Labour force participation
The labour force comprises people employed full time or part time and people unemployed and actively seeking employment.
- Nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of Tuvaluan adults were participating in the labour force at the time of the 2001 Census. Labour force participation rates among the Pacific (65 percent) and the New Zealand populations (67 percent) were similar to those of the Tuvaluan population.
- Tuvaluan men were more likely to participate in the labour force than Tuvaluan women in 2001 (74 percent and 56 percent respectively).
- Labour force participation among the Tuvaluan population was lower than that of the New Zealand population across most age groups, as figure 6.1 illustrates.
Employment
The employment rate is the proportion of the working age population (aged 15 years and over) who are employed in either full-time or part-time paid work.
- At the time of the 2001 Census, 51 percent of the Tuvaluan working age population was employed. In 2001, a slightly higher proportion of the Pacific population was employed (55 percent), while the employment rate for the New Zealand population was 62 percent.
- Tuvaluan men (61 percent) had a higher rate of employment than Tuvaluan women (44 percent) in 2001.
Unemployment
The unemployment rate is the proportion of the labour force who are unemployed, available for work and actively seeking employment.
- A total of 140 Tuvaluan adults, or 19 percent of the Tuvaluan labour force, were unemployed at the time of the 2001 Census. The unemployment rate for the Pacific population was 16 percent, while the equivalent figure for the New Zealand population was 7 percent.
- Tuvaluan women had a higher rate of unemployment (21 percent) than Tuvaluan men (17 percent) in 2001.
Occupation and industry
In 2001, the most common category of occupation for employed Tuvaluan adults was agriculture and fishery workers (25 percent), followed by service and sales workers (16 percent) and those in elementary occupations (15 percent).
Nearly a quarter (22 percent) of employed Tuvaluan adults worked in the agriculture/forestry/fishing industry in 2001. Property and business (18 percent) and manufacturing (16 percent) were the next most common industries.
Horticulture and fruit growing accounted for 80 percent of Tuvaluan people employed in the agriculture/forestry/fishing industry.