ROMANIA

1. Name and address of the organization responsible for the census:

Central Committee for the 2002 Population and Housing Census, National Statistics Commission, Bd. Libertatii 16, Sector 5, Bucarest 70542.

2. Population censuses conducted since 1945 (years):

1948, 1956, 1966, 1977, 1992 and 2002.  The present description relates to the 2002 census (conducted on 18 March).

3. Coverage of the census:

(a) Geographical scope:

Whole country.

(b) Persons covered:

All persons residing permanently (having legal residence) in the country (whether they were in the country or abroad at the time of census), as well as foreigners or stateless persons with temporary residence at the time of the census.  Excluded were foreign persons with diplomatic status, consular representatives and international organizations (as well as their family members), and also foreign armed forces and commercial fleet personnel and press correspondents temporarily present in Romania at the time of the census.

4. Reference period:

One week before 18 March 2002 for the topics regarding the current economically active population and the year before the census (18 March 2001 B 18 March 2002) for the topics regarding the usual economically active population.  These two concepts were designed to assure methodological comparison both with the 1992 census data (the second concept) and with the international recommendations, as well as the data from national surveys, organized by the National Institute of Statistics (the first concept).

5. Main topics:

(a) Total population, by sex and age: yes

Current economically active population, by:

(b) Sex and age group: yes

(c) Industry: yes

(d) Occupation: yes

(e) Status in employment: yes

(f) Educational level: yes

(g) Hours of work: yes

(h) Other characteristics: yes

 

Re (a): The age is defined in terms of date of birth.

 

Re (h): Duration of unemployment; type of unemployment benefits received.

6. Concepts and definitions:

(a) Economically active population:


It comprises all persons aged 14 years and over who, during the reference period, were available to be engaged (whether they were so or not) in the production of goods and services in the national economy.  All members of the armed forces are included in the definition.

(b) Employment:

Considered as employed are all persons who stated that, during the week before 18 March 2002, they were engaged in an economic activity for at least an hour (for the persons who worked in agriculture, the minimum time to consider them as employed was 15 hours), for remuneration in cash or kind, under contract or on their own account.

 

The following categories are included:

 

i)                persons doing unpaid work in a family firm or business;

ii)              employed persons, temporarily absent from work;

iii)            students, pensioners or housekeepers who had worked during the reference period at least an hour;

iv)             seasonal workers not at work during the off-season, if they kept a formal link with their working place (the assurance of return to their place of work or if they continued receiving benefits in cash or in kind);

v)               regular members of the armed forces;

vi)             conscripts on military/civilian service;

vii)           apprentices and trainees;

viii)         persons temporarily laid-off (with formal job attachment).

 

Persons belonging to category (i) can be identified separately on the basis of replies given to questions concerning status in employment, and persons belonging to category (vi) on the basis of replies given to the question regarding occupation.

(c) Unemployment:

Considered as unemployed are all persons aged 14 years and over (up to the legal age of retirement), able to work, who stated that during the reference period they did not have a job under contract or on their own account, but that they were willing to work and, irrespective of whether they were registered or not at a labour force office, they were actively seeking a job (even if their first job).   Students seeking work are excluded from the definition.

7. Classifications used:

Both employed and unemployed persons looking for another working place are classified by industry, by occupation, by status in employment and by educational level.

(a) Industry:

Based on the question: AWorking place: full name of the unit; main activity of the working place where the person is working; the location of the working place@ (in the same locality; in another locality, but in the same county; in another county; in another country; and for the second and third categories the area is also registered: urban or rural).  For coding industry, 99 groups of the national classification were used.  Links to ISIC-rev.3 have been established at the group (3-digit) level.

(b) Occupation:

The occupation is defined as the function actually practised, not as the profession (which is visible through the field of study for the school graduated, topic also registered).  For coding occupation, 418 basic groups of the national classification were used.  Links to ISCO-88 have been established at the minor group (3-digit) level.


(c) Status in employment:

To determine status in employment, the following six groups were used:  employee; employer; own account worker; member of a producers= cooperative; unpaid family worker (in own household); others.

(d) Level of education:

Based on the questions: AName and type of the highest school level graduated@ (for persons born before 15 September 1991, i.e. aged ten years and over) and AName and type of the school you are attending@ (for persons born before 15 September 1995, i.e. aged six years and over).  The school year begins on 15 September.  For coding educational level, 95 levels of the national classification were used.  Links to ISCED have been established.

8. Main differences compared with the previous census:

In 1992 only one concept was used: the usual economically active population.  Also, the hours worked and the period of unemployment were not registered, nor the type of unemployment benefits received.

 

In 2002 the concept of current economically active population was used mainly, using a short reference period (the week before the census day) and, depending on this reference period, additional indicators were recorded against the 1992 census when the reference period was the year before the census day. The additional indicators are: the number of hours worked, the location of the working place, the duration of unemployment and also the type of unemployment benefits received.

9. Publication of the census results:

The final 2002 census results will be published at the end of 2003 in specific publications.