Romania
Title of the survey:
Household Labour Force Survey (AMIGO).
Organization responsible for the survey:
Planning and conduct of the survey:
National Institute for Statistics (NIS).
Analysis and publication of the results:
National Institute for Statistics (NIS).
Topics covered:
Employment, unemployment, underemployment, hours of work, duration of unemployment, discouraged workers, industry, occupation, status in employment, educational level, second jobs.
Coverage of the survey:
Geographical:
Whole country.
Population groups:
All permanent residents living in households selected for the survey, including those temporarily absent for a period longer than six months if they are permanently in touch with their family, such as conscripts, students and school children who study away from their place of permanent residence, persons working in localities other than their permanent residence, temporary inmates of penal and mental institutions and persons in hospital as well as those undergoing rehabilitation treatment. Persons living permanently in common units, such as specialized institutions, old-age pensioners’ homes, establishments for handicapped persons, sanatoriums, etc. are excluded.
Availability of estimates from other sources for the excluded areas/groups:
Not available.
Groups covered by the survey but excluded from the published results:
Not available.
Periodicity:
Conduct of the survey:
Quarterly continuous survey.
Publication of results:
Quarterly and annual.
Reference periods:
Employment:
One week (moving reference period):
Seeking work:
Past four weeks.
Availability for work:
Next fifteen days.
Concepts and definitions:
Employment:
Comprises all people aged 15 years and over who have carried out an economic or social activity producing goods or services with a duration of one hour at least during the reference period (one week), with a view to achieve certain incomes in the form of salaries, in kind remuneration or other benefits. Also considered as employed are persons temporarily absent from work preserving their formal relations with the working place, and members of the armed forces (active staff and conscripts). For the self-employed and unpaid family workers in agriculture, the minimum duration of work during the reference week is 15 hours.
It includes:
- persons with a job but temporarily absent due to illness/injury, vacation/ annual leave, statutory maternity leave, parental leave, study leave, professional training and vocational courses, strike or dispute, temporary stoppages due to bad weather conditions, mechanical breakdown, shortage of raw materials or energy, technical incidents, etc.;
- persons on lay-off who continue to receive at least 50 per cent of their wage or salary from their employer or have an assurance of return to work within a period of three months;
- persons on long-term absence from work (three months and over) if they continue to receive at least 50 per cent of their wage or salary from their employer;
- full or part-time workers seeking another job;
- persons who performed some work for pay or profit during the reference week, while being subject to compulsory schooling, or retired and receiving a pension, even if registered as job-seekers at an employment office or receiving unemployment benefits;
- full and part-time students working full or part-time;
- paid apprentices and trainees;
- unpaid family workers temporarily absent during the reference week and seasonal workers not at work during the off-season (unless they are actively seeking and available for work in which case they are considered as unemployed).
Unemployment:
Persons aged 15 years and over who during the reference period were without work (did not have a job and were not carrying out an activity with a view to achieving an income), available to start work within 15 days and were actively seeking work by various methods during the last four weeks.
It includes:
- persons who found a job staring within a period of at most three months;
- persons on lay-off who do not receive any significant wage and salary (less than 50 per cent) from their employer and who are currently available for work and actively seeking work;
- seasonal workers during the off-season if they are currently available for work and actively seeking work.
Underemployment:
Time-related underemployment:
Persons with a job who have worked less than the usual working duration irrespective of their willingness, and are wishing a full-time activity or a complementary job and are available to work more hours in the next 15 days.
Inadequate employment situations:
Not applicable.
Hours of work:
Usual hours of work is the duration of a typical working week including overtime hours, if worked systematically, in contrast to the hours set by collective working contract or by other conventions or agreements.
Hours actually worked are hours in the main job only during the reference week, including overtime hours not systematically worked and may be higher, equal or less than usual hours.
Employment-related income:
Income from paid employment:
Not applicable.
Income from self-employment:
Not applicable.
Informal sector:
Not applicable.
Usual activity:
Main activity status refers the self-appreciation of each person on her/his activity status during the last three months.
Classifications:
Branch of economic activity (industry):
Title of the classification:
CANE (Classification of All Activities of National Economy).
Population groups classified by industry:
Employed and unemployed persons (industry of last job for the unemployed).
