly with other indicators which are disaggregated by economic activity (agriculture, forestry, fishing) or occupation group (ISCO-08 sub major group 63), including excessive working time, working poverty, safe work environment, and social security indicators. A cycle of poverty within subsistence-worker households may exist whereby children do not attend school and begin working alongside adult subsistence workers, later becoming adult subsistence workers themselves. Child labour is often prevalent in areas of subsistence production, and it is recommended that the subsistence worker rate be measured jointly with the incidence of child labour, the working time of children (using the general production boundary) 9 and the percentage of children not in school by geographic area. If data on environmental degradation (e.g. soil erosion, destruction of forests, or contamination of water resources) and adverse climatic conditions (e.g. severe droughts or flooding) in regions populated by subsistence workers are available, it may be useful to analyse this information together with the subsistence worker rate by region. Moreover, if qualitative policy or legal framework information is available on the access of subsistence workers to land and water resources, this will also contribute to a better understanding of the stability and security of subsistence workers.
9. ILO: the Resolution concerning statistics of child labour, adopted by the 18th International Conference of Labour Statisticians (2009). Available at: http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/--stat/documents/normative instrument/wcms_112458.pdf
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Step 2
Mean nominal hourly earnings of casual workers Real mean hourly earnings = of casual workers CPI in decimal form
Concepts and definitions For the definition of employment, please see the introduction to Chapter 2. Earnings refer to regular remuneration received from employers, in cash and in kind. This includes direct wages and salaries for time worked or work done, remuneration for time not worked (e.g. paid annual leave), as well as bonuses and gratuities regularly received. This definition of earnings excludes contributions paid to social security and pension schemes by employers in respect of their employees, as well as the benefits received by employees under these schemes. Earnings also exclude severance and termination pay.10 It should be noted that most casual workers do not receive earnings components other than direct wages (see introduction to Chapter 3).
The concept of hours actually worked is defined as the time spent in a job for the performance of activities that contribute to the production of goods and/or services during a specified short or long reference period. It applies to all types of jobs and is not linked to administrative or legal concepts of working time. For purposes of the working time indicators presented in this chapter, it refers to time spent on productive activities defined within the SNA production boundary. This concept covers time spent directly on and in relation to productive activities, as well as down time and resting time, but excludes time not worked, for example, annual and sick leave, public holidays, parental leave, commuting time, educational activities and longer pauses, such as lunch breaks (see the introduction to Chapter 4).11 The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a current social and economic indicator that is constructed to measure changes over time in the general level of prices of consumer goods and services that households acquire, use or pay for consumption. The index aims to measure the change in consumer prices over time. This may be done by measuring the cost of purchasing a fixed basket of consumer goods and services of constant quality and similar characteristics and using these to be representative of households expenditure during a year or other specified period. Such an index is called a fixed-basket price index (see Chapter 1). For this indicator, the CPI is used to adjust for inflation and thus provide the real average hourly earnings among casual workers.12
10. ILO: Resolution concerning an integrated system of wage statistics, adopted by the Twelfth International Conference of Labour Statisticians (Geneva, October 1973). Available at: http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/--stat/documents/normativeinstrument/wcms_087496.pdf 11. ILO: Resolution concerning the measurement of working time, adopted by the Eighteenth International Conference of Labour Statisticians (Geneva, 2009). Available at: http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---stat/documents/normativeinstrument/wcms_112455.pdf 12. A consumer price index is usually estimated as a series of summary measures of the period-to-period proportional change in the prices of a fixed set of consumer goods and services of constant quantity and characteristics, acquired, used or paid for by the reference population. Each summary measure is constructed as a weighted average of a large number of elementary aggregate indices. Each of the elementary aggregate indices is estimated using a sample of prices for a defined set of goods and services obtained in, or by residents of, a specific region from a given set of outlets or other sources of consumption goods and services; see ILO: Resolution concerning consumer price indices, adopted by the Seventeenth International Conference of Labour Statisticians (Geneva, 2003). Available at: http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/ public/---dgreports/---stat/documents/normativeinstrument/wcms_087521.pdf
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Recommended data sources, metadata and disaggregation The preferred official national data source for these indicators is a household-based labour force survey (LFS) which includes information by job contract duration. In the absence of a LFS, other household surveys with data on employment, earnings and hours can be used. Nonetheless, such sources may have limitations related to periodicity, geographic coverage or worker coverage about which data users should be made aware. Appropriate metadata (or statistical documentation information) should be provided to users when data are published on real earnings of casual workers (data on the source, reference period, gross or net earnings concept used, population coverage and geographic coverage, currency unit). Disaggregation of the indicators by component groups such as sex, age group, urban and rural areas, provides measures by which to evaluate the relative differences in job tenure across different groups. Disaggregation by key classifications such as economic activity may also be quite valuable for the analysis of this indicator. Interpretation guidelines Given that the indicator provides information about the average earnings per hour of casual workers, progress is made in this dimension when the earnings reach an acceptable level vis--vis a low pay threshold of real median weekly earnings (i.e. more than two-thirds of such earnings). It will therefore be helpful to obtain information on the average weekly hours actually worked of casual workers in order to assess the adequacy of the real weekly earnings. Declining trends in the indicator point to a worsening purchasing power of casual workers, who by definition are in one of the most precarious types of employment.
It is important to analyse the real earnings of casual workers together with the number of such workers and their relative importance within precarious employment and in total employment. Such information will shed light on the magnitude of the deficit in decent work as regards casual workers. The average real earnings of casual workers may be analysed together with indicators under adequate earnings and productive work, and in particular, it may be useful to evaluate the extent of working poverty among casual workers and their households. Casual workers are often employed in industries such as construction and agriculture, where occupational safety and health problems may be prevalent. It is therefore recommended that such indicators be also analysed by economic sector and by safe work environment indicators.
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Additional sources of information ILO sources y DIALOGUE EPLex: http://www.ilo.org/dyn/terminate/termmain.home; y DIALOGUE Termination of Employment Digest: http://www.ilo.org/public/english/ dialogue/ifpdial/downloads/term/digest.pdf (last up-date 1998, replaced by EPLex).
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romoting equal opportunity and treatment in employment is a central element of the Decent Work Agenda and the Millennium Development Goals. The indicators introduced in this section can help countries to monitor the progress they have made in achieving this objective. Four statistical indicators have been developed and four others are to be developed by the ILO. The Legal Framework Indicators corresponding to these statistical indicators are: Equal remuneration of men and women for work of equal value and Equal opportunity and treatment (Table8). Since many of the indicators share common concepts and definitions (See Table8) this introduction provides some of the key concepts and definitions. Persons of working age are classified as employed if, during a short reference period such as a day or a week, (i) they did some work (even for just one hour) for pay, profit or family gain, in cash or in kind; or (ii) they were attached to a job or had an enterprise from which they were temporarily absent during this period (for such reasons as illness, maternity, parental leave, holiday, training, industrial dispute). Employed persons include those persons of working age who worked for at least one hour during the reference period as contributing family workers (formerly referred to as unpaid family workers) working in a family business.1 It should be noted that the concept of employment does not include household members engaged in the provision of unpaid services for their own family use such as cooking at home or caring for their own children, as well as volunteers providing services to households for their own final use. These activities are not included within the production boundaries of the System of National Accounts (SNA).2 However, persons engaged in the production of economic goods and services for their own and household consumption should be considered as in self-employment if such production comprises an important contribution to the total consumption of the household (see Chapter 2).3 Employees are all those workers who hold paid employment jobs. These are jobs where the incumbents hold explicit (written or oral) or implicit employment contracts which give them a basic remuneration that is not directly dependent upon the revenue of the unit for which they work (this unit can be a corporation, a non-profit institution, a government unit or a
1. ILO: Resolution concerning statistics of the economically active population, employment, unemployment and underemployment, adopted by the Thirteenth International Conference of Labour Statisticians. (Geneva, October 1982). Available at: http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---integration/---stat/documents/normativeinstrument/ wcms_087481.pdf 2. UNSD: System of National Accounts 2008. (New York, 2009). Available at: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/nationalaccount/docs/SNA2008.pdf 3. ILO: Resolution concerning statistics of the economically active population, employment, unemployment and underemployment, adopted by the Thirteenth International Conference of Labour Statisticians (Geneva, October 1982). Available at: http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---integration/---stat/documents/normativeinstrument/ wcms_087481.pdf
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Table8. Overview of decent work indicators for equal opportunity and treatment in employment
Statistical Decent Work Indicators Concepts Coverage Preferred data source
Indicators developed EQUA-1. Occupational segregation by sex(M) EQUA-2. Female share of employment in senior and middle management(M) EQUA-3. Gender wage gap (A) EQUA-4. Share of women in wage employment in the non-agricultural sector(A) Indicators to be developed by the ILO EQUA-5 (A) Indicator for Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work (Elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation) EQUA-6 (A) Measure of discrimination by race/ethnicity/of indigenous people/of (recent) migrant workers/rural workers where relevant and available at the national level * EQUA-7 (F) Measure of dispersion for sectoral/occupational distribution of (recent) migrant workers EQUA-8 (F) Measure for employment of persons with disabilities * Legal framework indicators: L12 Equal remuneration of men and women for work of equal value L13 Equal opportunity and treatment
These indicators can comprise a set of indicators disaggregated by ethnicity in order to give a profile of discrimination in the country: Employment-to-population ratio (EPR), Labour force participation ratio (LFPR), Unemployment rate, Average real wages, etc. Ethnicity is a recommended level of disaggregation for key indicators.
LFS, other household surveys with an employment module Establishment surveys Administrative records LFS, other household surveys with an employment module including earnings data Establishment surveys Administrative data
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a n/a
n/a n/a
n/a n/a
household). Some or all of the tools, capital equipment, information systems and/or premises used by the incumbents may be owned by others, and the incumbents may work under direct supervision of, or according to strict guidelines set by the owner(s) or persons in the owners employment. Persons in paid employment jobs are typically remunerated by wages and salaries, but may be paid by commission from sales, by piece-rates, bonuses or in-kind payments such as food, housing or training.4
4. ILO: Resolution concerning the International Classification of Status in Employment (ICSE), adopted by the Fifteenth International Conference of Labour Statisticians (Geneva, January 1993). Available at: http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/ groups/public/---dgreports/---integration/---stat/documents/normativeinstrument/wcms_087562.pdf
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STATISTICAL INDICATORS
EQUA-1.Occupational segregation by sex(M)
Measurement objective and rationale This indicator and its three measures provide information on the tendency for men and women to work in different occupations,where an occupation refers to a set of jobs whose main tasks and duties are characterized by a high degree of similarity. In this way, the indicator sheds light on the extent to which women and men benefit from different opportunities and treatment in work life. Method of computation Three measures of occupational segregation by sex are being proposed:
(a) Female share of employment (relative to the male share) in each of the ISCO sub-major groups (b) Occupational distribution of employment by sex (using sub-major groups) (c) Duncan Index of Dissimilarity (using sub-major groups) If Wi and Mi are respectively the numbers of employed females and employed males in the i th ISCO sub-major group; W will be the total number of employed females: W = Wi ; and M will be the total number of employed males: M = Mi Ni will be the total employed persons in sub-major group i: Ni = Wi + Mi and N will be the total employed persons: N = Ni = W + M The proposed measures are computed as follows: (a) The female share of employment in the i th ISCO sub-major group = Wi /Ni (b) The female occupational distribution is obtained by computing Wi /W for the ith ISCO sub-major group; and correspondingly the male occupational distribution is obtained by computing Mi/M (c) The Index of Dissimilarity (ID) is given by ID = | (Wi / W)(Mi / M) | where the summation is of the absolute difference over all sub-major groups.
Concepts and definitions For a definition of employed persons, see the introduction to this chapter. The International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) organizes jobs into a clearly defined set of groups according to the tasks and duties undertaken in the job. The first version of ISCO was published in 1958 and since then ISCO has been revised in 1968, 1988 and 2008.5 Recommended data sources and metadata The recommended data source for this indicator is the labour force survey or, if not available, other household surveys with an employment module. In the absence of either of the above, establishment surveys or administrative records may be used to gather information on the female share of employment by the required ISCO groups. In cases where establishment surveys
5. ILO: International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO). Available at: http://www.ilo.org/public/english/ bureau/stat/isco/index.htm
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or administrative records are used, the coverage is likely to be limited to formal enterprises or enterprises of a certain size. Information on the enterprises covered should be provided with the figures. When comparing figures across years, any changes in the versions of ISCO used should be taken into account. Besides analysing occupational segregation by sex, these measures can be calculated for any two groups that need to be compared, for example, workers with disability versus those without. Metadata on the coverage and concepts used for the measures should be clearly identified.
