Mauritius

Title of the survey:

Labour Force Sample Survey.

Organization responsible for the survey:

Planning and conduct of the survey:

Central Statistical Office, Ministry of Economic Planning and Development.

Analysis and publication of the results:

Central Statistical Office, Ministry of Economic Planning and Development.

Topics covered:

Employment, unemployment, underemployment, hours of work (normal/usual hours of work, hours actually worked), wages/salaries, duration of employment, duration of unemployment, industry, occupation, status in employment, education and qualification levels, usual activity, second jobs.

Coverage of the survey:

Geographical:

Whole country (islands of Mauritius and Rodrigues).

Population groups:

The survey covers the entire resident Mauritian population of the Republic of Mauritius living in private households. Persons living in institutions and foreign households (e.g., staff of embassies and foreigners working on contract in Mauritius) are not covered.

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

No information provided.

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

No information provided.

Periodicity:

Conduct of the survey:

Every ten years during the mid-census years. The last survey was undertaken in June-July 1995.

Publication of results:

Every ten years. The results of the last survey were published in January-March 1997.

Reference periods:

Employment:

Fixed reference period of one week.

Seeking work:

Moving reference period of two months 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 12 years or over, who had performed some work (i.e. for at least one hour) for pay, profit or family gain during the reference week. Also included are persons, who were temporarily absent from their work during the reference week because of illness, vacation, lack of work, industrial dispute, etc. In the context of the survey, work implies the production of goods or services normally intended for sale on the market. However, certain types of non-market production are also included. In general, these are production of primary products for own consumption, own-account construction, and production of other fixed assets for own use. Domestic activities and voluntary community services are excluded.

Unemployment:

Persons aged 12 years or over, who were not employed during the reference week, available for work during the reference week, and had taken specific steps to seek work at any time during the two months preceding the interview date. Seeking work does not only imply looking for a paid employment job, but also covers steps taken to start a business of one’s own (self-employment). Persons without work and available for work, but not seeking work because of arrangements already made to start work at a date subsequent to the reference week, are included among the unemployed. Workers laid off by their employers, as well as self-employed persons out of work because of a shortage of work, are considered as being unemployed if they were available for work and had looked for work at any time during the two months preceding the interview date.

Underemployment:

Time-related underemployment:

Employed persons, who during the reference week worked involuntarily less hours than the normal duration of work in their particular activity, and who were available for additional work.

Inadequate employment situations:

This topic is not covered by the survey.

Hours of work:

Hours actually worked during the reference week, and normal hours of work per week. For persons, to whom the concept of normal hours of work does not apply, the number of usual hours of work per week is recorded. Information on hours of work is collected for the main job and for the total of other jobs (if any).

Employment-related income:

Income from paid employment:

Average gross wage or salary per month in Rupees (under 2,000, 2,001-4,000, 4,001-6,000, 6,001-8,000, 8,001-10,000, 10,001-15,000, 15,001-20,000, 20,001 or more) for the person’s main job.

Income from self-employment:

This topic is not covered by the survey.

Informal sector:

This topic is not covered by the survey.

Usual activity:

Usual activity refers to the main activity status of persons during a reference period of a whole year. The main activity status (usually active, not usually active) is determined from the number of weeks that persons report as having been employed, or looking and available for work, during the reference year. The usually active population comprises persons aged 12 years or over, who were economically active (employed or unemployed) for a total of 26 or more weeks during the last year. Usually active persons are categorized as employed or unemployed depending upon the number of weeks of employment and of unemployment during the last year.

Classifications:

Branch of economic activity (industry):

Title of the classification:

International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities (ISIC-Rev.3).

Population groups classified by industry:

Employed persons; unemployed or economically inactive persons with previous work experience.

Number of groups used for coding:

No information provided.

Links to ISIC:

ISIC-Rev.3.

Occupation:

Title of the classification:

International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO-88).

Population groups classified by occupation:

Employed persons; unemployed or economically inactive persons with previous work experience.

Number of groups used for coding:

No information provided.

Links to ISCO:

ISCO-88.

Status in employment:

Title of the classification:

National classification of status in employment.

Population groups classified by status in employment:

Employed persons; unemployed or economically inactive persons with previous work experience.

Groups used for classification:

(a) Self-employed persons; (a1) self-employed persons with employees; (a2) self-employed persons without employees; (b) employees; (b1) employees, time rate; (b2) employees, piece rate; (b3) outworkers; (b4) apprentices (paid or unpaid); (c) unpaid family workers; (d) others.

Links to ICSE:

ICSE-1993.

Education:

Title of the classification:

National classification of levels of educational attainment.

Population groups classified by education:

All persons.

Groups used for classification:

(a) Nil or pre-primary; (b) primary; (b1) primary, Std. I-V; (b2) primary, CPE or equivalent; (c) secondary; (c1) secondary, Forms I-IV; (c2) secondary, SC or equivalent; (c3) secondary, HSC or equivalent; (d) university degree or equivalent.

Links to ISCED:

Yes.

Sample size and design:

Ultimate sampling unit:

Household.

Sample size (ultimate sampling units):

9,900 households.

Overall sampling fraction:

4.1 percent of households.

Sample frame:

On the basis of the latest Housing and Population Census, a sample of 495 enumeration areas is selected for the labour force survey. Prior to the survey, a complete new listing of households is made in the sample enumeration areas.

Updating of the sample:

Not applicable.

Rotation:

Scheme:

There is no sample rotation.

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:

Information is obtained through personal interviews.

Number of ultimate sampling units per sample area:

20 households.

Duration of field work:

Total:

Two months.

Per sample area:

No information provided.

Survey organization:

Apart from the permanent staff of the Labour Statistics Section, no permanent survey organization exists for the survey. Field, editing and coding staff are recruited for the survey on a temporary basis.

Number of field staff:

One chief supervisor, one assistant chief supervisor, 10 senior supervisors, 50 supervisors and 495 interviewers.

Substitution of non-responding ultimate sampling units:

No information provided.

Estimation and adjustments:

Total non-response rate:

No information provided.

Adjustment for total non-response:

No information provided.

Imputation for item non-response:

No information provided.

Adjustment for areas/population not covered:

No information provided.

Adjustment for undercoverage:

No information provided.

Adjustment for overcoverage:

No information provided.

Adjustment for seasonal variations:

Not applicable.

History of the survey:

Title and date of the first survey:

The first Labour Force Sample Survey was conducted in June-July 1995.

Significant changes or revisions:

Not applicable.

Documentation and dissemination:

Documentation:

Survey results:

Central Statistical Office, Ministry of Economic Planning and Development: Labour Force Sample Survey (Periodicity: every ten years). Prior to the publication, the main findings of the survey are released in a preliminary report.

Survey methodology:

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