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2901.0 - Census Dictionary, 2006 (Reissue)  
Previous ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 17/11/2006  Reissue
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Contents >> Glossary >> Labour Force

Labour force


For Census purposes, the labour force includes people aged 15 years and over who:

    • work for payment or profit, or as an unpaid helper in a family business, during the week prior to Census Night;
    • have a job from which they are on leave or otherwise temporarily absent;
    • are on strike or stood down temporarily; or
    • do not have a job but are actively looking for work and available to start work.

The following people are classified as being in the labour force:
    • employed people (i.e. the first three groups above); and
    • unemployed people (i.e. the last group above).

People aged 15 years and over who are neither employed nor unemployed are classified as not in the labour force. This includes people who are retired, pensioners and people engaged solely in home duties.


See also Community Development Employment Projects (CDEP), Employment Type (EMTP), Labour Force Status (LFS06P).


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