Interpretation guidelines This first measure indicates the extent to which there is a concentration of women (and men) in each sub-major group of occupations. It can be used in two ways as follows:
(i)This measure is frequently used to discuss the degree of feminization of occupational groups. Agroup in which the female share of employment is high (for example, more than 80per cent), may be considered as female dominated. If the female share is low (for example, less than 20per cent), it may be taken as male dominated. Other occupations are considered as integrated occupations. The share can vary depending on the overall share of women in employment. (ii) Given the relationship between ISCO-88 and ISCO-08 major groups and skill level, increases in the female shares in Major Groups 1, 2 and 3 may be interpreted as progress with regard to the extent to which women are accessing managerial or high-skill jobs. Care should be exercised, however, in the interpretation of data with respect to specific high-skill groups such as teachers and nurses that have traditionally been female dominated. In these cases an increase in the share of female employment may reflect an increase in segregation. The second measure shows the number of females and the number of males employed in each occupational group, as a proportion of total female and male employment, respectively. Differences between the female and male distributions of occupations may reflect gender differences in access to employment opportunities in each occupational group.It allows identification of the groups in which employed females (and males) tend to work. Taken together with the first measure, it allows an analysis not only of the access that females have to a particular occupational group, relative to males, but also of the proportion of females employed in the said occupational group. The Duncan Index of Dissimilarity is the most popular summary indicator of segregation. It ranges from 0 to 1, with 0 meaning no occupational segregation and 1 being complete occupational segregation between the two sexes. An increase in the Index of Dissimilarity will mean a greater tendency of men or women to do different jobs. The Duncan Index represents full integration as being a situation in which the occupational distribution for each sex is the same as the occupational distribution of the total employed population. The index measures the tendency of labour markets to be segmented on the basis of sex, but it does not identify which occupational groups create these differences. As a single value, the index has the advantage that comparisons over time and between countries are easier to present. A disadvantage of using this index is that changes over time, as well as differences between countries are not only driven by the sex composition of occupations but also by the occupational structure of the labour market.
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Concepts and definitions For a definition of employed persons, see the introduction to this chapter. The International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) organizes jobs into a clearly defined set of groups according to the tasks and duties undertaken in the job. The first version of ISCO was published in 1958 and since then, ISCO has been revised in 1968, 1988 and 2008.6 This indicator is based on the ISCO-88 structure. When statistics are based on the ISCO-68, major group 2 will be used; where they are based on ISCO-08, sub-major groups 11, 12 and 13 will be used. If statistics are not disaggregated at the sub-major level, then major group 1 will be used. Recommended data sources and metadata The recommended data source for this indicator is the labour force survey or, if not available, other household surveys with an employment module. In the absence of either of the above, establishment surveys or administrative records may be used to gather information on the female share of employment by the required ISCO groups. In cases where establishment surveys or administrative records are used, the coverage is likely to be limited to formal enterprises or enterprises of a certain size. Information on the enterprises covered should be provided with the figures. When comparing figures across years, any changes in the versions of ISCO that are used should be taken into account. If the sample size permits, it may be of interest to cross-tabulate this indicator by economic activity (ISIC) or disaggregate further to observe the share of females that exists across more detailed occupational groups. Interpretation guidelines The female share of employment in ISCO-88 11 and 12 provides some insight into womens power in decision making and in the economy. However, its principle limitation is that it does not reflect differences in the levels of responsibility of women in these high and middle level positions or the importance of the enterprises and organizations in which they are employed.
6. ILO: International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO). Available at: http://www.ilo.org/public/english/ bureau/stat/isco/index.htm
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where Em is the gross average hourly earnings of men in any given population group and Ew is the gross average hourly earnings of women.
Concepts and definitions For a definition of employees, see the introduction to this chapter. Earnings in this context refer to regular remuneration received from employers, in cash and in kind. The concept includes direct wages and salaries for time worked or work done, remuneration for time not worked (e.g. paid annual leave), as well as bonuses and gratuities that are regularly received. It excludes the contributions paid by employers to social security and pension schemes in respect of their employees, as well as the benefits received by employees under these schemes. Earnings also exclude severance and termination pay.7 Recommended data sources and metadata The preferred data source for this indicator is the labour force survey or other household surveys with an employment module including earnings data, because this is the only source that guarantees full coverage of paid employment, including paid employment in the informal economy. Still, they have a number of drawbacks as concerns the elaboration of statistics on earnings. First, depending on the methodology used to capture information, the quality of statistics on earnings may be variable, especially for workers in the informal sector. Second, statistics may relate to net earnings (after deductions for social security schemes and advance income tax). And third, the calculation of hourly earnings requires assumptions about the hours worked for periods outside of the usual reference period (of a week). This is because hourly earnings are based on statistics on earnings and on hours worked but these are usually collected for different reference periods. In the absence of the above, establishment surveys may be used; however, the coverage is likely to be limited to workers in formal enterprises or enterprises of a certain size. Information on the coverage should be provided with the figures. Administrative records can also be used as another data source, although this would imply that coverage in terms of workers, concepts and economic activity would be reduced. Should hourly data on earnings not be available, another variant of earnings data may be used, such as monthly, weekly, etc. However, the interpretation will differ slightly from the hourly data since monthly and weekly earnings data also capture differences between men and women as concerns the number of hours worked. The analytical capacity of the indicator is much stronger when disaggregated. Most importantly, gender pay gap can be best analysed by occupational group (ISCO), economic activity (ISIC), level of education or age group.
7. ILO: Resolution concerning an integrated system of wage statistics, adopted by the Twelfth International Conference of Labour Statisticians. (Geneva, October 1973). Available at: http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/--stat/documents/normativeinstrument/wcms_087496.pdf
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Interpretation guidelines The gender pay gap measures the extent to which the wages of men differ from those of women. When the gender pay gap equals 0, it denotes equality of earnings. Positive values reflect the extent to which womens earnings fall short of those received by men, where a value closer to 100 denotes more inequality than a value closer to 0. Negative values reflect the extent to which womens earnings are higher than mens (though these are rarely encountered in reality). The gender pay gap presented above is in an unadjusted form. Specifically, this means that some of the difference between the average hourly earnings of men and women can be explained by observable characteristics, such as differences in education or experience. In this regard, while the gender pay gap is a useful measure to show on average how far behind women are, it is less useful for understanding the underlying reasons for which the gap exists. The gender pay gap is calculated for paid employees only, as earnings data are typically available for employees. Hence, the gender pay gap does not cover large numbers of own-account workers or employers, especially in the informal sector where income differences between men and women may be larger. The gender pay gap does not capture either income differences between the sexes that result from uneven access to paid employment. For instance, when men are over-represented among paid employees (with relatively high incomes) and women are overrepresented among the self-employed in the informal sector (with relatively low incomes), the overall gap in incomes is likely to be greater than what can be captured by the gender wage gap.
Concepts and definitions For a definition of employed persons and employees, see the introduction to this chapter. The International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities (ISIC) classifies productive activities in a set of activity categories. The non-agricultural sector refers to all economic activities excluding agriculture (ISIC, Revision4 section A). Industry can be understood as including mining and quarrying (including oil production), manufacturing, construction, electricity, gas, and water (, i.e. categories B-F in ISIC, Revision4). Services can be understood as including wholesale and retail trade and restaurants and hotels; transport, storage, and communications; financing, insurance, real estate and business services; and community, social and personal services (categories G-U in ISIC, Revision4).8
8. UNSD: International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities, Revision4 (2008). Available at: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/cr/registry/isic-4.asp
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Recommended data sources and metadata The preferred data source for this indicator is the labour force survey or other household surveys with an employment module. In the absence of the above, establishment surveys may be used, however, the coverage is likely to be limited to workers in formal enterprises or enterprises of a certain size. Information on the coverage should be provided with the figures. Another data source is administrative records, although this would imply that coverage in terms of workers and economic activity would be reduced. The versions of ISIC used should be harmonized as and when the indicator is analysed over time. The indicator can be disaggregated by geographical location and broken down further by economic activity. Interpretation guidelines The indicator may vary from 0 (only men) to 100per cent (only women). Equal numbers of women and men in the sectors would give an indicator value of 50per cent. Progress is assessed by an increase in the value of the indicator (often aiding poverty reduction). Due to growing levels of development and related structural economic changes, production tends to move from the agricultural sector towards the non-agricultural sectors. At the same time, this causes a movement to paid employment jobs away from other types of jobs, with an accompanying emergence of monetized industrial and services sectors. The extent to which women have access to paid employment could thus reflect their integration into the monetary economy while benefiting from a more regular and largely monetary income. This in turn would be expected to have a positive impact on womens autonomy and decision-making powers. In some countries, non-agricultural wage employment represents only a small portion of total employment. Therefore, this indicator should be considered together with additional information on the situation of women in the labour market: for instance, the share of women in total employmentby status in employment, level of education, level of remuneration, wage differentials, and womens and mens access to social protectionas well as in unemployment and in the economically active population. Another indicator that can be used for similar analysis is Female share of employment by ISIC category (CONT-10). That indicator may be analysed together with EMPL-10 Share of wage employment in non-agricultural employment.
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Additional sources of information ILO sources y Country baselines under the ILO Declaration Annual Review (20002010): Elimination of Discrimination in Respect of Employment and Occupation (DISC)http://www.ilo.org/ wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_norm/---declaration/documents/publication/wcms_091265. pdf (for information on countries which have not ratified the fundamental conventions No.100 and No.111); y Equality at work: tackling the challenges. Global report under the follow-up to the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work. Report of the Director-General, 2007 (http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---dcomm/---webdev/documents/publication/wcms_082607.pdf).
8. Equal opportunity and treatment in employment
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LEGAL FRAMEWORk INDICATOR 13 Equal remuneration of men and women for work of equal value
Scope Equal remuneration for men and women for work of equal value refers to rates of remuneration established without discrimination based on sex. Selected ILS on Equal remuneration of men and women for work of equal value The fundamental Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No.100) requires ratifying countries to ensure the application to all workers of the principle of equal remuneration for men and women workers for work of equal value. The term remuneration is broadly defined to include the ordinary, basic or minimum wage or salary and any additional emoluments payable directly or indirectly, whether in cash or in kind, by the employer to the worker and arising out of the workers employment. The principle of equal pay applies to all workers. Reference to work of equal value takes into account the gender dimensions of work. The Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No.111), defines discrimination as any distinction, exclusion or preference made on the basis of race, colour, sex, religion, political opinion, national extraction or social origin, which has the effect of nullifying or impairing equality of opportunity or treatment in employment or occupation. Information provided in the indicator
Law, policy or institutions: Is there a national law or stated government policy on equal remuneration for work of equal value based on sex? How is remuneration defined? How is equal value defined? Is there a national mechanism to promote or protect this right (Equal Opportunities Commission, etc.)? Have there been court cases or other legal proceedings to enforce this right? If so, what remedies have been provided or penalties imposed? Which workers are covered by the law? Evidence of implementation effectiveness: Comments of ILO supervisory bodies (if any). Coverage of workers in law: Estimate of the workforce covered by the law/policy. Ratification of ILO Conventions: The Equal remuneration Convention, 1951 (No.100) and the Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No.111).
Additional sources of information ILO sources y Country baselines under the ILO Declaration Annual Review (20002010): Elimination of Discrimination in Respect of Employment and Occupation (DISC)http://www.ilo.org/ wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_norm/---declaration/documents/publication/wcms_091265. pdf (for information on countries which have not ratified the fundamental conventions No.100 and 111); y Equality at work: tackling the challenges. Global report under the follow-up to the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work. Report of the Director-General, 2007 (http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---dcomm/---webdev/ documents/publication/wcms_082607.pdf).
