Hong Kong, China
Title of the survey:
General Household Survey (GHS).
Organization responsible for the survey:
Planning and conduct of the survey:
Census and Statistics Department (C&SD).
Analysis and publication of the results:
C&SD.
Topics covered:
Persons currently economically active, employed and unemployed; persons currently in time-related underemployment; persons currently outside the labour force; discouraged workers; hours of work; duration of unemployment; monthly employment earnings, etc., industry, occupation, status in employment, education levels.
Coverage of the survey:
Geographical:
Whole territory, excluding marine regions.
Population groups:
Civilian non-institutional population of age 15 years and above, excluding inmates of institutions and persons living on vessels.
Availability of estimates from other sources for the excluded areas/groups:
None.
Groups covered by the survey but excluded from the published results:
None.
Periodicity:
Conduct of the survey:
Continuous.
Publication of results:
Monthly publication of a three-months moving average centered on the middle month.
Reference periods:
Employment:
Seven days before the enumeration.
Seeking work:
Have sought work during the 30 days before enumeration.
Availability for work:
The seven days before enumeration.
Concepts and definitions:
Employment:
Persons who performed some work (at least one hour) for pay or profit during the seven days before enumeration or have had a formal job attachment during the seven days before enumeration.
Unemployment:
Persons without a job and available for work during the seven days before the enumeration and who have sought work during the 30 days before enumeration.
Underemployment:
Time-related underemployment:
Persons who have involuntary worked less than 35 hours during the seven days before the enumeration and have sought additional work during the 30 days before enumeration, or were available for additional work during the seven days before enumeration. Involuntary refers to slack work, shortage of materials, mechanical breakdowns and inability to find a full-time job.
Inadequate employment situations:
No information provided.
Hours of work:
Actual hours worked in all jobs during the seven days before enumeration include both paid and unpaid hours worked in both primary and secondary jobs.
Employment related income:
Income from paid employment:
Monthly employment earnings: cash earnings from all jobs during the last month, and for paid employment jobs include wages and salaries, bonuses, commissions, housing allowances, as well as overtime and attendance allowance, but exclude back pays and payments in kind.
Income from self-employment:
Cash earnings refer to amount drawn from own enterprise for personal and household use, but net earnings from business may be used as proxy.
Informal sector:
Not applicable, but hawkers can be identified separately.
Usual activity:
No information provided.
Classifications:
Branch of economic activity (industry):
Title of the classification:
Hong Kong Standard Industrial Classification (HSIC).
Population groups classified by industry:
Employed and unemployed persons
(industry of last job for the unemployed).
Number of groups used for coding:
96.
Links to ISIC:
ISIC-Rev.2.
Occupation:
Title of the classification:
Occupation Index of Hong Kong Population Census (2001).
Population groups classified by occupation:
Employed and unemployed persons (occupation of last job for the unemployed).
Number of groups used for coding:
45.
Links to ISCO:
ISCO-88.
Status in employment:
Title of the classification:
National classification, no title given.
Population groups classified by status in employment:
Employed persons.
Groups used:
Employees, excluding hawkers; outworkers; employers, excluding hawkers; self-employed, excluding hawkers; hawkers (distinguishing: employee, employer, self-employed); unpaid family worker.
Links to ICSE:
ICSE-1993.
Education:
Title of the classification:
National classification, no title given.
Population groups classified by education:
Employed and unemployed persons.
Groups used for classification:
25.
Links to ISCED:
ISCED-1997.
Sample size and design:
Ultimate sampling unit:
Permanent quarters in built-up areas and segments elsewhere.
Sample size (ultimate sampling units):
27,000 quarters per 3 months period.
Overall sampling fraction:
1.2 percent of the target population per 3 months period.
Sample frame:
Register of Quarters (RQ) with addresses of all permanent quarters in built-up areas, and Register of Segments (RS) with segments delineated by landmarks such as footpaths and rivers, maintained by C&SD.
Updating of the sample:
RQ is updated continuously upon notification of erection or demolition of buildings from various sources. RS is updated every 5 years before the conduct pf population censuses or by-censuses.
Rotation:
Scheme:
Households in sample twice, with 3 months interval.
Percentage of units remaining in the sample for two consecutive survey rounds:
Maximum number of interviews per sample unit:
No information provided.
Length of time for complete renewal of the sample:
No information provided.
Field work:
Type of interview:
Face-to-face and computer assisted telephone interviewing (CATI).
Number of ultimate sampling units per sample area:
No information provided.
Duration of field work:
Total:
One month.
Per sample area:
No information provided.
Survey organization:
Permanent.
Number of field staff:
76 interviewers, 14 supervisors and 3 fieldwork managers.
Substitution of non-responding ultimate sampling units:
No.
Estimation and adjustments:
Total non-response rate:
10 percent.
Adjustment for total non-response:
No.
Imputation for item non-response:
No.
Adjustment for areas/population not covered:
No.
Adjustment for undercoverage:
Not applicable.
Adjustment for overcoverage:
Not applicable.
Adjustment for seasonal variations:
Unemployment rates only.
History of the survey:
Title and date of the first survey:
Labour Force Survey (LFS), September 1975.
Significant changes or revisions:
LFS was conducted at half-yearly intervals from September 1975 to September 1980. Replaced by continuous GHS in August 1981.
Documentation and dissemination:
Documentation:
Survey results:
Quarterly Report on General Household Survey.
Survey methodology:
Quarterly Report on General Household Survey.
Dissemination:
Time needed for initial release of survey results:
2 to 3 weeks after end of quarter.
Advance information of public about date of initial release:
Yes.
Availability of unpublished data upon request:
Yes.
Availability of data in machine-readable form:
Yes, on C&SD website.
Website:
http://www.info.gov.hk/censtatd/.