Number of groups used for coding:
17 groups.
Links to ISIC:
ISIC-Rev.3.
Occupation:
Title of the classification:
CORE (Classification of Occupations in Romania).
Population groups classified by occupation:
Employed and unemployed persons (occupation of last job for the unemployed).
Number of groups used for coding:
10 groups.
Links to ISCO:
ISCO-88.
Status in employment:
Title of the classification:
Not available.
Population groups classified by status in employment:
Employed and unemployed persons (status of last job for the unemployed).
Groups used for classification:
Five groups: Employee, Selfemployed with employees (Employer), Self-employed without employees (Own-account worker), Unpaid family worker, Member of an agricultural holding or co-operative.
Links to ICSE:
ICSE-1993.
Education:
Title of the classification:
Not available.
Population groups classified by education:
Employed and unemployed persons.
Groups used for classification:
Five groups: With no education, Primary education (2 sub-groups), Vocational education (2 subgroups), High-school education (2 sub-groups), University education (2 sub-groups).
Links to ISCED:
ISCED-1997.
Sample size and design:
Ultimate sampling unit:
Dwelling (with all component households).
Sample size (ultimate sampling units):
18,036 dwellings located in the selected geographic areas.
Overall sampling fraction:
At the first sampling stage, 0.0331 for rural areas and 0.0325 for urban areas.
Sample frame:
Designed during 1992-1993, based on the January 1992 Population and Housing Census results as a master sample (EMZOT) of 501 geographical areas (about 250,000 dwellings). These areas are considered the Primary sampling units (PSUs) in the 1st stage of the sampling design for all the household surveys; 259 PSUs in urban areas and 242 in rural areas. In the second stage Housing units were systematically selected within each PSU.
Updating of the sample:
The EMZOT master sample is regularly updated.
Rotation:
Scheme:
The rotation sample is designed on the 2-(2)-2 pattern. Thus four rotation groups or sub-samples are identified. A dwelling is included in the sample for two consecutive quarters, leaves it for two quarters and returns again for another two consecutive quarters before leaving the sample forever.
Percentage of units remaining in the sample for two consecutive survey rounds:
50 per cent.
Maximum number of interviews per sample unit:
Four per ultimate sampling unit.
Length of time for complete renewal of the sample:
A dwelling is managed for 6 quarters.
Field work:
Type of interview:
Face to face, using paper and pencil.
Number of ultimate sampling units per sample area:
36 dwellings per quarter.
Duration of field work:
Total:
The reference weeks are evenly spread throughout the whole year (52 weeks). Interviewing is the week following the reference week.
Per sample area:
One calendar week.
Survey organization:
A permanent survey organization.
Number of field staff:
501 interviewers, 140 supervisors and 47 responsible officers.
Substitution of non-responding ultimate sampling units:
No.
Estimation and adjustments:
Total non-response rate:
6.2 per cent (in the third quarter 2001 for example).
Adjustment for total non-response:
Yes.
Imputation for item non-response:
Yes, using the Hot-deck, Colddeck method.
Adjustment for areas/population not covered:
Not available.
Adjustment for undercoverage:
Yes.
Adjustment for overcoverage:
Yes.
Adjustment for seasonal variations:
No.
History of the survey:
Title and date of the first survey:
Household Labour Force Survey (AMIGO) - March 1992.
Significant changes or revisions:
Up to 1996, the survey was annual and covered persons aged 14 years old and over. Beginning with the first quarter of 1999, the underemployment concept complies with the provisions of the 16th International Conference of Labour Statisticians (1998). Beginning with the first quarter of 2002, the employment, unemployment and main activity status concepts comply with the provisions agreed by the Commission Regulation (EC) N° 1897/2000 and N° 1575/2000.
Documentation and dissemination:
Documentation:
Survey results:
Household Labour Force Survey (AMIGO) - detailed report; - quick report; Statistical Yearbook (NIS); Quarterly Bulletin (NIS).
Survey methodology:
Idem.
Dissemination:
Time needed for initial release of survey results:
Approximately one quarter.
Advance information of public about date of initial release:
No.
Availability of unpublished data upon request:
Yes.
Availability of data in machine-readable form:
Yes on diskette.
Website:
http://www.insse.ro/.