Zimbabwe

1.Series

Title:

Registered unemployment.

Starting year:

1959.

2.Agency making the initial registrations of unemployed persons

Name of the agency:

National Employment Services Department.

Type of agency:

Public service under a national authority.

Name of the national authority:

Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare.

Location of the local offices making the registrations:

In all provincial capitals of the country and two districts.

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;
  • Other: registration and monitoring of private employment agencies; collection and dissemination of labour market information.

    Percentage of job-seekers seeking work through the agency:

    10%.

    3.The following information is registered about a person:

  • Name;
  • Sex;
  • Address of usual residence;
  • Date of birth;
  • Citizenship;
  • Nationality/ethnic group;
  • Educational/vocational attainment, with two categories distinguished. Links to ISCED have not been established;
  • Current/past activity status, with three categories distinguished;
  • Type of work (occupation) of past or present job with an unspecified number of groups distinguished. Links to ISCO-88 have been established (unit groups level);
  • Type of work (occupation) of job sought, with an unspecified number of groups distinguished. Links to ISCO-88 have been established (unit groups level);
  • Name and address of present or previous employer or work place;
  • Previous registrations with the agency/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 (R) and (S);
  • Availability for work (R) and (S);
  • Age (lower limit: 16 years; upper limit: 60 years) (R) and (S);
  • Citizenship (Zimbabwean citizens only) (R);
  • Previously employed (R).

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

  • Death (R) and (S);
  • Commencement of a (new) job (R) and (S);
  • Failure to contact the agency/service at least once a month (R) and (S).

    6.Definition of unemployed persons used for the statistics

    Persons available for work, actively seeking work and making job enquiries at least once per month.

    7.Updating of the registers

    The registers are updated monthly.

    8.Unemployment rates

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

    9.Type of statistics of unemployed persons produced

    Reference period:

    Day; Week; Month; Half-year; Year.

    Frequency of production:

    Monthly.

    Descriptive variables used:

  • Sex;
  • Age;
  • Educational level;
  • Occupation;
  • Previous work experience;
  • Citizenship (nationals/non nationals);
  • Duration of unemployment.

    Form of publication:

    For internal use only.

    Agency responsible for publication:

    National Employment Services Department.

    Title and periodicity of the publication:

    Departmental Monthly Statistics and Reports.

    10.Methodological information about the statistics

    Form of release:

    On paper, for limited audience.

    Agency responsible for the release:

    National Employment Services Department.

    11.Comparisons with unemployment statistics from other sources

    Comparisons have not been made with unemployment statistics from other sources.

    12.Major changes since the start of the statistics

    Major changes in legislation, capacity of the agency and/or administrative procedures took place in 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2001. The resulting changes in the statistics have not been estimated.

    Other:

  • Decentralization of public employment offices in all provinces;
  • Introduction of computerization programme.