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ccupational safety and health at work are vital components of decent work. The extent to which workers are protected from work-related hazards and risks is captured, assessed and monitored through four indicators: (i) Occupational injury frequency rate, fatal; (ii) Occupational injury frequency rate, non-fatal; (iii) Time lost per occupational injury; (iv) Labour inspection (Inspectors per 10,000 employed persons). The legal framework indicators corresponding to these statistical indicators are: OSH labour inspection and Employment injury benefits (Table9). Since many of the indicators share common concepts and definitions (See Table9) this introduction provides some of the key concepts and definitions. Occupational injury: any personal injury, disease or death resulting from an occupational accident. An occupational injury is different from an occupational disease, which comes as a result of an exposure over a period of time to risk factors linked to the work activity. Diseases are included only in cases where the disease arose as a direct result of an accident. Occupational accident: an unexpected and unplanned occurrence, including acts of violence, arising out of or in connection with work which results in one or more workers incurring a personal injury, disease or death. Occupational accidents are to be considered travel, transport or road traffic accidents in which workers are injured and which arise out of or in the course of work; that is, while engaged in an economic activity, or at work, or carrying out the business ofthe employer. Workers in the reference group: workers in the reference group refer to the average number of workers in the particular group under consideration and who are covered by the source of the statistics of occupational injuries (for example, those of a specific sex or in a specific economic activity, occupation, region, age group, or any combination of these, or those covered Table9. Overview of decent work indicators for safe work environment
Statistical Decent Work Indicators Concepts Coverage Preferred data source
SAFE-1. Occupational injury frequency rate, fatal(M) SAFE-2. Occupational injury frequency rate, non-fatal(A) SAFE-3. Time lost per occupational injury(A)
Occupational injury Occupational accident Fatal and non-fatal occupational injury Days lost by cases of temporary incapacity Employment Labour inspection
National systems for the notification of occupational injuries Administrative data Household surveys Establishment surveys
SAFE-4. Labour inspection (Inspectors per 10,000 employed persons)(A) Legal Framework Indicators: L15 OSH labour inspection L14 Employment injury benefits
Employed persons
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by a particular insurance scheme, accident notification systems, or household or establishment survey). The four indicators could be used by enterprises, governments and other stakeholders to formulate policies and programmes for the prevention of occupational injuries, diseases and deaths. They could also be used to monitor the implementation of these programmes and to signal particular areas of increasing risk such as a particular occupation, industry or location. Although the principal objective of the indicators is to provide information for prevention purposes, they may be used for a number of other purposes, such as: y to identify the occupations and economic activities where occupational injuries occur, along with their extent, severity and the way in which they occur, as a basis for planning preventive measures; y to set priorities for preventive efforts; y to detect changes in the pattern and occurrence of occupational injuries, so as to monitor improvements in safety and reveal any new areas of risk; y to inform employers, employers organizations, workers and workers organizations of the risks associated with their work and workplaces, so that they can take an active part in their own safety; y to evaluate the effectiveness of preventive measures; y to estimate the consequences of occupational injuries, particularly in terms of days lost or costs; and y to provide a basis for policy-making aimed at encouraging employers, employers organizations, workers and workers organizations to introduce accident prevention measures.
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STATISTICAL INDICATORS
SAFE-1.Occupational injury frequency rate, fatal(M)
Measurement objective and rationale The fatal occupational injury frequency rate provides information on the number of fatal occupational injury cases per hours worked by the concerned population during the reference period. It is a measure of the risk of having a fatal occupational injury based on the duration of exposure to adverse work-related factors. Method of computation The fatal occupational injury frequency rate is calculated as the number of new cases of fatal injury during the reference year divided by the total number of hours worked by workers in the reference group during the reference year, multiplied by 1,000,000.
Fatal occupational injury = frequency rate Number of new cases of occupational fatalities during the reference period 1,000,000 Total number of hours worked by workers in the reference group during the reference period
Ideally, the denominator should be the number of hours actually worked by workers in the reference group.When this is not possible, the denominator can be calculated on the basis of normal hours of work taking into account entitlements to periods of paid absence from work, such as paid vacations, paid sick leave and public holidays. If the data needed for calculating the frequency rate are not available, the incidence rate defined below may be calculated instead. The fatal occupational injury incidence rate is calculated as the number of new cases of fatal injury during the reference year divided by the average number of workers in the reference group during the reference year, multiplied by 100,000.
Fatal occupational injury = incidence rate Number of new cases of occupational fatalities during the reference period 100,000 Total number of workers in the reference group during the reference period
In calculating the average number of workers, the number of part-time workers should be converted to full-time equivalents. For the calculation of rates, the numerator and the denominator should have the same coverage. For example, if self-employed persons are covered in the statistics of fatal occupational injuries they should also be covered in the denominator.
Concepts and definitions 1 For the definitions of occupational injury, occupational accident, workers in the reference group, see the introduction to this chapter.
Fatal occupational injury: an occupational injury leading to death within one year of the day of the occupational accident. Case of fatal occupational injury: the case of a worker fatally injured as a result of one occupational accident, and where death occurred within one year of the day of the accident.
1. For more detailed information refer to ILO: Resolution concerning statistics of occupational injuries (resulting from occupational accidents), adopted by the Sixteenth International Conference of Labour Statisticians (October 1998). Available at: http://www.ilo.org/global/statistics-and-databases/standards-and-guidelines/resolutions-adopted-by-internationalconferences-of-labour-statisticians/lang--en/index.htm
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Recommended data sources and metadata The recommended data sources are national systems for the notification of occupational injuries ( such as, labour inspection records and annual reports; insurance and compensation records, death registers), supplemented by household surveys (especially in order to cover informal sector enterprises and the self-employed) and/or establishment surveys. The metadata should specify (i) whether the data relate to cases of occupational injury which have been reported (to an accident notification system or to an accident compensation scheme), compensated (by an accident insurance scheme) or identified in some other way (for example through a survey of households or establishments) and (ii) whether cases of occupational disease and cases of injury due to commuting accidents are included in the statistics. The indicator should be compiled at least once a year for a reference period of not more than a year. Interpretation guidelines Data on occupational injuries are essential for planning preventive measures. The role of the indicators is to identify important areas to which attention should be paid. In order to be able to design more targeted prevention mechanisms and related policies it is recommended to disaggregate and analyse this indicator by sex, occupation, economic activity, or any combination of these. For instance, workers in occupations and activities of highest risk can be targeted more effectively for inspection visits, development of regulations and procedures, and also for safety campaigns. When measured over a period of time, the data can reveal progress or deterioration in occupational safety and health, and thus point to the effectiveness of prevention measures. This indicator is volatile and strong annual fluctuations may occur due to unexpected but significant accidents or national calamities. The underlying trend should therefore be analysed. For a more comprehensive analysis, the indicator should be analysed together with the incidence rate of new cases of occupational injuries, severity of new cases of non-fatal occupational injuries and days lost per new case of non-fatal occupational injury. In addition, the non-fatal occupational injury frequency rate (SAFE-2) should be computed in order to have a more complete picture of risks at work.
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Ideally, the denominator should be the number of hours actually worked by workers in the reference group.When this is not possible, the denominator can be calculated on the basis of normal hours4 of work, taking into entitlements to periods of paid absence from work, such as paid vacations, paid sick leave and public holidays. If the data needed for calculating the frequency rate are not available, the incidence rate and/or severity rate defined below may be calculated instead. The non-fatal occupational injury incidence rate is calculated as the number of new cases of nonfatal injury during the reference year, divided by the number of workers in the reference group during the reference year, multiplied by 100,000.
Number of new cases of non-fatal occupational injury during the reference period Non-fatal occupational injury 100,000 = incidence rate Total number of workers in the reference group during the reference period
In calculating the average number of workers, the number of part-time workers should be converted to full-time equivalents. The non-fatal occupational injury severity rate is a useful indicator of the consequences of occupational injuries and is therefore important for prevention measures. It is calculated as the number of days lost as a result of new cases of occupational injury during the reference period, divided by the total amount of time worked by workers in the reference group during the reference period, multiplied by 1,000,000.
Non-fatal occupational injury = severity rate Number of days lost due to new cases of non-fatal occupational injury during the reference period 1,000,000 Total number of hours worked by workers in the reference group during the reference period
This should be calculated only for temporary incapacity for work. The amount of time worked by workers in the reference group should preferably be measured in hours actually worked. For the calculation of each of the above rates, the numerator and the denominator should have the same coverage. For example, if self-employed persons are covered in the statistics of non-fatal occupational injuries they should also be covered in the denominator.
Concepts and definitions 2 For the definitions of occupational injury, occupational accident, and workers in the reference group, see the introduction to this chapter. Cases of non-fatal injury with lost work time (permanent and temporary incapacity):
y Cases of permanent incapacity for work are cases of occupational injury where the persons injured were unable to work from the day of the accident, and were never able to perform again the normal duties of work in the job or post occupied at the time of the occupational accident causing the injury. y Cases of temporary incapacity arecases of occupational injury where the workers injured were unable to work from the day after the day of the accident, but were later able to perform again the normal duties of work in the job or post occupied at the time of the occupational accident causing the injury within a period of one year from the day of the accident.
2. For more detailed information, refer to ILO: Resolution concerning statistics of occupational injuries (resulting from occupational accidents), adopted by the Sixteenth International Conference of Labour Statisticians (October 1998). Available at: http://www.ilo.org/global/statistics-and-databases/standards-and-guidelines/resolutions-adopted-by-internationalconferences-of-labour-statisticians/lang--en/index.htm
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Recommended data sources and metadata The recommended data sources are national systems for the notification of occupational injuries (e.g. labour inspection records and annual reports; insurance and compensation records, death registers), supplemented by household surveys (especially in order to cover informal sector enterprises and the self-employed) and/or establishment surveys. The metadata should specify (i) whether the data relate to cases of occupational injury which have been reported (to an accident notification system or to an accident compensation scheme), compensated (by an accident insurance scheme) or identified in some other way (for example through a survey of households or establishments) and (ii) whether cases of occupational disease and cases of injury due to commuting accidents are included in the statistics. The indicator should be compiled at least once a year for a reference period of not more than a year. Interpretation guidelines Data on occupational injuries are essential for planning preventive measures. The role of the indicators is to identify important areas to which attention should be paid. In order to be able to design more targeted prevention mechanisms and related policies it is recommended to disaggregate and analyse this indicator by sex, occupation, economic activity, or any combination of these. Workers in occupations and activities of highest risk can be targeted more effectively for inspection visits, development of regulations and procedures, and also for safety campaigns. When measured over a period of time, the data can reveal progress or deterioration in occupational safety and health, and thus point to the effectiveness of prevention measures. This indicator is volatile and strong annual fluctuations may occur due to unexpected but significant accidents or national calamities. The underlying trend should therefore be analysed. For a more comprehensive analysis it is recommended to analyse this indicator together with the incidence rate of new cases of occupational injuries, severity of new cases of non-fatal occupational injuries and days lost per new case of non-fatal occupational injury. In addition, the fatal occupational injury frequency rate (SAFE-1) should be computed in order to have a more complete picture of risks at work.
Both the numerator and the denominator should have the same coverage.
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Concepts and definitions 3 For the definitions of occupational injury, occupational accident, and workers in the reference group, see the introduction to this chapter. Incapacity for work: inability of the victim, due to an occupational injury, to perform the normal duties of work in the job or the post occupied at the time of the occupational accident.
Cases of non-fatal injury with lost work time (permanent and temporary incapacity) y Cases of permanent incapacity for work are cases of occupational injury where the persons injured were unable to work from the day of the accident, and were never able to perform again the normal duties of work in the job or post occupied at the time of the occupational accident causing the injury. y Cases of temporary incapacity arecases of occupational injury where the workers injured were unable to work from the day after the day of the accident, but were later able to perform again the normal duties of work in the job or post occupied at the time of the occupational accident causing the injury within a period of one year from the day of the accident. Days lost by cases of temporary incapacity: days lost due to temporary incapacity refer to the number of calendar days during which those persons temporarily incapacitated were unable to work, excluding the day of the accident, up to a maximum of one year. Time lost is counted inclusively from the day after the day of the accident until the day prior to the return to work. Recurrent absences due to an occupational injury should be counted as one case. Time lost excludes temporary absences from work for medical treatment of less than one day.
