Kosovo (Serbia and Montenegro)

Title of the survey:

Labour Force Survey.

Organization responsible for the survey:

Planning and conduct of the survey:

Statistical Office of Kosovo in cooperation with the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare.

Analysis and publication of the results:

Statistical Office of Kosovo in cooperation with the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare.

Topics covered:

Employment, unemployment, underemployment, hours of work (usual hours of work, hours actually worked), income from employment, informal sector employment, place of work, permanency of employment, duration of unemployment, discouraged workers, occasional workers, industry, occupation, status in employment, education and qualification levels, second jobs, sources of livelihood, household income.

Coverage of the survey:

Geographical:

Whole territory.

Population groups:

The survey covers the usual members of private households in Kosovo, irrespective of their ethnic origin (Albanian, Serbian, etc.). Persons living in institutions are not covered. Excluded are members of KFOR troops, international UNMIK staff and other foreigners temporarily living in Kosovo.

Availability of estimates from other sources for the excluded areas/groups:

No.

Groups covered by the survey but excluded from the published results:

None.

Periodicity:

Conduct of the survey:

Annually (planned). The first survey was conducted in December 2001-January 2002.

Publication of results:

Annually (planned).

Reference periods:

Employment:

Moving reference period of one week prior to the interview date.

Seeking work:

Moving reference period of four weeks prior to the interview date.

Availability for work:

Moving reference period of one week prior to the interview date.

Concepts and definitions:

Employment:

Persons aged 15-64 years who, during the reference week, worked in a job or own enterprise/activity, from which they or their household or family obtained an income in cash or in kind. Included are persons who worked as regular employees, casual employees, employers, own-account workers (self-employed persons), farmers, members of producers’ co-operatives, unpaid family workers in a household- or family-owned enterprise or farm, or military service/policemen. Also included are persons aged 15-64 years who, during the reference week, did any paid or unpaid work (excluding the production of goods for own final use and the provision of unpaid or personal services for their own household) for at least one hour, even if they were full- or part-time students, unemployed, housewives or retired persons and worked only part-time or occasionally.

Examples are: paid employment as a part-time or temporary employee, help, substitute, casual worker, etc.; unpaid work in a household- or family-owned enterprise or farm; unpaid work as an apprentice; sale or exchange of agricultural products obtained from an individual plot, or the production of such products for sale; sale of foodstuffs, beverages, meals, clothes, books, office supplies, music disks, cigarettes, flowers, etc. on the street, in markets or at home; repair of houses, flats, cars or consumer durables for others for pay; transport of passengers or goods by car for pay; paid consultancies or private tuition (languages, computer training, etc.); house cleaning for others, car washing or taking care of others’ children for pay.

Employed persons further include persons aged 15-64 years who had a job or an enterprise/activity to which they could return, but who did not work during the reference week for any of the following reasons: own illness, injury or temporary indisposition; maternity leave; standstill for personal reasons; caring for a member of their family; annual leave; other types of leave; bad weather conditions, technical and other stoppages; education or training; flexi-time or free days; lack of work, orders or clients; strike, labour dispute or lock-out; lay-off; other reason. This includes unpaid family workers temporarily absent from work during the reference week. Excluded are persons not at work during the reference week because their enterprise was shut due to natural disaster or the effects of war, or bankrupt, or closed down, as well as seasonal workers not at work during the off-season. Persons aged 15-64 years, who reported that they were currently without work, are classified as employed persons if during the reference week they undertook one or more activities that provided them with some income, even if they themselves did not consider these activities as work.

Unemployment:

Persons aged 15-64 years who were: (i) not employed during the reference week (including persons whose enterprise was shut due to natural disaster or the effects of war, bankrupt, or closed down); (ii) looking for a job or trying to establish their own enterprise or income-generating activity, and who during the last four weeks had taken one or more active steps to find a job or to establish their own enterprise or income-generating activity; and (iii) currently available for work, i..e. they would have been able and ready to start working during the reference week if there had been an opportunity for them to work (including persons temporarily sick during the reference week). This includes full-or part-time students, housewives or retired persons, who were seeking and available for work. Unemployed persons also include persons aged 15-64 years who: (i) were not employed during the reference week; (ii) were looking for work or wanting to work, but had not undertaken any active step to find work during the last four weeks; (iii) were currently available for work; and (iv) had already found a job or arranged for an own enterprise to start later.

Underemployment:

Time-related underemployment:

Employed persons whose total number of hours actually worked during the reference week in all of their jobs/activities was less than 40 hours, and who were willing and available to work more hours during the reference week.

Inadequate employment situations:

Employed persons who would like to change their current work situation (i.e. persons who want a change in their current job/activity, to find an additional job/activity, or to switch to another job/activity) for any of the following reasons: they fear or know that they will be dismissed or that their enterprise will be closed down; they have a job of a limited duration as an employee for reasons other than being unable to take a permanent job or not wanting to have a permanent job, or a temporary, seasonal or occasional job as an employer, own-account worker (self-employed person), unpaid family worker or member of a producers’ co-operative, and want to have a more stable employment; they want to work more hours; personal, family or health-related reasons; they earn a total income of less than 150 DM per month from all of their jobs/activities and want to have a better pay or remuneration per hour; they want to improve their working conditions (better working time arrangement, less strenuous job); their current work is below or above their qualifications and they want a job that is more in line with their qualifications or abilities; they want to work less hours with a corresponding reduction of their income; other reason.

