Improving Labor Market Statistics: Better Data for

Better Impact

Eric SwansonGlobal Monitoring and WDIDevelopment Data Group

The World Bank

Monitoring national labor markets: ILO sources

• Key Indicators of the Labour Market, 6th edition, contains a broader set of employment indicators, with an analysis of recent trends for each indicator.

• Indicators on the volume of employment, including labor force participation and employment-to-population rates, hours of work, underemployment, part-time employment

• Employment by status and sector• Educational attainment• Wage and earning indices• Labor productivity

• The KILM also includes a section with country examples of analysis of the MDG employment indicators, and their linkages with other indicators.

Proportion of a country’s working-age population actively engaging in the labour market.

Data are available by sex according to six standardized age groups:◦15 years and older◦15 to 24 years◦15 to 64 years◦25 to 54 years◦55 to 64 years◦65 years and older

Labor Force Participation

Labor Force Participation Rates, 2009

0.0

10.0

20.0

30.0

40.0

50.0

60.0

70.0

80.0

90.0

WORLD DevelopedEconomies

andEuropean

Union

Central andSouth

EasternEurope

(non-EU) &CIS

East Asia South-EastAsia and

the Pacific

South Asia LatinAmericaand the

Caribbean

Middle East North Africa Sub-SaharanAfrica

La

bo

r F

orc

e P

art

icip

ati

on

Ra

te

Male Female

Unemployment The proportion of labor force unemployed,

willing to work, and looking for employment. In regions where women face stronger

employment barriers than men, the economic downturn will exacerbate the gender gap.

In regions with little employment opportunity gender gaps, male-female unemployment rateshould converge.

Projected changes in male and female unemployment rates, selected regions, 2008-2009

Male Female Male Female Male Female Male Female Male Female Male Female Male Female

DevelopedEconomies &

European Union

Central & South-Eastern Europe(non-EU) & CIS

East Asia South Asia Latin America &the Caribbean

Middle East North Africa

-0.5

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

4.0

Chan

ge in

une

mpl

oym

ent

rate

(per

cent

age

poin

t)

Male Female Male Female Male Female Male Female Male Female Male Female Male Female

DevelopedEconomies &

European Union

Central & South-Eastern Europe(non-EU) & CIS

East Asia South Asia Latin America &the Caribbean

Middle East North Africa

Scenario 1 Upper bound

Vulnerable Employment is the sum of own-account and contributing family workers.◦Less likely to have informal employment

arrangements and have less job security and effective social dialogue mechanisms.

The combination of a rise in vulnerable employment and decline in labour productivity is likely to result in an increase in working poverty.

Vulnerable Employment

Changes in Vulnerable Employment, 2008-2009

-8'000

-6'000

-4'000

-2'000

0

2'000

4'000

WORLD DevelopedEconomies

andEuropean

Union

Central andSouth

EasternEurope

(non-EU) &CIS

East Asia South-EastAsia and

the Pacific

South Asia LatinAmericaand the

Caribbean

Middle East NorthAfrica

Sub-Saharan

Africa

Ch

an

ge

s i

n V

uln

era

ble

Em

plo

ym

en

t (0

00

')

Male Female

Female labor force statistics -- 143 low- and middle-income economies 

  Data availability

  1990-20072000-2007

Labor participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15+) 91.6% 91.7%

Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15-64) 91.6% 91.6%

Labor force, female (% of total labor force) 90.6% 90.3%

Total employment, female (ages 15+) 81.9% 86.7%

What we know well

Female labor force statistics -- 143 low- and middle-income economies 

  Data availability

  1990-20072000-2007Share of women employed in the nonagricultural sector (% of total nonagricultural employment) 35.7% 35.2%Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) 30.8% 33.7%Employees, agriculture, female (% of female employment) 27.0% 32.0%Employees, industry, female (% of female employment) 27.0% 32.0%Employees, services, female (% of female employment) 27.0% 32.0%Wage and salaried workers, female (% of females employed) 26.1% 31.2%

Self-employed, female (% of females employed) 26.0% 31.0%Contributing family workers, female (% of females employed) 24.2% 30.2%Vulnerable employment, female (% of female employment) 22.2% 28.0%

