Venezuela

1.Series

Title:

Registered unemployment.

Starting year:

1964.

2.Agency making the initial registrations of unemployed persons

Name of the agency:

Servicio Nacional de Empleo - Agencia de Empleo (National Employment Service B Employment Agency).

Type of agency:

Public service under a national authority.

Name of the national authority:

Ministry of Labour.

Location of the local offices making the registrations:

In the 16 states and one office in the capital city (25 placement offices).

Type of services provided/administered by the agency:

  • Assisting job-seekers to find jobs;
  • Assisting job-seekers to establish their own business;
  • Assisting employers to find workers;
  • Vocational guidance;
  • Job-related training.

    Percentage of job-seekers seeking work through the agency:

    15%.

    3.The following information is registered about a person:

  • Name;
  • Sex;
  • Social security number (or similar identification number also used by other agencies);
  • Address of usual residence;
  • Date of birth;
  • Citizenship;
  • Educational/vocational attainment, with two categories distinguished. Links to ISCED-97 have been established;
  • Current/past activity status, with three categories distinguished;
  • Type of work of past or present job with two categories distinguished. Links to ISCO-88 have been established;
  • Type of work of job sought, with two categories distinguished. Links to ISCO-88 have been established;
  • Name and address of present or previous employer or work place;
  • Type of business of present/previous employer/ workplace, with 10 categories distinguished. Links to ISIC, rev.3 have been established;
  • Previous registrations with the service.

    4.Criteria used for inclusion of a person in the registers (R) and/or the statistics of unemployed persons (S):

  • Being without work (R) and (S);
  • Seeking work (dismissed person receiving unemployment benefits, active, active job-seeker) (R) and (S);
  • Availability for work (R) and (S);
  • Age (lower limit: 14 years; no upper age limit) (R) and (S);
  • Citizenship (R) and (S);
  • Being resident in the country (R) and (S);
  • Previously employed (work experience or vocational training) (R) and (S);
  • Desired duration of employment and/or number of hours of work sought (R) and (S);
  • Previous payment of unemployed insurance contributions (beneficiary of unemployment benefits) (R) and (S);
  • Other: unjustified dismissal (after 18 weeks of continuous employment) (R) and (S).

    5.Criteria used for exclusion of a person from the registers (R) and/or the statistics of unemployed persons (S):

  • Commencement of a (new) job (R) and (S);
  • Participation in an employment promotion scheme, public works programme, etc (R) and (S);
  • Failure to contact the agency/service (R) and (S).

    6.Definition of unemployed persons used for the statistics

    Persons seeking work for the first time are considered unemployed, as well as those who for whatever reason are outside the labour market - for example, because they have been dismissed for justified or unjustified reasons, or because they have resigned from an employment.

    7.Updating of the registers

    The registers are updated annually; any change during the period is indicated in the part of the register concerning the unemployed person.

    8.Unemployment rates

    Statistics from the registers are not used to obtain unemployment rates.

    9.Type of statistics of unemployed persons produced

    Series 1:

    Reference period:

    Day.

    Frequency of production:

    Half-yearly.

    Descriptive variables used:

  • Sex;
  • Age;
  • Educational level;
  • Occupation;
  • Industry;
  • Geographic characteristics;
  • Previous work experience;
  • Citizenship (nationals/non nationals);
  • Duration of unemployment;
  • Other: dismissed persons beneficiaries of unemployment benefits, marital status.

    Form of publication:

    For internal use only.

    Agency responsible for publication:

    Department of Employment.

    Series 2:

    Reference period:

    Month.

    Frequency of production:

    Yearly.

    Descriptive variables used:

  • Sex;
  • Age;
  • Educational level;
  • Occupation;
  • Industry;
  • Geographic characteristics;
  • Previous work experience;
  • Citizenship (nationals/non nationals);
  • Duration of unemployment;
  • Other: dismissed persons beneficiaries of unemployment benefits, marital status.

    Form of publication:

    For internal use only.

    Agency responsible for publication:

    Department of Employment.

    10.Methodological information about the statistics

    Form of release:

    On paper, for limited audience.

    Agency responsible for the release:

    Department of Employment.

    11.Comparisons with unemployment statistics from other sources

    Comparisons have been made with unemployment statistics from the labour force survey, other household surveys and the population census.

    Frequency of the comparisons:

    Regularly, when the statistics are published (latest year: 2001).

    Publication of the methodology/results of the comparisons:

    These have been published in the Boletin de Segmento de Mercado de Trabajo (Bulletin of Segments of the Labour Market).

    12.Major changes since the start of the statistics

    Major changes in legislation, capacity of the agency and/or administrative procedures took place in 1. 1996; 2. 1997; 3. 1998; 4. 1999; 5. 2000; and 6. 2001, resulting in the following changes in the number of registered unemployed persons: 1. 1996-97: + 29.43%; 2. 1997-98: + 19.10%; 3. 1998-99: + 85.76%; 4. 1999-2000: + 9.03%, and 5. 2000-01: + 5.70%. (1. Creation of new agencies; 2. Shut down of enterprises; 3. Change of economic activity; 4. Increase of labour force, and 5. Automatisation of Employment Services).