Hours of work:

Usual hours of work per week; overtime or extra hours during the reference week; hours not worked during the reference week; hours actually worked during the reference week. Information on usual hours of work and hours actually worked is collected separately for the main job/activity and for (the) other job(s)/activity(ies), if any.

Employment-related income:

Income from paid employment:

Usual net wage or salary per month. The information is collected separately for the main job/activity and for (the) other job(s)/activity(ies), if any.

Income from self-employment:

Usual net profit per month. The information is collected separately for the main job/activity and for (the) other job(s)/activity(ies), if any.

Informal sector:

Informal sector enterprises are defined as businesses/activities operated by employers or own-account workers (self-employed persons) that have all of the following characteristics: the business/activity is an unincorporated enterprise (sole ownership or ordinary partnership); there are less than 10 persons working in the business/activity; and the business/activity is not registered with the municipality. Employment in the informal sector refers to the total number of persons employed in informal sector enterprises, including the operators of informal sector enterprises, business partners, unpaid family workers, and employees.

Usual activity:

This topic is not covered by the survey.

Classifications:

Branch of economic activity (industry):

Title of the classification:

General Industrial Classification of Economic Activities within the European Community (NACE, Rev. 1).

Population groups classified by industry:

Employed persons; unemployed persons with work experience during the last 12 years; economically inactive persons with work experience during the last 12 years, if they wanted to work and were available for work during the reference week.

Number of groups used for coding:

Groups at the 4-digit level.

Links to ISIC:

ISIC-Rev.3.

Occupation:

Title of the classification:

International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO-88).

Population groups classified by occupation:

Number of groups used for coding:

ISCO-88 unit groups (4-digit level).

Links to ISCO:

Not applicable.

Status in employment:

Title of the classification:

National classification of status in employment.

Population groups classified by status in employment:

Groups used for classification:

(a) Employees (state firm, institution or organization); (b) employees (private sector); (c) employers; (d) own-account workers (self-employed persons) incl. free-lancers; (e) unpaid family workers; (f) members of producers’ co-operatives.

Links to ICSE:

ICSE-1993.

Education:

Title of the classification:

National classification of levels of educational attainment.

Population groups classified by education:

All persons aged 15-64 years.

Groups used for classification:

(a) No school; (b) 1-4th grade of elementary school; (c) 5-7th grade of elementary school; (d) elementary school completed; (e) 1-3 years of secondary vocational school and school for skilled workers; (f) secondary vocational school lasting 4 years or more; (g) high school (gymnasium); (h) non-university college; (i) university or academy; (j) master of arts; (k) doctorate.

Links to ISCED:

To be established.

Sample size and design:

Ultimate sampling unit:

Household.

Sample size (ultimate sampling units):

3,239 households.

Overall sampling fraction:

About 1.0 % of households.

Sample frame:

Address lists for 180 urban enumeration areas and 180 rural villages or village segments. The address lists were prepared for the Living Standards Measurement Survey 2000. The enumeration areas and villages/village segments were selected from strata defined in terms of KFOR military zone (United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy), urban vs. rural character and ethnicity of their populations (Albanian vs. Serbian). For the Labour Force Survey, a new sample of households was selected from the address lists.

Updating of the sample:

A new household sampling frame is being developed.

Rotation:

Scheme:

To be determined.

Percentage of units remaining in the sample for two consecutive survey rounds:

To be determined.

Maximum number of interviews per sample unit:

To be determined.

Length of time for complete renewal of the sample:

To be determined.

Field work:

Type of interview:

Information is obtained through personal interviews.

Number of ultimate sampling units per sample area:

8-14 households per urban enumeration area; 8 households per rural village/village segment.

Duration of field work:

Total:

About six weeks.

Per sample area:

One day with four interviewers.

Survey organization:

A permanent survey organization does not yet exist for the survey.

Number of field staff:

18 supervisors and 78 interviewers.

Substitution of non-responding ultimate sampling units:

A reserve of households was selected for each enumeration area and village/village segment included in the sample. Non-responding households were replaced by households from the reserve lists.

Estimation and adjustments:

Total non-response rate:

Not applicable.

Adjustment for total non-response:

Not applicable.

Imputation for item non-response:

Not applicable. Item non-response is identified during the data editing process. Sample households are re-contacted to obtain missing information.

Adjustment for areas/population not covered:

Not applicable.

Adjustment for undercoverage:

No.

Adjustment for overcoverage:

No.

Adjustment for seasonal variations:

Not applicable.

History of the survey:

Title and date of the first survey:

The first Labour Force Survey was conducted in December 2001- January 2002.

Significant changes or revisions:

Not applicable.

Documentation and dissemination:

Documentation:

Survey results:

Statistical Office of Kosovo/Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare: Labour Force Survey 2001.

Survey methodology:

The above-mentioned publication includes methodological information on the survey.