Recommended data sources and metadata The recommended data sources are national systems for the notification of occupational injuries (e.g. labour inspection records, and annual reports, as well as insurance and compensation records) supplemented by household surveys (especially in order to cover informal sector enterprises and the self-employed) and/or establishment surveys. The metadata should specify (i)whether the data relate to cases of occupational injury which have been reported (to an accident notification system or to an accident compensation scheme), compensated (by an accident insurance scheme) or identified in some other way (for example through a survey of households or establishments) and (ii)whether cases of occupational disease and cases of injury due to commuting accidents are included in the statistics. If time lost due to permanent incapacity or death is measured, it should be compiled and disseminated separately from time lost due to temporary incapacity (death registers would be an additional source of data in this case). The indicator should be compiled at least once a year for a reference period of not more than a year. Interpretation guidelines Time lost should be measured in terms of the number of calendar days during which the injured person is temporarily incapacitated, in order to assess the severity of the injury. If time lost is measured in workdays, attempts should be made to assess the total number of calendar days lost. The average number of calendar days lost is useful for targeting accident prevention, while the average number of workdays lost is useful for measuring the economic impact of the absence from work caused by the injury for both the worker and the employer. Where the purpose is to
3. For more detailed information refer to ILO: Resolution concerning statistics of occupational injuries (resulting from occupational accidents), adopted by the Sixteenth International Conference of Labour Statisticians (Geneva, October 1998). Available at: http://www.ilo.org/global/statistics-and-databases/standards-and-guidelines/resolutions-adopted-byinternational-conferences-of-labour-statisticians/lang--en/index.htm
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estimate the full cost of occupational injuries, in addition to days lost or days of absence from work, other variables should be included in the estimation, such as production losses. The measurement of time lost should cover only cases of temporary incapacity for work. If time lost as a result of permanent incapacity for work or a fatality is also measured, the information should be presented separately for temporary incapacity for work, permanent incapacity for work and fatalities. In order to be able to design more targeted prevention mechanisms and related policies, it is recommended to disaggregate and analyse this indicator by sex, occupation, economic activity, or any combination of these. It is recommended to analyse the trends of this indicator together with the frequency rates of new cases of occupational injuries and the severity of new cases of non-fatal occupational injuries.
Concepts and definitions The system of labour inspection is in charge of: (i) securing the enforcement of the legal provisions relating to conditions of work and the protection of workers while engaged in their work; (ii) supplying technical information and advice to employers and workers concerning the most effective means of complying with legal provisions; (iii) bringing to the notice of the competent authority defects or abuses not specifically covered by existing laws.4
Persons of working age are classified as employed if, during a short reference period such as a day or a week, (i) they did some work (even for just one hour) for pay, profit or family gain, in cash or in kind; or (ii) they were attached to a job or had an enterprise from which they were temporarily absent during this period (for such reasons as illness, maternity, parental leave, holiday, training, industrial dispute). Employed persons include those persons of working age who worked for at least one hour during the reference period as contributing family workers (formerly referred to as unpaid family workers) working in a family business (see Chapter 2).5 The concept of employment does not include household members engaged in the provision of unpaid services for own family use such as cooking at home or caring for own children as well as volunteers providing services to households for own final use. These activities are not included within the production boundaries of the System of National Accounts (SNA). 6 However,
4. ILO: The Labour Inspection Convention, 1947 (No.81). Available at: http://www.ilo.org/ilolex/cgi-lex/convde.pl?C081 5. ILO: Resolution concerning statistics of the economically active population, employment, unemployment and underemployment, adopted by the Thirteenth International Conference of Labour Statisticians (Geneva,, October 1982). Available at: http://www.ilo.org/global/statistics-and-databases/standards-and-guidelines/resolutions-adopted-by-internationalconferences-of-labour-statisticians/lang--en/index.htm 6. UNSD: System of National Accounts 2008 (New York, 2009). Available at: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/national account/docs/SNA2008.pdf
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persons engaged in the production of economic goods and services for own and household consumption should be considered as in self-employment if such production comprises an important contribution to the total consumption of the household (see Chapter 2).
Recommended data sources and metadata The required data for the numerator and the denominator can be obtained from administrative records and labour force surveys or other household surveys with an employment module. It is important to synchronize the reference periods used for computing the number of labour inspectors and the number of employed persons. Interpretation guidelines Labour inspectors are in charge of monitoring and evaluating many labour-related practices of which safety and health at the workplace is one. Hence, the indicator at hand may not give a complete picture of whether health- and safety-related practices at the workplace are monitored to a sufficient extent. In addition, it does not provide information on the number of inspections conducted or the quality of the work conducted by the labour inspectorate. In order to be able to evaluate the results, a benchmark of an acceptable or a desired number of labour inspectors per 10,000 employed persons is necessary.
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Scope Employment injury benefits provide compensation for work-related injuries and occupational diseases. They include medical care, cash benefits for temporary or permanent loss of earning and cash benefits in case of death of the breadwinner. This Legal Framework Indicator focuses on income replacement in case of employment injury (cash benefits for loss of earning). Selected ILS on income replacement in case of employment injury Contingencies covered by the Social Security (Minimum Standards) Convention, 1952 (No.102) and the Employment Injury Benefits Convention, 1964 (No.121) include, inter alia, morbid condition, incapacity for work or loss of faculty due to work-related injuries and occupational diseases. Convention No.121 places an obligation to provide for a definition of industrial accident and a list and/or definition of occupational diseases. Convention No.102 covers nine branches of social security, including employment injury benefits. Part VI provides, inter alia, for periodical payments corresponding to at least 50per cent of the reference wage in cases of incapacity for work or invalidity. Convention No.121 provides for periodical payments corresponding to at least 60per cent of the reference wage. The rate should be revised following substantial changes in the cost of living. A lump sum is also permitted in some exceptional circumstances. No qualifying period may be prescribed; the benefits must be granted throughout the contingency. Information provided in the indicator
Law, policy or institutions: Is there a national occupational safety and health insurance system providing for income replacement in case of employment injury? What workers are covered/ excluded by the system? Who administers this system? Qualifying conditions: What is the minimum level of incapacity giving entitlement to compensation? What are the other qualifying conditions, if any? Benefits (level and duration): What cash benefits are payable for permanent incapacity (as percentage of previous earnings)? What cash benefits are payable for temporary incapacity (as percentage of previous earnings)? Other? Financing: How are the benefits financed? Evidence of implementation effectiveness: Comments of ILO supervisory bodies (if any). Coverage of workers in law: Broad estimate of workers covered in law. Coverage of workers in practice: Broad estimate of workers covered in practice (methodology TBD). Ratification of ILO Conventions: The Social Security (Minimum Standards) Convention, 1952 (No.102), the Employment Injury Benefits Convention, 1964 (No.121), the Occupational Health and Safety Convention, 1981, (No.155) and the Promotional Framework for Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 2006 (No.187).
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Additional sources of information ILO sources y CEACR: General Survey concerning social security instruments in light of the 2008 Declaration on Social Justice for a Fair Globalization, ILC, 100th Session, 2011 (forthcoming) and Article 19 reports; y GESS Country Profiles (http://www.socialsecurityextension.org/gimi/gess/Show CountryProfiles.do?aid=2); y SECSOC websitehttp://www.ilo.org/public/english/protection/secsoc;
Other sources y ISSA Country Profiles (http://www.issa.int/aiss/Observatory/Country-Profiles).
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Additional sources of information ILO sources y Lab/Admin website: http://www.ilo.org/labadmin; y LAB/Admin: Labour Inspection country profiles, if any (http://www.ilo.org/labadmin/info/ lang--en/WCMS_DOC_LAB_INF_CTR_EN/index.htm); y OSH profiles (NATLEX), if any; y CEACR, General Survey of the reports concerning the Labour Inspection Convention, 1947 (No.81), and the Protocol of 1995 to the Labour Inspection Convention, 1947, and the Labour Inspection Recommendation, 1947 (No.81), the Labour Inspection (Mining and Transport) Recommendation, 1947 (No.82), the Labour Inspection (Agriculture) Convention, 1969 (No.129), and the Labour Inspection (Agriculture) Recommendation, 1969 (No.133), ILC, 95th Session, 2006 (http://www.ilo.org/public/english/standards/relm/ilc/ilc95/pdf/rep-iii1b.pdf) and article 19 reports, if any; y ILO Audit reports and TC projects reports, if any.
Other sources y National registries and annual reports.
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Social security
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ocial security covers all measures that provide benefits, whether in cash or in kind, to secure protection, inter alia, from (a)lack of work-related income (or insufficient income) caused by sickness, disability, maternity, employment injury, unemployment, old age, or death of a family member; (b)lack of access or unaffordable access to health care; (c)insufficient family support, particularly for children and adult dependants; (d)general poverty and social exclusion. Ten statistical indicators are introduced in this section, to monitor the progress made by the countries in achieving this objective and some of them are yet to be developed by the ILO. Three legal framework indicators correspond to these statistical indicators: Incapacity for work due to invalidity (income replacement in case of non-occupational invalidity); Incapacity for work due to sickness/sick leave (income replacement in case of sickness/sick leave); and Pension (public/ private) (Table10). An extended operational definition of social security that is relevant for the calculation of Decent Work Indicators comprises ten elements. Some of the indicators for the social security dimension refer to all of them (e.g. SECU-2. Public social security expenditure in percentage of GDP); others refer to one of the ten following elements, in particular as concerns coverage which has to be directly and separately measured for each of the specific branches:2
(1) and (2) Medical care and income support in the form of cash sickness benefits, as defined in Parts II and III of the Social Security (Minimum Standards) Convention, 1952 (No.102) and by the Medical Care and Sickness Benefits Convention, 1969 (No.130); (3), (4) and (5) Protection in old age, including income support and long-term careincome support old-age benefit; protection in disability, including income support but also medical care, rehabilitation and long term careincome support invalidity benefit; and protection of survivors in case of death of a family member (breadwinner)income support benefit as defined respectively in Parts V, IX and X of the Social Security (Minimum Standards) Convention, 1952 (No.102) and by the Invalidity, Old-Age and Survivors Benefits Convention, 1967 (No.128); (6) Protection in maternity, including medical care and income support maternity benefit, as defined in Part VIII of the Social Security (Minimum Standards) Convention, 1952 (No.102) and by the Revisionof the Maternity Protection Convention (Revised), 1952 (No.183);
1. The relevant ILO Conventions are: The Social Security (Minimum Standards) Convention, 1952 (No.102); The Medical Care and Sickness Benefits Convention, 1969 (No.130); The Invalidity, Old-Age and Survivors Benefits Convention, 1967 (No.128); The Revisionof the Maternity Protection Convention (Revised), 1952 (No.183); The Employment Promotion and Protection against Unemployment Convention, 1988 (No.168) and: The Employment Injury Benefits Convention, 1964 (No.121). All available at: http://www.ilo.org/ilolex/ 2. See also ILO: Chapter 1 Definitions, standards and concepts in World Social Security Report 2010/11, Providing coverage in times of crisis and beyond (Geneva, 2010). Available at: http://www.ilo.org/gimi/gess/RessFileDownload. do?ressourceId=15263
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Indicators developed SECU-1. Share of population above the statutory retirement age (aged 65 or above) benefiting from an old-age pension(M) SECU-2. Public social security expenditure (percentage of GDP)(M) SECU-3. Health expenditure not financed out of pocket by private households(A) SECU-4. Share of economically active population contributing to a pension scheme(A) Old-age pension Beneficiary Annual public social security expenditure Healthcare costs Out-of-pocket spending by private households Persons protected or affiliated Active contributors Labour force Population above the statutory retirement age or aged 65+ n/a All Households Administrative records Household surveys Population Census National accounts Social security scheme National health account Demographic health survey Administrative data Household surveys
Indicators to be developed by the ILO (future indicators) SECU-5 (F) Share of eligible population covered by (basic) health care provision SECU-6 (F) Public expenditure on needs-based cash income support (% of GDP) SECU-7 (F) Beneficiaries of cash income support (% of the poor) SECU-8 (F) Sick leave SECU-9 (F) Share of unemployed receiving regular periodic social security unemployment benefits SECU-10 (F) Ratio of average old-age pension received to minimum wage n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a
Legal Framework Indicator: L16 Pension (public/private) L17 Incapacity for work due to sickness/sick leave (Income replacement in case of sickness/sick leave) L18 Incapacity for work due to invalidity (Income replacement in case of non-occupational invalidity)
(7) Protection in responsibility for the maintenance of children, including the provision in kind to, or in respect of, children, of food, clothing, housing, holidays or domestic help and of cash income support family benefits as defined in Part VII of the Social Security (Minimum Standards) Convention, 1952 (No.102); (8) Protection in unemployment, including income support in the form of unemployment benefits, and also other labour market policies promoting employmentincome support benefits as defined in Part IV of the Social Security (Minimum Standards) Convention, 1952 (No.102), and income support and other labour market policies as defined by the Employment Promotion and Protection against Unemployment Convention, 1988 (No.168); (9) Protection in case of employment injury: medical care, rehabilitation and income support in the form of sickness, invalidity or survivors benefit as defined in Part VI of the Social Security (Minimum Standards) Convention, 1952 (No.102) and by the Employment Injury Benefits Convention, 1964 (No.121); (10) General protection against poverty and social exclusion through social assistance that provides protection to all residents without sufficient other means of income from work and not covered (or not covered sufficiently) by the social security branches listed above.
