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GLOSSARY
The definitions in this Glossary relate to the maximum question set for the monthly Labour Force Survey. Information on other standard question sets can be found in The Labour Force Framework, Labour Force Status, Status in Employment, Hours Worked, Full-Time/Part-Time Status and Duration of Unemployment. Detailed information on the labour force framework and definitions used in ABS surveys is available in Labour Statistics: Concepts, Sources and Methods (cat. no. 6102.0).
Actively Looking For Work
Actively Looking For Work includes: writing, telephoning or applying in person to an employer for work; answering an advertisement for a job; checking factory notice boards or the touchscreens at Centrelink offices; being registered with Centrelink as a jobseeeker; checking or registering with any other employment agency; advertising or tendering for work; and contacting friends or relatives.
Actual Hours of Work
Actual hours of work is the amount of time a person actually spent at work in the reference week. The time includes all paid and unpaid overtime but excludes hours paid for but not worked (such as paid annual leave or public holidays), meal breaks and time spent on travel to and from work. Actual hours worked (for a specific reference period) may differ from usual hours worked due to illness, vacation, strike, overtime work, a change of job or similar reasons.
Contributing Family Worker
A contributing family worker is a person who works without pay in an economic enterprise operated by a relative. (This category was formerly entitled unpaid family helper).
Currently Economically Active
The currently economically active population is also referred to as the labour force. The labour force is conceptually equivalent to the labour supply available for the production of economic goods and services (as defined for SNA purposes) during a specified (short) reference period (eg. one week). For more detail see Labour Statistics: Concepts, Sources and Methods (cat. no. 6102.0).
Duration of Unemployment
Duration of Unemployment is defined as the elapsed period to the end of the reference week since a person began looking for work, or since a person last worked for two weeks or more, whichever is shorter. Brief periods of work (of less than two weeks) since the person began looking for work are disregarded.
Employed
Employed persons comprise all those aged 15 years and over who, during the reference week:
- worked for one hour or more for pay, profit, commission or payment in kind, in a job or business or on a farm (comprising 'Employees', 'Employers' and 'Own Account Workers') or
- worked for one hour or more without pay in a family business or on a farm (ie. contributing family workers) or
- were employees who had a job but were not at work and were:
- away from work for less than four weeks up to the end of the reference week or
- away from work for more than four weeks up to the end of the reference week and received pay for some or all of the four week period to the end of the reference week or
- away from work as a standard work or shift arrangement or
- on strike or locked out or
- on workers' compensations and expected to return to their job or
- were employers or own account workers who had a job, business or farm, but were not at work.
Note: As stated at the beginning of the Glossary, this definition is consistent with the maximum question set for the Labour Force Survey.
Employee
An employee is a person who works for a public or private employer and receives remuneration in wages, salary, a retainer fee from their employer while working on a commission basis, tips, piece-rates, or payment in kind; or a person who operates his or her own incorporated enterprise with or without hiring employees.
Employer
An employer is a person who operates his or her own unincorporated economic enterprise or engages independently in a profession or trade, and hires one or more employees.
Full-time Workers
Full-time workers are employed persons who usually worked 35 hours or more a week (in all jobs) and those who, although usually working less than 35 hours a week, worked 35 hours or more during the reference week.
Labour Force
For any group, persons who were employed or unemployed, as defined.
Labour Force Status
Labour Force Status is a classification of the civilian population aged 15 years and over into employed, unemployed or not in the labour force, as defined. The definitions conform closely to the international standards adopted by the International Conferences of Labour Statisticians.
Main job
The main job is defined as the job in which the person usually works most hours.
Own Account Worker
Own Account Worker is a person who operates his or her or own unincorporated economic enterprise or engages independently in a profession or trade and hires no employees (this category was formerly entitled self employed).
Part-time Workers
Part-time Workers are employed persons who usually worked less than 35 hours a week (in all jobs) and either did so during the reference week, or were not at work in the reference week.
Persons Not in the Labour Force
Persons Not in the Labour Force are those persons who were not in the categories employed or unemployed as defined. For more detail see Labour Force Status - Classification and Coding, paragraph 27.
Status in Employment
Status in Employment refers to employed persons classified by whether they were employees, employers, own account workers, or contributing family workers.
Unemployed
Unemployed persons are those aged 15 years and over who were not employed during the reference week, and:
- had actively looked for full-time or part-time work at any time in the four weeks up to the end of the reference week and
- were available for work in the reference week or
- were waiting to start a new job within four weeks from the end of the reference week and could have started in the reference week if the job had been available then.
Note: As stated at the beginning of the Glossary, this definition is consistent with the maximum question set for the Labour Force Survey.
Unemployed Looking for Full-time Work
Includes unemployed persons who:
- actively looked for full-time work and were available for work in the reference week or
- actively looked for work and were not available for work in the reference week because they were waiting to start a new full-time job.
Unemployed Looking for Part-time Work
Includes unemployed persons who:
- actively looked for part-time work only, and were available for work in the reference week or
- actively looked for work and were not available for work in the reference week because they were waiting to start a new part-time job.
Usual Hours of Work
Usual hours of work refers to a typical period rather than to a specified reference period. The concept of usual hours applies both to persons at work and to persons temporarily absent from work, and is defined as the hours worked during a typical week. The time includes all regular paid and unpaid overtime.
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