Interviewer instructions
Question 21 - 24:- Economic Activity
In this section the enumerators collect data regarding the economic activities and indicators of unemployment characteristics during the last seven days and the last twelve months prior to the date of enumeration.
Question 21:- Has [the respondent] engaged in productive activity for at least 4 hours during the last 7 days (paid or unpaid family work)?
Economic activity is asked by using moving reference period.
Every members of the household aged ten years and above is asked whether they were engaged at least four hours in productive activities in the last 7 days prior to the date of enumeration. The question should not be asked like "have you engaged in productive activity?" Rather have you been engaged in productive activity such as work for payment or family gain profit or produce own consumption. If the respondents do not understand, ask the respondents like" what have you been doing in the last seven days?" and mark the response/answer of the respondent according to the definitions of productive activities. Mark code 1 if a person was engaged in at least one of the activities mentioned; mark code 2 if a person had a job but not worked; mark code 3 if he/she did not work. If code 1 or 2 is marked for this question (question 21), skip to question 23, and if code 3 is answered, ask the next question (question 22).
Examples of those who count as absentees from work for the last seven days include those who took annual leave, maternal leave, sick leave, education or training, or those who did not work due to the termination of the job for the time being, (for instance, because of shortage of raw materials, absence of power supply, etc...) but expected to return back to work after the problem is solved. Those who had a job but did not work refer to those who had a permanent job at the time of enumeration but did not work during the last seven days. Note also that daily laborers, seasonal and unpaid family workers, etc if they did not work during the last seven days, they would not be taken as absentee from work. It is essential to understand the definition of productive activity / work so as to fill /mark the required data on the space provided. Thus, the definitions and explanations of productive activities are given as follows.
General definition of productive activity
For the purpose of the census, productive activity is defined as work, which involves the production of goods and/or services for sale or exchange and production of certain products for own consumption. According to the above general definition, economic/productive activity covers production of goods and services intended for sale on the market - aiming at generating incomes. Those include production of items or services for market (cash) or in exchange for other items. In other words, productive activities includes paid employment in household, private, governmental, agricultural activities, engagement in production of goods for sale, working in household enterprise and agricultural sectors without payment and apprentices as well. The remuneration might be daily, weekly, monthly or according to the amount of work done. It also includes unpaid family workers.
The following list of production of goods and services are included as productive activities.
Production of items for sale: For instance, industrial products, production of pottery, etc... and persons providing services for generating income for example, barbers, selling local drinks like "Tella" and "Katikalla" and weaving, brokers, .etc..
Paid employment activities in governmental, other households or organizations: for example physicians, teachers, employed farmers, shepherd, etc... It also includes unpaid communal work, for example, food for work, planting trees (forestry), communal labour, etc.
Producing items for own consumption or for sale or production of durable goods for domestic use, these are:
1. Activities involving in primary production for own consumption:
Example, producing agricultural products, (crops like cereals/pulses, fruits and vegetables, cotton, etc.); hunting, forestry, fishing, mining and quarrying are the components of primary production. Growing or gathering agricultural primary products, etc.; animal husbandry/ poultry, hunting, fishing and cutting or collecting of fire woods, charcoal or for other purpose from own holdings. Collecting thatching and weaving materials and Burning charcoal - mining salt cutting peat, digging of soil for house or household utensils, digging or collecting sand and stone, etc.
2. Processing of Primary Commodities for own Consumption
It covers activities such as milling grain, making butter, cheese and other dairy products, sinning and tanning, making baskets and hats and constructing wooden furniture and fixture
Note: It should be emphasized that these various activities are considered as economic activity only if they involve the processing of primary products. Thus, pounding "teff" (a primary product) to make "injera" is included; thus-using flour (a processed product) to make "injera" is excluded. It should further be noted that only the processing of primary commodities by the producers of these items, which means that the processing for own consumption of primary commodities by those who do not produce them is excluded. Thus, for example making flour of "teff" but at the market is not included but making flour of "teff" Produced by oneself is counted
Processing those above mentioned products to finished or semi-finished products for own consumption. Example: - Spinning, making butter or cheese, grinding corns or cereals. Producing furniture, like, tables, chairs, containers, etc... However, processing those finished or semi-finished items to other forms for own consumption cannot be considered as a productive activity.
3. Processing of primary commodities (goods and services) for sale also are productive activity
Example, making local drinks (like "Tella") for sale and partially used for own consumption. It can also be considered if the drink is partially used for home.
4. Production fixed assets for own use (those fixed assets should at least one year service)
Example, Construction of dwellings, construction of farm buildings, clearing land for cultivation production of agricultural tools, etc.
Non Productive / economic activities
While the SNA definition of the production of goods and services covers a wide range of activities many other activities still remain outside its scope.
a) Unpaid activities such as domestic tasks are taken as non-productive/ economic activities do not count as economic activity. For example, water fetching for domestic use, collecting firewood/ dung from field or forest (not from own holding) and spinning of cotton for own consumption of primary commodities who do not produce them.
b) Unpaid domestic activities do not count as economic activity. Examples are preparing food for household consumption, nursing of children and current repair and maintenance of dwelling and farm buildings and unpaid community and volunteer services, and voluntary service in international or national centers or local organizations, etc...
c) Even though one receive money, but do not earn it: Who are pensions only, Who are earning money by renting a house only, i.e. by not involving in any activity, Those who are earning money by begging ,and gamblers, are not considered as economic activity.
d) Others, like engaged in apprentice-to get experience working in offices, garage and in various sectors without participation of in relation to training /education also considered non- economic activity.
Note: During the census day those who are not work due to preparing/ clearing working area, buying goods, or in the process of having working license are considered as participated in the productive activities.