Korea, Republic of
Title of the survey:
Economically Active Population Survey.
Organization responsible for the survey:
Planning and conduct of the survey:
National Statistical Office.
Analysis and publication of the results:
National Statistical Office.
Topics covered:
Employment, unemployment, hours of work, duration of unemployment, industry, occupation, status in employment, education.
Coverage of the survey:
Geographical:
Whole country.
Population groups:
Persons aged 15 years and over who usually reside in private households within the territory at the time of the interview.
Excluded are members of the armed forces, prisoners, the institutional population, non-resident citizens, foreigners and persons residing abroad.
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:
Monthly.
Publication of results:
Monthly.
Reference periods:
Employment:
The week which includes the 15th of the month.
Seeking work:
The week which includes the 15th of the month.
Availability for work:
The week which includes the 15th of the month.
Concepts and definitions:
Employment:
All persons aged 15 years and over who worked for pay or profit for at least one hour during the reference week and unpaid family workers who worked 18 hours or more during the reference week.
It includes:
- persons who have a job but were temporarily absent from work due to illness or injury, vacation or annual leave, maternity, paternity or parental leave, educational or training leave, labor management dispute, bad weather or mechanical breakdown;
- full- or part-.time workers seeking other work during the reference week;
other family obligations, labor dispute, temporary disorganization during the reference week;
- persons who performed some work for pay or profit during the reference week but were subject to compulsory schooling, retired and receiving a pension, registered as job seekers at an employment office, receiving unemployment benefits;
- full- and part-time students working full- or part-time;
- paid apprentices and trainees.
Members of the armed forces are excluded even if military duty is compulsory.
Unemployment:
All persons aged 15 years and over who were not at work but were available for work and were actively looking for work during the reference week. In addition, since 1999, the National Statistical Office collects data on unemployed persons searching work during a four-months period which includes the survey week. "Actively seeking work" means having taken one or more of the following steps during the reference week: registered at an employment office, sent curriculum vitae, placed or answered advertisements, checked at work sites, contacted friends or relatives, made arrangements to establish own business, etc.
"Availability for work" refers to the willingness of the person surveyed to take up a job immediately if reasonable work is available.
It also includes persons who were seeking and/or available for work but were subject to compulsory schooling, retired and receiving a pension and full- and part-time students seeking full- or part-time work if they are available during the reference week. Excluded are seasonal workers awaiting agricultural or other seasonal work; further, they are considered as inactive.
Underemployment:
Time-related underemployment:
Not applicable.
Inadequate employment situations:
Not applicable.
Hours of work:
Total hours actually worked in the main job during the reference week, including overtime and time spent on preparation such as making lecture notes, ordering commodities, etc. Are excluded hours which are not linked to the job, such as hours corresponding to meal breaks, travel from to work and vice versa or to private affairs.
Employment-related income:
Income from paid employment:
Not applicable.
Income from self-employment:
Not applicable.
Informal sector:
Not applicable.
Usual activity:
Not applicable.
Classifications:
Branch of economic activity (industry):
Title of the classification:
1992 Korea Standard Industrial Classification (KSIC).
Population groups classified by industry:
Employed and unemployed.
Number of groups used for coding:
60 divisions (2nd digit level).
Links to ISIC:
ISIC-Rev.3.
Occupation:
Title of the classification:
1993 Korea Standard Occupation Classification (KSOC).
Population groups classified by occupation:
Employed and unemployed.
Number of groups used for coding:
27 divisions (2nd digit level).
Links to ISCO:
ISCO-88.
Status in employment:
Title of the classification:
No information.
Population groups classified by status in employment:
Employed.
Groups used for classification:
Regular employee, temporary employee, daily worker, employer, own-account worker and unpaid family worker (6 groups).
Links to ICSE:
ICSE-1993.
Education:
Title of the classification:
No information.
Population groups classified by education:
Employed and unemployed.
Groups used for classification:
Never attending school, primary school, middle school, high school, college, university (6 groups).
Links to ISCED:
ISCED-1976.
Sample size and design:
Ultimate sampling unit:
Household.
Sample size (ultimate sampling units):
About 30,000 households.
Overall sampling fraction:
About 1/430.
Sample frame:
The 1995 Population and Housing Census.
Updating of the sample:
Every 5 years, on the basis of the Census results.
Rotation:
Scheme:
Not applicable.
Percentage of units remaining in the sample for two consecutive survey rounds:
Not applicable.
Maximum number of interviews per sample unit:
Not applicable.
Length of time for complete renewal of the sample:
Not applicable.
Field work:
Type of interview:
From 1999 onwards: CATI. Previously: CAPI.
Number of ultimate sampling units per sample area:
About eight households.
Duration of field work:
Total:
Two weeks, including the survey week.
Per sample area:
Two weeks, including the survey week.
Survey organization:
Permanent full-time enumerators working for the 47 regional offices.
Number of field staff:
About 530 persons.
Substitution of non-responding ultimate sampling units:
No.
Estimation and adjustments:
Total non-response rate:
0.2 per cent.
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:
Yes. From January 1999, the X12-12 ARIMA method is used.
History of the survey:
Title and date of the first survey:
Economically Active Population Survey, 1963. From 1957 onwards, statistics on the labour force were collected through the local administrative network under the responsibility of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Significant changes or revisions:
In 1998, the survey questionnaire was revised to capture and reflect the social changes, the activity pattern of the labour force and to measure the four-weeks jobsearching unemployed, in order to make comparisons with other countries. Furthermore, in June 1999, the estimates of the Economically Active Population Survey were revised, on the basis of the 1995 Population and Housing Census, since 1991 retrospectively.
Documentation and dissemination:
Documentation:
Survey results:
“Monthly Report on the Economically Active Population” and “Annual Report on the Economically Active Population” (May of each year).
Survey methodology:
“Monthly Report on the Economically Active Population” and “Annual Report on the Economically Active Population” (May of each year).
Dissemination:
Time needed for initial release of survey results:
One month.
Advance information of public about date of initial release:
Yes.
Availability of unpublished data upon request:
Yes.
Availability of data in machine-readable form:
Diskettes, magnetic tapes and Internet website.
Website:
http://www.nso.go.kr/.