Bahamas
Title of the survey:
Labour Force and Household Survey.
Organization responsible for the survey:
Planning and conduct of the survey:
Department of Statistics.
Analysis and publication of the results:
Department of Statistics.
Topics covered:
Employment, unemployment, hours of work, income, duration of unemployment, discouraged workers, industry, occupation, status in employment, education/qualification levels, usual activity, second jobs.
Coverage of the survey:
Geographical:
Three main Islands: Grand Bahamas, New Providence and Abaco.
Population groups:
Persons of 15 years and over, engaged in or willing and able to be engaged in the production of goods and services, with the exclusion of the institutional population.
Availability of estimates from other sources for the excluded areas/groups:
No.
Groups covered by the survey but excluded from the published results:
No.
Periodicity:
Conduct of the survey:
Annual.
Publication of results:
Annual.
Reference periods:
Employment:
One week in April.
Seeking work:
Four weeks in April.
Availability for work:
Four weeks in April.
Concepts and definitions:
Employment:
All persons of 15 years and over who, at any time during the reference period, worked for pay or without pay for at least one hour in a family operated enterprise.
It includes:
- persons with a job but temporarily absent due to illness or injury, vacation or annual leave, maternity or paternity leave, educational or training leave, absence without leave, labour management dispute, bad weather, mechanical breakdown, etc.;
- persons who performed some work for pay or profit during the reference period but were subject to compulsory schooling, retired and receiving a pension, registered as jobseekers at an employment office or receiving unemployment benefits;
- full-time and part-time students working full or part time;
- paid and unpaid apprentices and trainees;
- unpaid family workers at work or temporarily absent from work;
- persons engaged in production of goods for their own final uses;
- seasonal workers not at work during the off-season.
It excludes members of the armed forces as well as persons on civilian service equivalent to military service and persons doing volunteer community or social service work.
Unemployment:
All persons of 15 years and over who did not work or have a job from which they were temporarily absent during the reference week, but were actively looking for work in the four weeks prior to the survey week, and were able and willing to work.
Underemployment:
Time-related underemployment:
Not covered by the survey.
Inadequate employment situations:
Not covered by the survey.
Hours of work:
Both hours worked during the reference week and usually worked are computed.
Employment-related income:
Income from paid employment:
Gross income compensation from employment, including tips and commissions before any deductions and income from investment (dividends, rental income, royalties, alimony, etc.). It refers to primary and secondary jobs.
Income from self-employment:
Income from all jobs, net of business expenses.
Informal sector:
Not covered by the survey.
Usual activity:
Not covered by the survey.
Classifications:
Branch of economic activity (industry):
Title of the classification:
National classification, corresponding to ISIC-Rev.2 at the major division level.
Population groups classified by industry:
Employed and unemployed persons.
Number of groups used for coding:
Nine branches.
Links to ISIC:
ISIC-Rev.2.
Occupation:
Title of the classification:
National classification, corresponding to ISCO-1988.
Population groups classified by occupation:
Employed and unemployed persons.
Number of groups used for coding:
Nine major groups.
Links to ISCO:
ISCO-1988.
Status in employment:
Title of the classification:
National classification, corresponding to ISCE-1993.
Population groups classified by status in employment:
Employed persons.
Groups used for classification:
Employees (government and private employees separately), employers, self-employed, unpaid family workers.
Links to ICSE:
ISCE-1993.
Education:
Title of the classification:
National classification.
Population groups classified by education:
Employed and unemployed persons.
Groups used for classification:
Six groups: no school, primary school, secondary school, college, technical/vocational school, other.
Links to ISCED:
No.
Sample size and design:
Ultimate sampling unit:
Household.
Sample size (ultimate sampling units):
2,700 households.
Overall sampling fraction:
Varying according to the Island covered.
Sample frame:
The 1990 Census of Housing and Population.
Updating of the sample:
On the basis of the new Census.
Rotation:
Scheme:
Two-thirds (2/3) of the households remain in the sample during three consecutive years while the remaining one-third (1/3) is sample for the first time.
Percentage of units remaining in the sample for two consecutive survey rounds:
66 per cent.
Maximum number of interviews per sample unit:
Three times
Length of time for complete renewal of the sample:
10 years.
Field work:
Type of interview:
Personal interviews.
Number of ultimate sampling units per sample area:
No information provided.
Duration of field work:
Total:
Three weeks in May.
Per sample area:
No information provided.
Survey organization:
Enumerators are recruited for each survey.
Number of field staff:
About 11 supervisors and 57 enumerators.
Substitution of non-responding ultimate sampling units:
No.
Estimation and adjustments:
Total non-response rate:
No.
Adjustment for total non-response:
No.
Imputation for item non-response:
No.
Adjustment for areas/population not covered:
No.
Adjustment for undercoverage:
No.
Adjustment for overcoverage:
No.
Adjustment for seasonal variations:
No.
History of the survey:
Title and date of the first survey:
Labour Force and Household Survey 19773.
Significant changes or revisions:
Biannual surveys until 1979. No survey between 1979 and 1986.
Documentation and dissemination:
Documentation:
Survey results:
Labour Force and Household Income Report (annual).
Survey methodology:
Labour Force and Household Income Report (annual).
Dissemination:
Time needed for initial release of survey results:
About one year.
Advance information of public about date of initial release:
No.
Availability of unpublished data upon request:
In some instances.
Availability of data in machine-readable form:
Yes.
Website: