INTRODUCTION
The labour force is conceptually the supply of labour for economic production. It is a measure of the population undertaking economic activity, and the underlying concept of economic activity is consistent with that used in the Systems of National Accounts.
The labour force framework classifies the in-scope population into three mutually exclusive categories at a given point in time: employed; unemployed and not in the labour force. The employed and unemployed categories together make up the labour force which gives a measure of the number of persons contributing to, or willing to contribute to, the supply of labour at that time. The third category, not in the labour force, represents the balance of the in-scope population.
Labour force concepts and definitions used by the ABS align closely with the standards and guidelines outlined in the resolutions of International Conference of Labour Statisticians (ICLS) and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) manuals and guidelines. The Australian labour force framework is detailed in Labour Statistics: Concepts, Sources and Methods (cat. no. 6102.0.55.001), and a summary is presented below.
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