Malaysia
Title of the survey:
The Labour Force 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, underemployment, hours of work, informal sector employment (derived from employment status), industry, occupation, status in employment, educational level, usual activity.
Coverage of the survey:
Geographical:
Whole country.
Population groups:
All persons who are usual residents (3 months or more) in private living quarters. Excluding persons residing in "Institutional Living Quarters" (e.g. hotels, hostels, military barracks, prisons, etc.).
Availability of estimates from other sources for the excluded areas/groups:
Not available.
Groups covered by the survey but excluded from the published results:
Not available.
Periodicity:
Conduct of the survey:
Quarterly.
Publication of results:
Quarterly and annually.
Reference periods:
Employment:
One week.
Seeking work:
One fixed quarter.
Availability for work:
Not available.
Concepts and definitions:
Employment:
All persons aged 15-64 who at any time during the reference week did any work (at least for one hour) for pay, profit or family gain (as employer, employee, own-account worker or unpaid family worker). Also considered as employed were persons who did not work during the reference week because of illness, injury, disability, bad weather, vacation, labour dispute and social and religious reasons but had a job, farm, enterprise or other family enterprise to return to. Also included were those on temporary layoff with pay who would definitely be called back to work.
It also includes:
- persons with a job but temporarily absent due to maternity or paternity leave, parental leave, educational or training leave, absence without leave, labour management dispute, bad weather;
- full or part-time workers seeking other work during the reference period;
- persons who performed some work for pay or profit during the reference week but were registered as job seekers at an employment office or receiving unemployment benefits;
- part-time students working full or part-time;
- paid apprentices and trainees;
- unpaid family workers at work or temporarily absent from work, during the reference week;
- persons engaged in subsistence farming;
- all members of the armed forces.
Unemployment:
It includes both actively and inactively unemployed persons. The actively unemployed include all persons aged 15 to 64 who did not work during the reference week but were available for work and actively looking for work during the reference period. The inactively unemployed include all persons aged 15 to 64 who were not looking for work because they believed no work was available or if available, they were not qualified, those who would have looked for work if they had not been temporarily ill or in confinement, or had it not been for bad weather, those waiting for answers to job applications and those who have looked for work prior to the reference week (i.e. in the last three months prior to the interview), and persons without a job and currently available for work who had made arrangements to start a new job within 30 days from the date of the interview.
Job seeking steps: registering at an employment office/labour exchange or on a professional register; visiting locations or meeting with prospective employers; placing or answering advertisements; writing application letters; checking with unions or similar; investigating professional or business possibilities; informing friends or relatives, etc. The job search period is classified into 5 groups: less than 3 months, 3-6 months, 6-12 months, 1-3 years, more than 3 years.
It also includes:
- persons on temporary or indefinite lay-off without pay and unpaid leave initiated by the employer;
- part-time students seeking full or part-time work;
- persons who were seeking and/or available for work but were retired and receiving a pension;
- unpaid apprentices and trainees and seasonal workers not at work during the off-season.
Underemployment:
Time-related underemployment:
Those who worked less than 30 hours during the reference week for reasons such as insufficient work/nature of the job or others, but who were able and willing to work more hours if given a chance.
Inadequate employment situations:
Not applicable.
Hours of work:
Actual hours worked during the reference week for all jobs.
Employment-related income:
Income from paid employment:
Not applicable.
Income from self-employment:
Not applicable.
Informal sector:
There is no specific question but it could be partially derived as a proxy from the employment status of workers as refers to the main job.
Usual activity:
The occupation that the respondent usually performed during the last 12 months.
Classifications:
Branch of economic activity (industry):
Title of the classification:
Malaysian Industrial Classification.
Population groups classified by industry:
Employed persons.
Number of groups used for coding:
9.
Links to ISIC:
ISIC-68 at all levels.
Occupation:
Title of the classification:
Malaysian Occupational Classification.
Population groups classified by occupation:
Employed persons.
Number of groups used for coding:
9.
Links to ISCO:
ISCO-68, at all levels.
Status in employment:
Title of the classification:
Not available.
Population groups classified by status in employment:
Employed persons.
Groups used for classification:
Four groups: 1. Employer, 2. Employee, 3. Own-account worker, 4. Unpaid family worker.
Links to ICSE:
ICSE-1993.
Education:
Title of the classification:
Not available.
Population groups classified by education:
All household members.
Groups used for classification:
Four groups: 1. Primary school - from standard one up to standard six (age 6 to 12 years old), 2. Lower secondary (13 to 15 years old), 3. Upper secondary (16 to 17 years old), 4. Tertiary (17 years old +).
Links to ISCED:
Yes, all levels adjusted to suit the local situation.
Sample size and design:
Ultimate sampling unit:
Household.
Sample size (ultimate sampling units):
60 thousand households.
Overall sampling fraction:
Not available.
Sample frame:
The National Household Sampling Frame is made up of enumeration blocks (EBs) created for the 1991 Census of Population and Housing. EBs are geographically contiguous land areas with identifiable borders, each containing about 600 persons. EBs are formed within administrative boundaries.
Updating of the sample:
Each year before enumeration starts, the second stage sample units or Living Quarters (LQs) within EBs are updated to include new LQs in the sample selection process. When the 2000 Census is implemented it will replace the current frame. EBs in growth areas (with overcrowded populations) will be sub-divided into smaller size EBs to retain the same population size of about 600 persons.
Rotation:
Scheme:
Not available.
Percentage of units remaining in the sample for two consecutive survey rounds:
Not available.
Maximum number of interviews per sample unit:
Not available.
Length of time for complete renewal of the sample:
Not available.
Field work:
Type of interview:
Face to face interview. If respondents at LQs are not available after three visit attempts, the interview is done by telephone.
Number of ultimate sampling units per sample area:
Not available.
Duration of field work:
Total:
Four weeks plus one week mapping period for each quarter of the year (each round).
Per sample area:
Not available.
Survey organization:
Permanent staff of the Department of Statistics (State branches).
Number of field staff:
One enumerator covers one EB. About 10 enumerators for one supervisor.
Substitution of non-responding ultimate sampling units:
Yes.
Estimation and adjustments:
Total non-response rate:
Four per cent.
Adjustment for total non-response:
Yes.
Imputation for item non-response:
Yes. Information on persons from the nearest responding LQ is inserted for the non-response.
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:
National Survey on Employment, Unemployment and Under-employment, 1962.
Significant changes or revisions:
1964-1965: covered only major urban centers in Peninsular Malaysia. 1967-1968: Malaysian Sample Survey of Households (three rounds). 1974-2000: Labour Force Survey conducted, except in 1991 and 1994.
Documentation and dissemination:
Documentation:
Survey results:
The Labour Force Survey (year). (Periodicity: annual).
Survey methodology:
idem.
Dissemination:
Time needed for initial release of survey results:
1999 results were released on December 1999.
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.
Website:
http://www.statistics.gov.my/.