The number of hours a respondent actually works in employment during a particular reference period.
The definition of employed is given in the statistical standard labour force status that is, all people aged 15 and over who during the reference period:
The full–time employed are those who usually work 30 hours or more per week, while the part–time employed usually work fewer than 30 hours per week.
Labour force status is the position of all people aged 15 and over in relation to the labour market.
Multiple job–holders are those who indicate that they work in a job other than their main job. The HLFS further defines multiple–job holders as those whose hours worked in their other job are greater than zero.
The gross total payout to all employees, less any overtime payments. All shift, penal and other allowances are included, as are bonuses, paid leave, and commissions earned in a specified pay period. Payments not earned in the specified pay period (eg backpay, redundancy, severance pay) and non–taxable payments, such as tool money, are excluded. Where a payment is for a period of longer than the survey pay period, only the proportion that relates to the survey pay period is counted.
The number of hours represented by ordinary time earnings. Paid travelling time and hours represented by holiday pay and sick pay are included.
Any job(s) in which the respondent works fewer, or no more, hours than the main job.
The gross total payout for overtime hours worked by all employees in the survey pay period.
The actual number of hours worked in excess of the standard working hours for a particular period. Overtime can be paid or unpaid. Paid overtime means only working time paid for at overtime rates.
The number of ordinary and overtime hours for which an employee is paid. Paid hours excludes unpaid overtime but may include some hours which are not actually worked, such as paid leave and statutory holidays.
A statistical unit is the population being surveyed in order to collect information for an output variable. For example the most common statistical units for social, labour and demographic data collections are people, families, household and dwellings. Economic statistical units include enterprises, kind–of–activity units and geographic units.
The statistical unit for hours worked in employment in social collections is generally ‘a person’. In economic collections the statistical unit for hours worked in employment can be an enterprise or a business.
The number of hours the respondent usually works in employment during a particular reference period, even if they did not in fact do so during the survey reference period because of temporary absences due to sickness or holidays etc.
Use of this category is discretionary. The use of a category capturing don't know responses is most applicable to household surveys where don't know may be a legitimate response to certain questions.
This category is only used when it is known that the respondent has purposefully chosen not to respond to the question. Use of this residual category in processing is optional. Its use is most applicable in face–to–face or telephone interviews, but may be used in self–completed questionnaires if the respondent has clearly indicated they refuse or object to answering the question.
This category is used when there is a response given, but:
This category is used for responses that are positively identified (ie the meaning and the intent are clear) but which clearly fall outside the scope of the classification/topic as defined in the standard.
This category is only used where a respondent has not given any response to the question asked, ie it is solely for non–response.
International Labour Organisation (1998). Current International Recommendations on Labour Statistics (1998 Edition), Geneva.
Statistics New Zealand (1993). 1996 Census of Population and Dwellings: Preliminary Views on Content, Wellington.