GLOSSARY

Actively looked for work

Actively looked for work includes:

• written, telephoned or applied to an employer for work;
• had an interview with an employer for work;
• answered an advertisement for a job;
• checked or registered with an employment agency;
• taken steps to purchase or start your own business;
• advertised or tendered for work; and
• contacted friends or relatives in order to obtain work.

Actual hours of work

Actual hours of work refers to a specified reference period (e.g. a week) and includes:

• hours actually worked during normal periods of work;
• time spent in addition to hours worked during normal periods of work (including overtime);
• time spent at the place of work on activities such as the preparation of the workplace, repairs and maintenance, preparation and cleaning of tools, and the preparation of receipts, time sheets and reports;
• time spent at the place of work waiting or standing by due to machinery or process breakdown, accident, lack of supplies, power or internet access, etc;
• time corresponding to short rest periods (resting time) including tea and coffee breaks or prayer breaks;
• travel time connected to work (excluding commuting time); and
• training and skills enhancement related to the job or employer.

Excluded are:

• hours paid for but not worked, such as paid annual leave, public holidays or paid sick leave;
• meal breaks (e.g. lunch breaks);
• paid and unpaid time 'on call';
• time spent on travel to and from work when no productive activity for the job is performed (e.g. commuting time); and
• time off during working hours to attend outside educational activities, even if it is authorised, e.g. those not connected to the job or employer.

For multiple job holders the LFS collects a separate measure of actual hours worked in main job and in all jobs.

Attending full time education

Persons aged 15-24 years enrolled at secondary or high school or enrolled as a full time student at a Technical and Further Education (TAFE) college, university, or other educational institution in the reference week.

Attending school

Persons aged 15-19 years enrolled at secondary or high school in the reference week.

Attending tertiary educational institution full time

Persons aged 15-24 years enrolled full time at a TAFE college, university, or other educational institution in the reference week, except those persons aged 15-19 years who were still attending school.

Civilian population aged 15 years and over

All usual residents of Australia aged 15 years and over except members of the permanent defence forces, certain diplomatic personnel of overseas governments customarily excluded from census and estimated population counts, overseas residents in Australia, and members of non-Australian defence forces (and their dependants) stationed in Australia.

Composite Estimation

The estimation methodology used in the Labour Force Survey. Composite Estimation uses sample responses from nearby months as well as from the reference month to derive estimates for the reference month. This approach achieves gains in efficiency by exploiting the high similarity between the responses provided by the same respondent in previous months. For details see Information Paper: Forthcoming Changes to Labour Force Statistics, 2007 (cat. no. 6292.0).

Employed

All persons aged 15 years and over who met one of the following criteria 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 (employees and owner managers of incorporated or unincorporated enterprises).
• Worked for one hour or more without pay in a family business or on a farm (contributing family workers).
• 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' compensation and expected to return to their job.
• Were owner managers who had a job, business or farm, but were not at work.

Employed full-time

Includes 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.

Employed part-time

Includes 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.

Employment to population ratio

For any group, the number of employed persons expressed as a percentage of the civilian population in the same group.

Estimated resident population (ERP)

Estimated resident population (ERP), is Australia's official measure of the population of Australia and is based on the concept of usual residence. It refers to all people, regardless of nationality, citizenship or legal status, who usually live in Australia, with the exception of foreign diplomatic personnel and their families. It includes usual residents who are overseas for fewer than 12 months. It excludes overseas visitors who are in Australia for fewer than 12 months. Refer to Australian Demographic Statistics (cat. no. 3101.0).

Flow estimates

Flow estimates are a measure of activity over a given period. For example, monthly hours worked in all jobs is a measure of the total number of hours worked in a calendar month.

Gross flows

The matching of respondents who report in consecutive months enables analysis of the transition of individuals between the different labour force status classifications, referred to as the matched sample. The transition counts between the different labour force status classifications from one point in time to the next are commonly referred to as gross flows.

The figures presented in gross flows are presented in original terms only and do not align with published labour force estimates. The gross flows figures are derived from the matched sample between consecutive months, which after taking account of the sample rotation and varying non-response in each month is approximately 80 percent of the sample.

Caution should be exercised when analysing these gross flows data due to:

• the figures presented sum to approximately 80 percent of the population values as the gross flows data are based on the matched sample only;
• there is no adjustment applied to account for changes due to seasonal patterns (referred to commonly as seasonal adjustment); and
• the estimates of relative sizes of each transition class are subject to bias due to the matched sample being a non-representative sample.