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STATISTICAL INDICATORS
SECU-1.Share of population above the statutory retirement age (aged 65 or above) benefiting from an old-age pension(M)
Measurement objective and rationale This indicator measures the proportion of the population above the statutory retirement age or aged 65 and above that receives an old-age pension, which is a fundamental social security instrument. In this way, it sheds light on the size of the population benefiting from social security at older ages. Method of computation It is recommended to present the indicator as a percentage of the total number of persons above the statutory retirement age.
Number of old-age pension beneficiaries s above statutory retirement age Share of old-age pension = 100 beneficiaries (%) Total number of persons above statutory retirement age
Concepts and definitions An oldage pension refers to periodic payments intended: (i) to maintain the income of the beneficiary after retirement from gainful employment at the legal/standard age or (ii) to support the income of elderly persons (excluding support for a limited duration).
A beneficiary is the person in respect of whom social security benefit is granted, irrespective of whether he is a titular beneficiary or not. The benefits covered are periodic cash retirement benefits. They can be means-tested or non means-tested and provided through contributory or non-contributory schemes. Means-tested social benefits are social benefits which are explicitly or implicitly conditional on the beneficiarys income and/or wealth falling below a specified level. Contributory schemes are social protection schemes that require the payment of contributions, by the protected persons or by other parties on their behalf, in order to secure individual entitlement to benefits.3 Conversely, non-contributory schemes normally do not require direct contribution from beneficiaries or their employers as a condition of entitlement to receive relevant benefits. Non-contributory schemes include a broad range of schemes including universal schemes for all residents and some categorical means-tested schemes. Non-contributory schemes are usually financed through tax or other state revenues. Beneficiaries who receive supplementary benefits in complement to another basic old-age benefit (i.e. second-pillar schemes) are excluded to avoid double counting. The age limit can be set at the statutory retirement age or, in cases where international comparison is desired, at 65 or above. To the extent possible, the numerator includes survivors and disability benefits once the beneficiary reaches the statutory retirement age (or the age of 65). In other words, the numerator should capture all beneficiaries of an old-age pension, whether they themselves were participants in a social security scheme (contributors) or not, for instance, family members of deceased contributors who receive a part of the latters pension. Both in the case of survivors and disability benefits, it is important to note that only those who fall within the age group will be counted.
3. European Commission and Eurostat: ESSPROS ManualThe European System of integrated Social Protection Statistics (European Communities, 2008). Available at: http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/cache/ITY_OFFPUB/KS-RA-07-027/ EN/KS-RA-07-027-EN.PDF
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The denominator corresponds to the total size of the population defined as above the statutory retirement age or aged 65 or above. The same age group has to be used for the numerator. For general information on social security statistics refer to the Resolution concerning the development of social security statistics, adopted by the Ninth International Conference of Labour Statisticians in April-May 1957.4
Recommended data sources and metadata The administrative data on old-age pension schemes are often the most up-to-date and provide comprehensive information for the numerator of this indicator. In the absence of reliable administrative records, data from household surveys (household budget surveys and labour force surveys) could be used, provided that persons with old-age pensions can be identified. The recommended reference period for obtaining pension information through household surveys is the last 12 months or the last calendar year, depending on the country. Data from the population census should preferably be used for the denominator of the indicator. When providing time series for this indicator, it is important to note any changes in the statutory retirement age. The indicator should be computed using the statutory retirement age that was valid at the time of data collection. Even if supplementary pension schemesthe main source of double countingare excluded, some double counting may still occur. This is the case, for example, if recipients have moved between different pension schemes during the course of their working lives and receive pensions from several pension schemes when they are retired. The numerator can also be overestimated in cases such as in Luxembourg where a significant proportion of old-age pensioners (possibly included in the numerator) living on the other side of the border are not counted in the oldage national population (denominator). In order to avoid over-estimation of old-age pension beneficiaries (including through double counting), it would be necessary to conduct additional analyses on the national level or to use micro-data in order to complement/adjust administrative data collected at the scheme level. Data for this indicator should be published with notes on data coverage (age group, social security schemes), reference period and any methodological breaks in the time series. The indicator should be disaggregated by sex and type of social security schemes and benefits. Interpretation guidelines This indicator does not capture all beneficiaries of an old-age pension; for example, it would not capture those who receive an old-age pension before reaching the statutory retirement age as a result of opting for early retirement or survivors benefit below the age of statutory retirement. The results (levels and changes over time) have to be analysed in relation to the contextual information, in particular regarding the type of schemes and combination of schemes existing in the country. These can include: contributory schemes, provident funds, universal or targeted schemes; defined benefit versus defined contribution schemes; private versus public; means tested or non means-tested benefits. For example, because of the ambiguous role of means-tested old-age pensions, two variants of coverage indicators can be calculated: one excluding and one including means-tested old-age pensions. In order to observe effective coverage, this indicator of will preferably be analysed together with average old-age pension benefits per month per person who is above the statutory retirement age (aged 65 and above) and benefits from an old-age pension. When such information is not available, statutory information on the legal replacement rate can be considered in analysing this indicator. The legal replacement rates for specific branches of social security are usually measured (for cash periodic benefits) by benefit ratios or replacement ratios calculated for specified
4. ILO: Resolution concerning the development of social security statistics, adopted by the Ninth International Conference of Labour Statisticians (April-May 1957). Available at: http://www.ilo.org/global/statistics-and-databases/standards-andguidelines/resolutions-adopted-by-international-conferences-of-labour-statisticians/WCMS_087550/lang--en/index.htm
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categories of beneficiaries, using benefit formulas or benefit amounts specified in the legislation. For example, the Social Security (Minimum Standards) Convention, 1952 (No.102) sets minimum replacement rates for cash benefits in seven of its nine branches (expressed as a percentage of total previous earnings of the beneficiary (or his/her breadwinner). It specifies that such minimum rates should apply to a defined standard beneficiary meeting qualifying conditions, and be guaranteed at least to those with earnings up to a certain prescribed selected level.5 The fact that in most countries workers can postpone retirement and continue working after the statutory retirement age should be taken into account when interpreting the results.
Concepts and definitions Total annual public social security expenditure is the sum of expenditures (including benefit expenditure and administration costs) of all existing public social security/social protection schemes/programmes in the country. The scope of the indicator corresponds to the scope of the Social Security (Minimum Standards) Convention, 1952 (No.102), which establishes nine classes of benefits: medical care, sickness benefit, unemployment benefit, old-age benefit, employment injury benefit, family benefit, maternity benefit, invalidity benefit and survivors benefit, plus other income support and assistance programmes, including conditional cash transfers, available to the poor and not included under the classes above.6 Both the numerator and the denominator should be in current prices and national currency. For general information on social security statistics, refer to the Resolution concerning the development of social security statistics, adopted by the Ninth International Conference of Labour Statisticians in April-May 1957.7 Recommended data sources and metadata The national aggregates of government spending can be obtained from the national accounts (general government accounts, as well as expenditure by function) or government finance statistics (expenditure by function). However, the desired functional disaggregation of expenditure
5. ILO: The Social Security (Minimum Standards) Convention, 1952 (No.102). Available at: http://www.ilo.org/ilolex/ cgi-lex/convde.pl?C102 6. ILO: The Social Security (Minimum Standards) Convention, 1952 (No.102).Available at: http://www.ilo.org/ilolex/ cgi-lex/convde.pl?C102 7. ILO: Resolution concerning the development of social security statistics, adopted by the Ninth International Conference of Labour Statisticians (April-May 1957). Available at: http://www.ilo.org/global/statistics-and-databases/standards-andguidelines/resolutions-adopted-by-international-conferences-of-labour-statisticians/WCMS_087550/lang--en/index.htm
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is often not available. Public social security expenditure is based on data extracted from the administrative social security scheme. Similarly, GDP is obtained from the national accounts. It is possible to estimate the proportion of the total amount of benefit received by men and women if the data on beneficiaries and benefits paid are available by sex in selected branches of social security, such as old-age pension, etc.. For analytical purposes, this indicator should be disaggregated by health and non-health public social security expenditure. Furthermore, when possible, it is useful to disaggregate the non-health social security expenditure by old-age benefit expenditure and other non-health social security expenditure.
Interpretation guidelines This indicator is useful for comparative purposes at the national and scheme levels but its interpretation presents inherent difficulties. These include, from an overall perspective, the composition of the scheme or changes over time and in relation to the search for further contextual information, difficulties pertain to the interpretation of the legal framework, as well as of the economic and social context. While social protection expenditurein the longer runis positively correlated with overall coverage (its scope, extent and level), it may also change due to factors other than changes in coverage, such as:
y Changes in social security expenditure are often countercyclical; a fall in total public social security expenditure as a percentage of GDP could result from higher employment rates (declining unemployment) or from a reduction in occupational injuries which could point towards progress. In other words, in specific branches of social security (e.g. employment injury insurance and unemployment, in particular) an increase or decrease in expenditure may be due to changes in the need or utilization of those benefits (such as more or fewer accidents at work) and not to changes in coverage. y The demographic structure, and in particular the share of older persons, is another factor that can have a direct impact on old-age and health expenditure, as well as on the global public expenditure indicator. y The size of the formal and informal economy has direct implications on the coverage of social insurance and other contributory schemes. y Aggregate expenditure can be distributed in various ways among lower- and higher-income populations. Expenditure may be high (or increase) as a result of the expansion of a specific generous programme for a relatively narrow, better-off group of the population (such as civil servants, military personnel, etc.) In other words, an increase in the expenditure may not necessarily correspond to an increase in the number of people covered. y This indicator should be analysed in relation to the different branches of social security covered at the statutory level and also to the respective share of the different branches (health, old-age, unemployment). Many developing countries do not have, at a statutory level, a comprehensive social system covering all nine branches as mentioned above. One common situation is a system covering long-term benefits (old-age, survivors and invalidity) and the work injury benefit. y Countries differ in terms of the level of direct and indirect taxes levied on social benefits. Such changes over time in taxation rules within a given country should be taken into account when interpreting trends in social protection expenditure. Social security systems around the world relate to various institutional structures, including public, private and mixed; compulsory and voluntary; universal and targeted programmes. This indicator relates to public expenditure and has to be considered in relation to the national context and the possible development of private social security schemes. In many countries, private (mandatory or voluntary) expenditure substitutes expenditure on public programmes. In Latin American and European Union countries with large private mandatory funded schemes,
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focusing only on public expenditure does not provide an accurate picture of the social protection expenditures. For these countries, this indicator should be analysed in combination with private expenditures (making the distinction between mandatory and voluntary expenditures). Many of these arrangements are employment-based, but not all. Population groups which are covered can go beyond workers, as the common goal of social security is to provide basic protection against the financial consequences of basic life contingencies for workers and their families. Hence, in interpreting this indicator, it should be kept in mind that the social security expenditures also concern persons beyond the employed or the working age population.
