Labour force survey 2004-2005

Statistical information on all aspects of socio-economic activities is essential for the designing, monitoring and evaluation of development plans and policies as well as for measuring socio -economic growth. Labour force surveys are among the important sources of data for assessing the role of the population of the country in the economic and social development process. These surveys provide data on the main characteristics of the work force engaged or available to be engaged in productive activities during a given period and also its distribution in the various sectors of the economy. It is also useful to indicate the extent of available and unutilized human resources that must be absorbed by the national economy to ensure full employment and economic well being of the population.

Moreover, it further provides an input for assessing the meeting of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the country's poverty reduction strategy framework (PASDEP-Plan for Accelerated and Sustained Development to End Poverty). The other broad objective of statistics on the labour force is for the measurement of relationship between employment, earnings and other social and economic characteristics of the economically active population for the purpose of formulating, monitoring and evaluation of employment polices and programs. Seasonal and other variations and changes over time in the size and characteristics of employment and unemployment could also be monitored using up-to-date information from labour force survey. The Central Statistical Agency (CSA) has been providing labour force and related data at different levels and with varying details in their content.

These include the 1976 Addis Ababa Manpower and Housing Sample Survey, the 1978 Survey on Population and Housing Characteristics of Seventeen Major Towns, the 1980/81 and 1987/88 Rural Labour Force Surveys, the 1984 and 1994 Population and Housing Census, and 2003 and 2004 Urban Bi-annual Employment Unemployment Survey. The 1996 and 2002 Surveys of Informal Sector and most of the household surveys undertaken by the Agency also provide limited information on the area. Still pieces of information in relation to that of employment can also be derived from small, large and medium scale establishment surveys. Till the 1999 Labour Force Survey (LFS) there hasn't been a comprehensive national labour force survey representing both urban and rural areas. This 2005 LFS is the second in the series. Like the National Labour Force Survey of 1999, it covered both the urban and rural areas of all regions.

The specific objectives of this survey are to: - generate data on the size of work force that is available to participate in production process; determine the status and rate of economic participation of different sub-groups of the population; identify those who are actually contributing to the economic development (i.e., employed) and those out of the sphere; determine the size and rate of unemployed population; - provide data on the structure of the working population; obtain information about earnings from paid employment; identify the distribution of employed population working in the formal/informal enterprises; and provide time series data and trace changes over time.