Thailand

Title of the survey:

Labour Force Survey.

Organization responsible for the survey:

Planning and conduct of the survey:

National Statistical Office (NSO).

Analysis and publication of the results:

National Statistical Office (NSO).

Topics covered:

Employment, unemployment, underemployment, hours of work, wages, income, informal sector employment, duration of unemployment, industry, occupation, status in employment, educational level, usual activity.

Coverage of the survey:

Geographical:

Whole country.

Population groups:

Persons 13 years and above except those living in institutional households (including the army).

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

Not applicable.

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

None.

Periodicity:

Conduct of the survey:

Quarterly.

Publication of results:

Quarterly.

Reference periods:

Employment:

One week (fixed).

Seeking work:

One month (fixed).

Availability for work:

One week (fixed).

Concepts and definitions:

Employment:

Persons aged 13 years or over who, during the reference week (a) worked for at least one hour for wages, profit, dividends or any kind of payment in kind; (b) did not work at all but had regular jobs, business enterprises or farms from which they were temporarily absent because of illness or injury, vacation or holiday, strike or lockout, bad weather, off-season or other reasons, such as temporary closure of the workplace, whether or not they were paid by their employers during their period of absence, provided that in the case of a temporary closure of the workplace, the expected it to be reopened within 30 days from the date of closure and to be recalled to their former job; or (c) persons who worked for at least one hour without pay in business enterprises or on farms owned or operated by household heads or members.

Unemployment:

Persons aged 13 years or over who, during the reference week, did not work even for one hour, had no jobs, business enterprises, or farms of their own, from which they were temporarily absent, but were available for work. It includes persons who had been looking for work during the preceding 30 days and those who had not been looking for work because of illness or belief that no suitable work was available, waiting to take up a new job, waiting for the agricultural season or another reason. Persons on temporary or indefinite lay off without pay are included.

Underemployment:

Time-related underemployment:

Persons 13 years of age and over who work less than 35 hours per week, are available and willing to work additional hour.

Inadequate employment situations:

No information.

Hours of work:

Hours actually worked during the reference week in all jobs. For persons absent from work during the reference week, it is the normal hours of work.

Employment-related income:

Income from paid employment:

It refers to the main job in the reference week and includes payments in cash, in kind or services.

Income from self-employment:

It refers to the output minus the operation expenses of own account workers and unpaid family workers.

Informal sector:

Own account workers, employers of private employees and unpaid family workers in business establishments with less than 10 persons.

Usual activity:

Measured with a reference period of one year.

Classifications:

Branch of economic activity (industry):

Title of the classification:

Thailand Standard Industrial Classification (TSIC).

Population groups classified by industry:

Employed persons and unemployed persons with previous work experience.

Number of groups used for coding:

10 major groups.

Links to ISIC:

ISIC-Rev.2.

Occupation:

Title of the classification:

No information.

Population groups classified by occupation:

Employed persons and unemployed persons with previous work experience.

Number of groups used for coding:

10 major groups.

Links to ISCO:

ISCO-68.

Status in employment:

Title of the classification:

No information.

Population groups classified by status in employment:

Employed persons and unemployed persons with previous work experience.

Groups used for classification:

Employer, Government employee, Private employee.

Links to ICSE:

ICSE-93, except for members of producer cooperatives which does not exist in the national classification.

Education:

Title of the classification:

No information.

Population groups classified by education:

Employed and unemployed persons.

Groups used for classification:

No education, less than lower elementary, lower elementary.

Links to ISCED:

ISCED-76 and ISCED-97.

Sample size and design:

Ultimate sampling unit:

Household.

Sample size (ultimate sampling units):

About 60,500 households.

Overall sampling fraction:

About 6 per cent (5,610/94,955 blocks and villages).

Sample frame:

Blocks and village listing based on the 1990 Population and Housing Census.

Updating of the sample:

Annually.

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:

Personal interview.

Number of ultimate sampling units per sample area:

12 households for municipal areas, 9 household for non-municipal areas.

Duration of field work:

Total:

One month.

Per sample area:

Not available.

Survey organization:

not available.

Number of field staff:

800 persons.

Substitution of non-responding ultimate sampling units:

No.

Estimation and adjustments:

Total non-response rate:

10 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:

No.

History of the survey:

Title and date of the first survey:

Labour Force Survey 1963.

Significant changes or revisions:

The current concepts and definitions have been used since 1983, and the minimum age limit from 13 years has been used since 1989.

Documentation and dissemination:

Documentation:

Survey results:

Report of the Labour Force survey (quarterly)

Survey methodology:

idem.

Dissemination:

Time needed for initial release of survey results:

About 5 months.

Advance information of public about date of initial release:

No.

Availability of unpublished data upon request:

Yes.

Availability of data in machine-readable form:

Diskettes, Internet.

Website:

http://www.nso.go.th/.