Where:
Total healthcare expenditure = Public healthcare expenditure + Private healthcare expenditure Public healthcare expenditure = Government expenditure on healthcare + Social security schemes expenditure on healthcare
Non-profit institutions serving households (NPISH) and corporations in the above equations refer to those other than social security or health insurance. Out-of-pocket payments should ideally exclude cost-sharing payments for the purpose of this indicator.
Concepts and definitions The level of financial protection provided by existing social health protection mechanisms refers to the proportion of healthcare costs covered through pooling and pre-payment mechanisms either by general government (national health services, social health insurance) or by private health insurance or other non-profit institutions and corporations. In other words, it is the proportion of costs not borne out of pocket at the point of service delivery. Levels of coverage become lower when out-of-pocket payments increase. High out-of-pocket payment rates thus indicate gaps in financial coverage, as well as insufficient financial protection provided by the existing social health protection mechanisms.
Out-of-pocket spending by private households (OOPs) is the direct outlay of households, including gratuities and payments in kind, made to health practitioners and suppliers of
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pharmaceuticals, therapeutic appliances and other goods and services, whose primary intent is to contribute to the restoration or to the enhancement of the health status of individuals or population groups. OOPs expenditure comprises self-medication and other expenditure made directly by private households, irrespective of whether the contact with the healthcare system was established on referral or on the patients own initiative, or whether it includes cost-sharing. Ideally, OOPs should be split into cost-sharing and OOPs excluding cost-sharing for the calculation of the indicator. Cost-sharing means that a health insurance or third party payers provide for beneficiaries to cover part of the medical cost via a fixed amount per service (co-payment) or a set share of the price tagged to services (co-insurance, also labelled in some countries ticket modrateur), or a fixed amount to be borne before the third-party gets involved (deductible). OOPs without cost-sharing means that payments are borne directly by a patient without the benefit of insurance. These include informal payments to health care providers but exclude cost-sharing payments.8 In practice, however, it is difficult to separate the cost-sharing component of OOPs, especially in developing countries. In addition, cost-sharing often represents a negligible part of OOPs. As a consequence, total OOPs is used most of the time in computing the numerator of this indicator.
Recommended data sources and metadata The preferred data source for this indicator is the National Health Account (NHA) for a given country. The NHA provides information regarding expenditure on health by financing agent, i.e. for government expenditure (social security funds: social insurance), expenditure by other levels of general government (central, provincial or local) as well as for private expenditure (financed by private insurance, corporations, non-profit institutions and by households, out-of-pocket). One can calculate the above indicator using these components. Alternatively, household surveys such as household budget surveys and demographic health surveys can be used to calculate this indicator.9 Interpretation guidelines When interpreting this indicator, limitations related to the measurement of out-of-pocket expenditure10 should be taken into account. These limitations are mostly due to the limited capacity to monitor and track meaningful change in out-of-pocket health spending, as well as catastrophic payments for healthcare over time. Difficulties also arise when separating costsharing from the rest of out-of-pocket expenditure. More importantly, the multiple dimensions of health should be considered when measuring health coverage. One has to look at a number of interlinked indicators of effective access to health coverage: (i) statutory coverage by social health protection measures, (ii) affordability of healthcare services to households and (iii) availability and quality of services in terms of qualified health workforce, infrastructure, etc. Partial indicators widely available both at the national and international levels (WHO, OECD, Eurostat, ILO) relate to these different dimensions of coverage, for example: the percentage of persons covered by law; out-of-pocket expenditure as a percentage of total health expenditure; density of medical personnel of different skills and some infrastructure indicators; overall levels of healthcare spending; and, finally, information on the
8. OECD, Eurostat, WHO: A System of Health Accounts (2011). Available at: http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/cache/ ITY_OFFPUB/KS-30-11-270/EN/KS-30-11-270-EN.PDF 9. In terms of methodology, the main manuals or guides are the following: WHO, World Bank and USAID (2003) Guide to producing national health accounts http://www.who.int/entity/nha/docs/English_PG.pdf and WHO Statistical World Health Statistics 2010 Indicator compendium (Interim version). http://www.who.int/whosis/indicators/WHS10_IndicatorCompendium_20100513.pdf; OECD, Eurostat, WHO (2011), A System of Health Accounts http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/cache/ITY_OFFPUB/KS-30-11-270/EN/KS-30-11-270-EN.PDF, http://www.oecdilibrary.org/social-issues-migration-health/a-system-of-health-accounts_9789264116016-en 10. WHO: Limitations of methods for measuring out-of-pocket and catastrophic private health expenditures in Bulletin of the World Health Organization (2009). Available at: http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/87/3/08-054379/ en/index.html
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actual utilization of selected healthcare services, such as percentage of births attended by skilled medical personnel, percentage of children vaccinated and so on. Effective access to healthcare and levels of actual utilization certainly depend on all the above factors, as well as the availability of services with the level of financial protection being determined both by statutory coverage and effective coverage.11 However, at the same time there are other factors that influence access, including cultural ones. Finally, WHO definitions and metadata should be closely followed in interpreting this indicator (see Recommended data sources and metadata section for a list of methodological resources).
The age interval for this indicator should be the working age population below the statutory age for retirement, for example, 15 to 64.
Concepts and definitions The scope of the numerator for this indicator is contributory or partially contributory pension schemes. The indicator focuses on active contributors who are a sub-group of the affiliated or protected population. Active contributors are insured individuals who have made at least one contribution or on whose behalf at least one contribution has been made during the reporting period (i.e. the 12month period).
Persons protected or affiliated are persons who are insured by the scheme. This includes persons who are active contributors, as well as persons who have not made any contributions or on whose behalf no contributions have been made during the reporting period but who are still protected by the scheme and would benefit should a contingency arise. For example, long-term unemployed persons who may no longer be contributing to the old-age pension scheme (and on whose behalf no contributions are being made) but who have the minimum number of contributions to qualify for an old-age benefit upon reaching the statutory age for retirement.12 In contributory schemes, entitlement to a benefit is based on contributions from insured persons and/or their employer.
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11. See also ILO: Chapter 1 Definitions, standards and concepts in World Social Security Report 2010/11, Providing coverage in times of crisis and beyond (Geneva, 2010). Available at: http://www.ilo.org/gimi/gess/RessFileDownload. do?ressourceId=15263 12. ILO: ILO Social Security Inquiry 2005 Manual (Geneva, 2005). Available at: http://www.socialsecurityextension. org/gimi/gess/RessFileDownload.do?ressourceId=6622
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As in the case of SECU-1 SECU-4 considers contributions for entitlement to periodic cash retirement benefits but here this is restricted to old-age contributory schemes. Contributors to supplementary schemes in addition to the basic old-age pension scheme, i.e. second-pillar schemes, are excluded to avoid double counting. Basic schemes are social protection schemes that guarantee a basic level of protection. Supplementary schemes are social protection schemes that top up cash benefits granted by the basic scheme, or extend the coverage of the basic scheme. According to this concept, basic does not relate to the level of benefits. In particular, it is not to be understood as referring to a minimum level of benefits; it may well be that the benefits provided by a basic scheme are fairly generous. The distinction between basic and supplementary rather reflects the relationship between different benefits. The reference population is the economically active population. For further information refer to the Resolution concerning the development of social security statistics, adopted by the 9th International Conference of Labour Statisticians in April-May 1957 and to the Resolution concerning statistics of the economically active population, employment, unemployment and underemployment, adopted by the 13th International Conference of Labour Statisticians in October 1982. The reference population is the economically active population. Persons of working age are classified as employed if, during a short reference period such as a day or a week, (i) they did some work (even for just one hour) for pay, profit or family gain, in cash or in kind; or (ii) they were attached to a job or had an enterprise from which they were temporarily absent during this period (for such reasons as illness, maternity, parental leave, holiday, training, industrial dispute). Employed persons include those persons of working age who worked for at least one hour during the reference period as contributing family workers (formerly referred to as unpaid family workers) working in a family business.13 It should be noted that the concept of employment does not include household members engaged in the provision of unpaid services for their own family use, such as cooking at home or caring for their own children as well as volunteers providing services to households for their own final use. These activities are not included within the production boundaries of the System of National Accounts (SNA).14 However, persons engaged in the production of economic goods and services for their own and household consumption should be considered as in self-employment if such production comprises an important contribution to the total consumption of the household (see Chapter 2).15 Persons of working age are classified as unemployed if, during a short reference period such as a day or a week, they (i) were without work, i.e. did not work for even one hour in any economic activity (paid employment, self-employment, or unpaid work for a family business or farm); (ii) were available for work and; (iii) had taken active steps to seek work during a specified recent period. While no international standard exists regarding the recommended length of time for a person to conduct an active job search in order to be classified as unemployed, in practice, many countries have used a period of four weeks prior to the reference period.16 The labour force (total number of economically active persons) consists of all persons of working age who were either employed or unemployed.17
13. ILO: Resolution concerning statistics of the economically active population, employment, unemployment and underemployment, adopted by the Thirteenth International Conference of Labour Statisticians (Geneva, October 1982). Available at: http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---integration/---stat/documents/normativeinstrument/ wcms_087481.pdf 14. UNSD: System of National Accounts 2008 (New York, 2009). Available at: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/national account/docs/SNA2008.pdf 15. ILO: Ibid. 16. ILO: Ibid. 17. ILO: Ibid.
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For general information on social security statistics refer to Resolution concerning the development of social security statistics, adopted by the Ninth International Conference of Labour Statisticians in April-May 1957.18
Recommended data sources and metadata Administrative data from old-age pension schemes often give the most up-to date and comprehensive information for this indicator. However, the availability and quality of such data vary across countries, and across schemes within countries. Very often, administrative data trace certain administratively registered events (such as payment of contributions or benefits) rather than the persons behind such events. This leads to double counting, in particular when aggregating administrative data. In such a case, a person can be contributing to the same scheme through more than one job, or to more than one scheme covering the same contingency, or be receiving similar types of benefit from more than one source. Data from national household surveys (labour force surveys in particular and household budget surveys) can be used provided that persons contributing to an old-age pension scheme can be identified. If the required data is available, the indicator should be disaggregated by sex, age, economic activity and status in employment. Interpretation guidelines The scope of this indicator is limited to contributory pension schemes which still represent a large majority of the existing pension schemes. However, some non-contributory schemes now exist, notably in developing countries, covering a larger part of the population than the contributory schemes which are limited to formal economy workers. Hence, the results (levels and changes over time) have to be analysed in relation to the contextual information, in particular regarding the type of schemes and combination of schemes existing in the country: contributory schemes, provident funds, universal or targeted schemes; defined benefit versus defined contribution schemes; and, private versus public schemes. This indicator of effective coverage should be analysed together with additional information on:
y actual benefit levels for workers and the population (if not available, at least in relation to statutory information on the legal replacement rate); and y information on the statutory provisions concerning eligibility for contributory benefits: the minimum contributory period required for being eligible for any periodic benefit (like a partial pension); the minimum contributory period required for a full periodic benefit or pension (possibly different for men and women). When measuring the effective extent of coverage, a distinction has to be made between coverage measured in terms of protected persons and coverage measured in terms of actual beneficiaries. Protected persons are those who have benefits guaranteed but are not necessarily currently recipients of such benefits, e.g. persons who actively contribute to social insurance and are thus guaranteed benefits for a specified contingency. Actual beneficiaries are covered by SECU-1, for example, which as presently defined, includes beneficiaries from contributory and noncontributory schemes. In Estimating the extent of the statutory coverage information on the groups covered by statutory schemes for a given branch in national legislation is used, as well as available statistical information on the number of persons concerned at the national level. The statutory coverage
18. ILO: Resolution concerning the development of social security statistics, adopted by the Ninth International Conference of Labour Statisticians (April-May 1957). Available at: http://www.ilo.org/global/statistics-and-databases/standardsand-guidelines/resolutions-adopted-by-international-conferences-of-labour-statisticians/WCMS_087550/lang--en/ index.htm
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rate for a given branch of social security is the ratio between the estimated number of people legally covered andas appropriatethe total number of employees (that is, wage and salary workers), the total number of employed persons (including employees and the self-employed), the total number of economically active persons (including or not their dependants), or the total population. Measurements of effective coverage using SECU-4 should reflect how, in reality, the statutory provisions are implemented. Effective coverage is usually different from and, lower than, statutory coverage because of non-compliance, problems with enforcement of the legal provisions, or deviations of actual policies from the text of the legislation.