Labour force

For any group, persons who were employed or unemployed, as defined.

Labour force status

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 standard definitions adopted by the International Conferences of Labour Statisticians.

Long-term unemployed

The number of persons unemployed for 52 weeks or over.

Long-term unemployment ratio

The number of long-term unemployed persons, expressed as a percentage of the total unemployed population.

Market sector

The market sector is an industry grouping comprising the following industries: Agriculture, forestry and fishing; Mining; Manufacturing; Electricity, gas, water and waste services; Construction; Wholesale trade; Retail trade; Accommodation and food services; Transport, postal and warehousing; Information media and telecommunications; Finance and insurance services; Rental, hiring and real estate services; Professional, scientific and technical services; Administrative and support services; Arts and recreation services; and Other services. Refer to Australian National Accounts: Concepts, Sources and Methods (cat. no. 5216.0).

Non-market Sector

The non-market sector is an industry grouping comprising the following industries: Education and training; Public administration & safety; and Health care and social assistance. Refer to Australian National Accounts: Concepts, Sources and Methods (cat. no. 5216.0).

Monthly hours worked in all jobs

Monthly hours worked in all jobs measures the total number of actual hours worked by employed persons in a calendar month. It differs from the actual hours worked estimates (and the usual hours worked estimates) since these refer only to the hours worked in the reference week.

The methodology used to produce monthly hours worked in all jobs means that these are synthetic estimates. Seasonally adjusted and trend estimates of monthly hours worked in all jobs are available for the period July 1978 onwards.

Further information on the methodology used to produce the monthly hours worked in all jobs estimates is available on the ABS website in Information Paper: Expansion of Hours Worked Estimates from the Labour Force Survey (cat. no. 6290.0.55.001).

Actual and usual hours worked cannot be aggregated across time to produce either quarterly or annual estimates as they relate to only a single week in the month. In contrast, monthly hours worked in all jobs estimates are a true monthly measure, and may be aggregated across time to produce both quarterly and annual estimates.

Not in labour force

Persons who were not in the categories employed or unemployed, as defined. They include people who undertook unpaid household duties or other voluntary work only, were retired, voluntarily inactive and those permanently unable to work.

Participation rate

For any group, the labour force expressed as a percentage of the civilian population aged 15 years and over in the same group.

Response rate

The number of fully responding dwellings expressed as a percentage of the total number of dwellings excluding sample loss. Examples of sample loss include: dwellings where all persons are out of scope and/or coverage; vacant dwellings; dwellings under construction; dwellings converted to non-dwellings; derelict dwellings; and demolished dwellings.

Seasonally adjusted series

A time series of estimates with the estimated effects of normal seasonal variation removed. See Explanatory Notes for more detail.

Stock estimates

Stock estimates are a measure of certain attributes at a point in time and can be thought of as stocktakes. For example, the total number of employed persons is an account of the number of people who were considered employed in the Labour Force Survey reference week.

Trend series

A smoothed seasonally adjusted series of estimates. See Explanatory Notes for more detail.

Underemployment rate (proportion of labour force)

The number of underemployed workers expressed as a percentage of the labour force.

Underemployment ratio (proportion of employed)

The number of underemployed workers expressed as a percentage of total employed persons.

Underemployed workers

Employed persons aged 15 years and over who want, and are available for, more hours of work than they currently have. They comprise:

• persons employed part time who want to work more hours and are available to start work with more hours, either in the reference week or in the four weeks subsequent to the survey; or
• persons employed full time who worked part time hours in the reference week for economic reasons (such as being stood down or insufficient work being available). It is assumed that these people wanted to work full time in the reference week and would have been available to do so.

Underutilisation rate

The sum of the number of persons unemployed and the number of persons in underemployment, expressed as a proportion of the labour force.

Unemployed

Persons 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.

Unemployed looked for full time work

Unemployed persons who:

• actively looked for full time work; or
• were waiting to start a new full time job.

Unemployed looked for only part time work

Unemployed persons who:

• actively looked for part time work only; or
• were waiting to start a new part time job.

Unemployment rate

For any group, the number of unemployed persons expressed as a percentage of the labour force in the same group.

Usual hours of work

Usual hours of work refers to a typical period rather than the hours worked in 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 or day. 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.