Employment flag (EMFP)
Definition
This variable is used for national reporting purposes.
This variable flags whether a person is employed or unemployed/not in the labour force. This variable can be used for the calculation of the proportion of the population that is employed, as used in the Closing the Gap Target 8 – strong economic participation and development of people and their communities.
Scope
All persons aged 15 years and over
Categories
Code | Category |
---|---|
1 | Employed |
2 | Unemployed or not in the labour force |
@ | Not applicable* |
V | Overseas visitor* |
Number of categories: 4
Not applicable (@) comprises:
- Persons whose Labour force status (LFSP) was Not stated
- Persons under 15 years of age
* Categories marked with an '*' are to be excluded from data extracted for national reporting purposes.
See Understanding supplementary codes for more information.
Question(s) from the Census form
Last week, did the person have a job of any kind?
In the main job held last week, was the person: Working for an employer; Working in own business?
Last week, how many hours did the person work in all jobs?
Did the person actively look for work at any time in the last four weeks?
If the person had found a job, could the person have started work last week?
How this variable is created
Data for this variable is created by making custom categories from Labour force status (LFSP) as shown in the table below:
Labour force status (LFSP) | Employment flag (EMFP) |
---|---|
1 Employed, worked full-time | 1 Employed |
2 Employed, worked part-time | 1 Employed |
3 Employed, away from work | 1 Employed |
4 Unemployed, looking for full-time work | 2 Unemployed or not in the labour force |
5 Unemployed, looking for part-time work | 2 Unemployed or not in the labour force |
6 Not in the labour force | 2 Unemployed or not in the labour force |
& Not stated | @ Not applicable* |
@ Not applicable (Persons aged under 15 years) | @ Not applicable* |
V Overseas visitor | V Overseas visitor* |
History and changes
This variable was first created in 2016. For 2021, ‘Overseas visitor’ has been separated out from the ‘Not applicable’ category, into a separate category.
Data use considerations
This variable was created for National Reporting purposes. Any analyses using this variable that are for other purposes should be done with caution and with reference to the relevant inclusions and exclusions described above.
Categories marked with an '*' are to be excluded from data extracted for national reporting purposes.
This variable is derived from the Labour force status (LFSP) variable. The non-response rate for Labour force status (LFSP) was 5.8% in 2021. This is a decrease from 6.7% in 2016.
Closing the Gap and Other National Government Reporting
This variable aims to provide data on Target 8 for the National Agreement for Closing the Gap:
- By 2031, increase the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 25-64 who are employed to 62 per cent.
Employment flag (EMFP), Indigenous status (INGP) and Age (AGEP) variables should be used to report on this measure. ‘Not applicable’ and ‘Overseas visitors’ categories should not be used for this measure.
For more information about ABS collections used in Closing the Gap and other National Government Reporting, see Closing the Gap and Other National Reporting.
Comparing Census with the ABS Labour Force Survey
The Census and Labour Force Survey both collect information about the labour market activity of people aged 15 years and over. While both collections seek to measure the concepts related to employment, unemployment and being outside of the labour force, there are a number of differences between them that should be considered in the use of the data. A summary of the differences between these collections is available in Comparing the 2021 Census and the Labour Force Survey.