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Additional sources of information ILO sources y CEACRGeneral Survey concerning social security instruments in light of the 2008 Declaration on Social Justice for a Fair Globalization, ILC, 100th Session, 2011 ( forthcoming) and Article 19 Government report (if the C102/C128 have not been ratified); y GESS Country Profiles (http://www.socialsecurityextension.org/gimi/gess/Show CountryProfiles.do?aid=2); y SECSOC websitehttp://www.ilo.org/public/english/protection/secsoc;
Other sources y ISSA Country Profiles (http://www.issa.int/aiss/Observatory/Country-Profiles); this information is consolidated: Social Security Programs Throughout the World (SSPTW) (http:// www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/progdesc/ssptw/); y Mutual Information System on Social Protection (MISSOC) (31 countries) http://ec.europa. eu/social/main.jsp?catId=858&langId=en; y Mutual Information System on Social Protection of the Council of Europe (MISSCEO) (15 countries) http://www.socialcohesion.coe.int/MISSCEO/.
Scope Income replacement in case of sickness is part of the health and sickness social security which covers any benefits provided to maintain, improve or restore the health of the person protected as well as his/her ability to work and to attend to his/her needs. Paid sickness benefits are periodic cash benefits paid on a regular basis as income replacement, as a result of temporary inability to work caused by illness and/or injury. They do not include other sickness cash benefits which are other cash payments such as allowances for intensive care, special bonuses, or benefits in kind. Selected ILS on sickness benefits According to the Income Security Recommendation, 1944 (No.67) sickness benefit should be paid [in cases of] loss of earnings due to abstention from work necessitated on medical grounds by an acute condition, due to disease or injury, requiring medical treatment or supervision. The Social Security (Minimum Standards) Convention, 1952 (No.102), Part III, provides for periodical payments corresponding to at least 45per cent of the reference wage. The Medical Care and Sickness Benefits Convention, 1969 (No.130) provides for periodical payments, corresponding to at least 60per cent of the reference wage. A qualifying period may be imposed; a waiting period of three days may be imposed; benefits are granted throughout the illness/injury; possibility to limit the duration of benefits to 26 weeks (Convention No.102) or 52weeks (Convention No.130) in each case of sickness.
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Additional sources of information ILO sources y CEACR: General Survey concerning social security instruments in light of the 2008 Declaration on Social Justice for a Fair Globalization, ILC, 100th Session, 2011 (forthcoming) and Article 19 Government report (if the C102/C130have not been ratified); y GESS: Country Profiles (http://www.socialsecurityextension.org/gimi/gess/ShowCountry Profiles.do?aid=2); SECSOC database: http://www.ilo.org/dyn/sesame/IFPSES.SocialDatabase;
Other sources y ISSA Country Profiles (http://www.issa.int/aiss/Observatory/Country-Profiles); this information is consolidated: Social Security Programs Throughout the World (SSPTW) (http:// www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/progdesc/ssptw/); y Mutual Information System on Social Protection (MISSOC) (31 countries) http://ec.europa. eu/social/main.jsp?catId=858&langId=en; y Mutual Information System on Social Protection of the Council of Europe (MISSCEO) (15countries) http://www.socialcohesion.coe.int/MISSCEO/.
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Scope Invalidity benefits cover any benefit arising from the partial or total inability of a protected person to participate in any gainful activity due to a non-occupational chronic condition resulting in a disease, injury, loss of a member or body function prior to attaining the standard retirement age. Invalidity benefits arise when the inability to engage in any gainful activity is likely to be permanent or persists after the period during which the beneficiary is entitled to a benefit for temporary incapacity. ILS on income replacement in case of invalidity The Social Security (Minimum Standards) Convention, 1952 (No.102) covers nine branches of social security, including invalidity benefits. Part IX provides for periodical payments, corresponding to at least 40per cent of the reference wage (Old-Age and Survivors Benefits Convention, 1967 (No.128): 50per cent); the rates of relevant benefits must be revised following substantial changes in the general level of earnings and/or in the cost of living. A qualifying period may be prescribed (full benefit: 15 years of contributions or 10 years of residence; reduced benefits: five years of contributions or employment); these benefits last until pension benefits are granted or until the death of the beneficiary. See also Invalidity, Old-Age and Survivors Benefits Recommendation, 1967 (No.131). Information provided in the indicator
Law, policy or institutions: Is there a national law providing for invalidity benefits in case of nonoccupational injury, condition or disease? Type of programme? Who is covered? Which is (are) the institution(s) responsible? Qualifying conditions: Minimum level of incapacity? Period of contribution/work? Waiting period? Benefits (level): Legal replacement rate (cash benefits as percentage of earnings) or lump sum? Duration? Indexation? Financing: How are the benefits financed? What are the contributions? Evidence of implementation effectiveness: ILO supervisory bodies comments, if any. Coverage of workers in law: Estimate of workers covered by the law. Coverage of workers in practice: Rough estimate of workers covered in practice (methodology TBD). Ratification of ILO Conventions: The Social Security (Minimum Standards) Convention, 1952 (No.102) (applicability of Part IX), and Old-Age and Survivors Benefits Convention, 1967 (No.128).
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Additional sources of information ILO sources y CEACR: General Survey concerning social security instruments in light of the 2008 Declaration on Social Justice for a Fair Globalization, ILC, 100th Session, 2011 ( forthcoming) and Article 19 Government report (if the C102/C128 have not been ratified); y GESS: Country Profiles (http://www.socialsecurityextension.org/gimi/gess/ShowCountry Profiles.do?aid=2); y SECSOC database: http://www.ilo.org/dyn/sesame/IFPSES.SocialDatabase;
Other sources y ISSA Country Profiles (http://www.issa.int/aiss/Observatory/Country-Profiles); this information is consolidated: Social Security Programs Throughout the World (SSPTW) (http:// www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/progdesc/ssptw/); y Mutual Information System on Social Protection (MISSOC) (31 countries) http://ec.europa. eu/social/main.jsp?catId=858&langId=en; y Mutual Information System on Social Protection of the Council of Europe (MISSCEO) (15 countries) http://www.socialcohesion.coe.int/MISSCEO/.
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11
ocial dialogue covers all types of negotiation, consultation and exchange of information between representatives of governments, employers and workers on issues of common interest. It covers both tripartite processes and institutions of social dialogue, such as social and economic councils; institutions, such as trade unions and employers organizations; and processes, such as collective bargaining. The main goal of social dialogue itself is to build consensus among actors in the world of work. Successful social dialogue structures and processes have the potential to resolve important economic and social issues, encourage good governance, advance social and industrial peace and stability, as well as to boost economic progress. Hence, social dialogue plays a key role in achieving the ILOs objective of promoting opportunities for women and men to obtain decent and productive work in conditions of freedom, equality, security and human dignity. Social dialogue indicators are an important element in measuring progress of Decent Work. The extent to which the rights to social dialogue are exercised effectively is captured, assessed and monitored through four indicators (Table11). A future indicator is to be developed by the ILO, for Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work (Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining).1 The four statistical indicators are completed by three legal framework indicators: Tripartite consultations, Collective bargaining right and Freedom of association and the right to organize (Table11). Since many of the indicators share common concepts and definitions (See Table11) this introduction provides some of the key concepts and definitions.
Persons of working age are classified as employed if, during a short reference period such as a day or a week, (i) they did some work (even for just one hour) for pay, profit or family gain, in cash or in kind; or (ii) they were attached to a job or had an enterprise from which they were temporarily absent during this period (for such reasons as illness, maternity, parental leave, holiday, training, industrial dispute). Employed persons include those persons of working age who worked for at least one hour during the reference period as contributing family workers (formerly referred to as unpaid family workers) working in a family business.2 It should be noted that the concept of employment does not include household members engaged in the provision of unpaid services for own family use, such as cooking at home or caring for own children as well as volunteers providing services to households for own final use. These activities are not included within the production boundaries of the System of National
1. S.Hayter and V.Stoevska: Social Dialogue Indicators, trade union density and collective bargaining coverage, International Statistical Inquiry 200809, Technical Brief (Industrial and Employment Relations Department, ILO, 2010). 2. ILO: Resolution concerning statistics of the economically active population, employment, unemployment and underemployment, adopted by the Thirteenth International Conference of Labour Statisticians (Geneva, October 1982). Available at: http://www.ilo.org/global/statistics-and-databases/standards-and-guidelines/resolutions-adopted-by-internationalconferences-of-labour-statisticians/WCMS_087481/lang--en/index.htm
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Trade union Employees Employment Employers organization Collective bargaining Collective bargaining agreement Employees Employment Strikes Lockouts
LFS with data on union membership Administrative data Establishment surveys Business registers Establishment surveys LFS Administrative data Establishment surveys
DIAL-2. Enterprises belonging to an employers organization(M) DIAL-3. Collective bargaining coverage rate(M)
Employed persons
Legal Framework Indicators: L19 Freedom of association and the right to organize L20 Collective bargaining right L21 Tripartite consultations
Accounts.3 However, persons engaged in the production of economic goods and services for own and household consumption should be considered as in self-employment if such production comprises an important contribution to the total consumption of the household (see Chapter 2).4 Employees refer to wage and salaried workers as defined by the International Classification of Status in Employment (ICSE-93). Employees are all those workers who hold paid employment jobs. These are jobs where the incumbents hold explicit (written or oral) or implicit employment contracts which give them a basic remuneration that is not directly dependent upon the revenue of the unit for which they work (this unit can be a corporation, a non-profit institution, a government unit or a household). Some or all of the tools, capital equipment, information systems and/or premises used by the incumbents may be owned by others, and the incumbents may work under direct supervision of, or according to strict guidelines set by the owner(s) or persons in the owners employment. Persons in paid employment jobs are typically remunerated by wages and salaries, but may be paid by commission from sales, by piece-rates, bonuses or in-kind payments, such as food, housing or training.5
3. UNSD: System of National Accounts 2008 (New York, 2009). Available at: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/national account/docs/SNA2008.pdf 4. ILO: Ibid. 5. ILO: Resolution concerning the International Classification of Status in Employment (ICSE), adopted by the Fifteenth International Conference of Labour Statisticians (Geneva, January 1993). Available at: http://www.ilo.org/global/statistics-and-databases/standards-and-guidelines/resolutions-adopted-by-international-conferences-of-labour-statisticians/ WCMS_087562/lang--en/index.htm
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STATISTICAL INDICATORS
DIAL-1.Trade union density rate(TUR) (M)
Measurement objective and rationale The trade union density rate provides a proxy measure of workers representation and the influence of trade unions. It gives some indication of the extent of the exercise of freedom of association and it can help in assessing and monitoring the development of industrial relations. Method of computation The indicator is computed as the percentage of workers in a given reference group who are trade union members. Depending on the type of data available for both nominator and denominator, the following two types of density rates may be calculated:
Comprehensive density rate = Narrow density rate = Total number of trade union members in employment 100 Total number of employed
Total number of trade union members in paid employment 100 Total number of employees
If the data exist, an adjusted trade union density rate can be calculated using as a denominator the total number of employed/employees who have the right to join a trade union to exclude those who may not have the right to join a trade union (e.g. public sector or government services, domestic workers, etc.).