What we know not so well

Female labor force statistics -- 143 low- and middle-income economies 

  Data availability

  1990-20072000-2007

Unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24) 22.6% 25.6%

Unemployment with primary education, female (% of female unemployment) 21.0% 25.5%

Unemployment with secondary education, female (% of female unemployment) 19.0% 23.3%

Unemployment with tertiary education, female (% of female unemployment) 20.9% 25.3%

And less well

Female labor force statistics -- 143 low- and middle-income economies 

  Data availability

  1990-20072000-2007

Economically active children, female (% of female children ages 7-14) 4.0% 7.8%

Child employment in agriculture, female (% of female economically active children ages 7-14) 1.7% 3.1%Child employment in manufacturing, female (% of female economically active children ages 7-14) 1.7% 3.1%

Child employment in services, female (% of female economically active children ages 7-14) 1.7% 3.1%

Long-term unemployment, female (% of female unemployment) 4.8% 2.8%Economically active children, study and work, female (% of female economically active children, ages 7-14) 1.7% 2.7%Economically active children, work only, female (% of female economically active children, ages 7-14) 1.7% 2.7%

And barely at all

Low income economies Coverage 1990-2007 Coverage 2000-2007Afghanistan 12.7% 13.0%Korea, Dem. Rep. 16.7% 16.7%Comoros 16.9% 16.7%Myanmar 16.9% 16.7%Mozambique 17.1% 16.7%

Lower middle-income economies

China 18.8% 16.7%Iraq 16.7% 17.2%Timor-Leste 16.7% 17.2%Angola 16.9% 17.2%Congo, Rep. 16.9% 17.2%

Upper middle-income economies

Lebanon 16.7% 16.7%Gabon 19.4% 16.7%Libya 16.7% 17.2%Suriname 32.4% 18.2%Serbia 9.3% 20.8%

Where the gaps are greatest

 

Empowering Women to Compete in Markets Indicators Number of

CountriesProduct Market Form Women’s' business,

purchasing, and transport association

Percentage of women belonging to professional associations 77

Increase access to business services for women entrepreneurs

Percentage of established business owners, by gender 40

Increase access to credit and financial services

Percentage of women who have access to bank loans 87

Provide business start-up grants

  

Financial Market

Support Self-help groups and ROSCAs

 

 Provide gender sensitive business services

 

 Provide market-based financial intermediation services

 

 

Women’s empowerment: what else we’d like to know

 

Empowering Women to Compete in Markets Indicators

Number of Countries

Land Market Conduct social marketing of property rights legislation

 

 Solicit women's input into legislative changes on land holding and titling

 

 Ensure women's full participation in land adjudication and registration processes

Percentage of women who have access to land

87Involve women and women's groups in local natural resource managements'

 

 

Women’s empowerment: what else we’d like to know

 

Empowering Women to Compete in Markets Indicators

Number of Countries

Labor Market Increase women's access to training programs

Percentage of those who have required knowledge and skills to start a business, by gender 40

Ensure non-discrimination in labor intermediation services

Wage equality between women and men for similar work (ratio) 147

Provide quality day care services and reduce their cost

Number of weeks of maternity leave

165  Maternal leave

benefits (% of wages paid in covered period) 160

Provide labor intermediation services (to migrants and potential migrants)

 

 

Women’s empowerment: what else we’d like to know

Completing the picture:◦ Estimations for labor force participation and

vulnerable employment can be estimated with labour force survey data.

Improving Country Level Data

Household-survey based model Advantages:

◦ Do not require macroeconomic model assumptions,◦ Data can be disaggregated for youths and females,◦ Does not require large international intervention or

support Disadvantages:

◦ Countries lack survey instrument to capture data◦ Bias estimates◦ Lack of comparability over time

Micro-Based Estimates

The ILO Employment Trends Team and The World Bank are mining household-surveys.◦ Identifying surveys with questions to provide

sufficient observations for estimates◦ Identifying differences between survey variables

and international standards◦ Producing cross-

tabulation of poverty with the labour force

Efforts to Expand Micro-Based Estimates

Thank you

And thanks to the ILO Employment Trends Team

Gender statistics at the World Bank:

Http://genderstats.worldbank.org