Concepts and definitions For the purpose of this indicator, a trade union is defined as an independent workers organization, constituted for the purpose of furthering and defending the interests of workers.6 A workers organization is independent if it ha[s] the right to draw up [its] constitution [] and rules, to elect [its] representatives in full freedom, to organize [its] administration and activities and to formulate [its] programmes. In other words, it is an independent organization which is free from government or other third-party interference in its internal affairs, and is able to carry out its economic and social mission irrespective of political changes in the country,consistent with Art.3, Freedom of Association and the Right to Organise Convention, 1948 (No.87) and the ILO Resolution Concerning the Independence of the Trade Union Movement, 1952. Ideally, for the comprehensive density rate, the numerator should reflect the total number of trade union members in employment, and for the narrow density rate the total number of trade union members in paid employment (employees). The unemployed, students and the retired should be excluded. For a definition of employed and employees, see the introduction to this chapter. Recommended data sources and metadata The preferred data sources for this indicator are labour force surveys with data on union membership, as they can provide both the numerator and the denominator required for the indicator. The numerator and denominator should have the same coverage. The most commonly available data sources, however, are administrative records of unions or records maintained by government agencies. These are imperfect as sources of statistics because
6. ILO: The Freedom of Association and the Right to Organise Convention, 1948 (No.87). Available at: http://www.ilo.org/ ilolex/cgi-lex/convde.pl?C087
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there are often problems related to updating, as well as a risk of double counting of union members who may belong to more than one union. Data reported from individual trade unions may suffer from the differences that may exist in the coverage and in the identification of trade unions. Administrative, financial and political interference could also lead to under-reporting or over-reporting of membership.Household-based surveys could provide a useful check with regard to the reliability of these reported numbers. Alternatively, surveys of enterprises or establishments could also be a source of information on the numbers of workers belonging to a trade union. While a good source of statistics, these surveys tend to be limited to non-agricultural formal sector establishments or to establishments above a certain size. When using LFS or administrative records as a source of statistics, a distinction should be made between trade union members who are employees, self-employed, unemployed and retired. Since union membership tends to vary significantly across branches of economic activity and institutional sectors, it is important to compute density rates by at least institutional sectors (public and private) and if data are available, by economic activity (ISIC) as well. Disaggregation by sex is also important, and highly recommended if the data permit.
Interpretation guidelines When interpreting trade union density rates, the coverage of statistics (e.g. coverage of the informal sector, public sector, agriculture, self-employed, etc.) should be taken into account. As there are no internationally agreed guidelines for the collection of trade union statistics at the country level, there is a high degree of methodological variation across countries and over time. This and the scarcity of reliable and comprehensive data sources make the analysis of the level and the trends of the rates very difficult. Observable changes in levels and rates may only be reflecting changes in definitions and coverage of trade unions and members over time and space. When this indicator is computed using the total number of employees as the denominator, the share of employees in the employed population should be kept in mind. While the trade union density rate gives some indication as to the extent of the exercise of freedom of association, it needs to be analysed within the national context (e.g. whether or not workers are free to organize strikes, etc.) and thus should be interpreted within the legal framework. Furthermore, the union density rate should not be used as the sole indicator of the bargaining power of unions. Countries with low density rates may have a very high coverage of workers through collective agreements; countries with high density rates may have very poor social dialogue. However, high density rates do not necessarily reflect a situation where the majority of employed persons may exercise freedom of association, such as would allow them to potentially benefit from trade union membership.
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In some countries, it may be possible to estimate additional density rate by dividing thenumber of employees in enterprises that are members of an employers organization by the total numberof employees.
Concepts and definitions Employers organizations are institutions that are set up to organize and advance the collective interests of employers. Given that the range and content of such collective interests vary from one country to another, the structure, membership basis and functions of employers organizations differ widely between countries. Employers organizations fulfil a variety of functions. The issues of membership growth, income generation and improvement of relations with members are important for all employers organizations. The historic raison dtre for many employers organizations is their direct role in the collective bargaining process. However, employers organizations are also involved in influencing labour market and industrial relations environments in other ways, for example through participation in statutory bodies, consultations on labour market issues, as well as lobbying activities on behalf of their members. Recommended data sources and metadata The underlying data for this indicator may come from business registers and employers organizations such as tax records, etc. In countries where regular establishment surveys are carried out, these data can be used to compute the rate of enterprises belonging to an employers organization, provided that the questionnaire is designed appropriately. Establishment surveys may allow the update of membership status more frequently and hence may be more reliable. However, since the sample frame would be based on the existing business register, the shortcomings of the business register would also be reflected in the establishment survey data, for example, the exclusion of informal enterprises. Interpretation guidelines In order for an enterprise to be a member of an employers organization, it may be required to register with an authority such as the tax administration. In this case, the numerator will refer solely to formal establishments and will disregard informal own-account workers or employers enterprises. Since the denominator is also derived from data sources based on business registers, its coverage is also limited to formal enterprises. It is highly recommended to consider data on the relative size of the informal sector, provided they are available, in the analysis of enterprises belonging to an employers organization, so as to inform on the overall representativeness of these organizations.
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This indicator may be supplemented by another one that refers to employees only:
Number of employees whose pay and conditions are determined by collective agreement 100 Narrow CBA rate = Total number of employees
If the data exist, the adjusted CBA rate can be calculated using as a denominator the total number of employees who have the legal right to collectively bargain in order to exclude those who may not have the right to bargain (e.g. certain public sector employees, agricultural workers, domestic workers, etc.).
Concepts and definitions A collective bargaining agreement refers to all agreements in writing regarding working conditions and terms of employment concluded between an employer, a group of employers or one or more employers organizations, on the one hand, and one or more representative workers organizations, or, in the absence of such organizations, the representatives of the workers duly elected and authorised by them in accordance with national laws and regulations, on the other.7
Collective bargaining refers to all negotiations which take place between an employer, a group of employers or one or more employers organizations, on the one hand, and one or more workers organizations, on the other, for (a)determining working conditions and terms of employment; and/or(b)regulating relations between employers and workers; and/or(c)regulating relations between employers or their organizations and a workers organization or workers organizations.8 According to the C154, collective bargaining encompasses negotiations which take place between an employer, a group of employers or one or more employers organizations, [] and one or more workers organizations, [] for determining working conditions and terms of employment. 9 For a definition of employed and employees, see the introduction to this chapter.
7. ILO: Collective Agreements Recommendation, 1951 (No.91). Available at: http://www.ilo.org/ilolex/cgi-lex/convde. pl?R091 8. ILO: The Promotion of Collective Bargaining Convention, 1981 (No.154). Available at: http://www.ilo.org/ilolex/ cgi-lex/convde.pl?C154 9. ILO: Idem.
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Recommended data sources and metadata The most common sources for statistics on collective bargaining coverage are administrative records (maintained by unions or government agencies). The numerator and denominator should have the same coverage. The reliability of the data collected from administrative records depends on whether the registration of collective agreements is obligatory. Since the duration of collective agreements may vary, care should be taken to also capture the coverage of agreements which have been registered in previous year(s) but are still valid. Possible double counting of workers covered by agreements that are reached at different levels (in the case of multilevel bargaining structures) should be avoided. Also, as registered agreements possibly have no expiry date, there may be some element of under- or over-representation especially since information will only have been recorded when the agreement registration was first negotiated. Labour force surveys have an advantage in terms of coverage as they include all types of workers and work situations. The data can also be cross-tabulated with other variables of interest, for example, variables related to employment conditions. However, the possible drawback of using labour force surveys to collect this type of data is that workers may not know their coverage status. Establishment surveys can be used as an alternative and would deliver higher quality data. However, their coverage is often limited to large formal sector establishments only. The indicator should be disaggregated by institutional sector (i.e. private and public sector) and by economic activity in order to identify those segments of the labour market in which collective bargaining has higher coverage. It should also be disaggregated by sex if data are available. Interpretation guidelines While this indicator gives some indication as to the exercise of collective bargaining rights, it does not necessarily reflect the direct outcome of negotiations. It does, however, reflect the particularity of the industrial relations system and type of labour regulation to which a country subscribes. This includes the number of collective agreements reached, the bargaining structure, as well as the interaction between the collective bargaining process, administrative regulations and labour law. Centralized collective bargaining structures tend to be associated with high coverage rates. In countries with extension mechanisms, coverage is increased to include enterprises and workers who may not have participated in actual collective bargaining negotiations. When this indicator is computed using the total number of employees as the denominator, the share of employees in the employed population should be kept in mind. A high collective bargaining coverage rate may not necessarily reflect that the majority of employed persons have access to the benefits of collective bargaining. The collective bargaining coverage rate should be analysed within the national context and should be interpreted within the appropriate legal framework.
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Concepts and definitions10 A strike is a temporary work stoppage carried out by one or more groups of workers with a view to enforcing or resisting demands or expressing grievances, or supporting other workers in their demands or grievances.
A lockout is a total or partial temporary closure of one or more places of employment, or the hindering of the normal work activities of employees, by one or more employers with a view to enforcing or resisting demands or expressing grievances, or supporting other employers in their demands or grievances. The concept of days not worked as a result of strikes and lockouts refers to the total number of working days during which work would normally have been carried out by each worker involved had there been no stoppage. The concept of workers involved in a strike or a lockout covers those directly or indirectly involved at any time during a strike or lockout, whether the involvement was for the full duration of the strike or lockout, or only part of it. Workers who are unable to work as a result of the secondary effects of strikes or lockouts should not be included. Workers directly involved in a strike are those who have participated in the stoppage of the work whereas workers indirectly involved in a strike are those who were unable to work due to a strike. In the case of lockouts, workers directly and indirectly involved refer respectively to the employees of establishments involved who were directly concerned by the labour dispute and who were prevented from working by the lockout and employees of the establishments involved who were not directly concerned by the labour dispute but who were prevented from working by the lockout.11
10. ILO: Resolution concerning statistics of strikes, lockouts and other action due to labour disputes, adopted by the Fifteenth International Conference of Labour Statisticians (Geneva, January 1993). Available at: http://www.ilo.org/global/statistics-and-databases/standards-and-guidelines/resolutions-adopted-by-international-conferences-of-labour-statisticians/ WCMS_087544/lang--en/index.htm 11. ILO: Ibid.
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Recommended data sources and metadata The most common data sources for statistics on strikes and lock outs are administrative records (such as records of employers or workers organizations and/or labour relations records). Establishment surveys, as well as household based sample surveys, could also be used as a source of information. The statistics should be published at least once a year, as rapidly as possible after the end of each reference period. The metadata should indicate (i) the branches of economic activity and sectors covered; (ii) the forms of action and reasons for labour disputes covered; (iii) any lower limits fixed for the coverage of the action, in terms of the number of workers involved, duration, amount of time not worked or any combination thereof. When possible, it is recommended to provide separate statistics for those workers who are directly and indirectly involved. As concerns the rates that are calculated, the numerator and the denominator should have the same coverage in terms of economic activities, status in employment, etc. Disaggregation by economic activity is highly recommended in order to identify the distribution of loss of working time due to strikes and lockouts across sectors. Interpretation guidelines Further information that is of interest for assessing the importance of strikes and lockouts includes: the number of strikes and lockouts; number of establishments involved; number of workers involved; total number of days lost; average number of workers involved per strike or lockout; average amount of time not worked per strike or lockout; average amount of time not worked per worker involved; and, the average duration of actions and causes for labour disputes. It is essential to analyse these indicators within the economic and social context (especially with reference to indicators of economic growth and labour productivity), and in relation to changes in employment opportunities/earnings and in legal provisions, for example, as concerns social security, termination of employment and the right to strike, etc.
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Additional sources of information ILO sources y LibSynd Database (http://webfusion.ilo.org/public/db/standards/normes/libsynd/index. cfm?hdroff=1); y Freedom of association in practice: Lessons learned, Global report under the follow-up to the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, ILC, 97th Session, 2008 (http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_norm/---relconf/documents/meeting document/wcms_091396.pdf); 172
Decent work indicators. Concepts and definitions
y Country baselines under the ILO Declaration Annual Review (20002010): Freedom of Association and the Effective Recognition of the Right to Collective Bargaining (FACB) (http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_norm/---declaration/documents/publication/wcms_091262.pdf).
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Additional sources of information ILO sources y LibSynd Database (http://webfusion.ilo.org/public/db/standards/normes/libsynd/index. cfm?hdroff=1); y Freedom of association in practice: Lessons learned, Global report under the follow-up to the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, ILC, 97th Session, 2008 (http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_norm/---relconf/documents/meeting document/wcms_091396.pdf); y Country baselines under the ILO Declaration Annual Review (20002010): Freedom of Association and the Effective Recognition of the Right to Collective Bargaining (FACB) (http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_norm/---declaration/documents/ publication/wcms_091262.pdf).
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Published by the International Labour Office (ILO) with financial assistance from the European Union under the ILO/EC Project Monitoring and Assessing Progress on Decent Work (MAP).