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The 2002 Employment Status Survey Outline of the Survey

1. Purpose of the survey
2. Date of the survey
3. Scope of the survey
4. Items surveyed
5. Method of the survey
6. Items tabulated
7. Method and date for release of results
8. Period for safekeeping of relevant documents and person responsible

1. Purpose of the survey

The Employment Status Survey aims to obtain basic data on the actual conditions of the employment structure, changes in usual labour force status, wish for work, etc. at both national and regional levels by surveying usual labour force status in Japan.

2. Date of the survey

The survey was taken as of 0:00 a.m. on October 1, 2002.

3. Scope of the survey

(1)Areas surveyed 

The survey covered approximately 29,000 enumeration districts of the enumeration districts selected for the 2000 census, designated by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.  

(2)Coverage of the survey 

In the designated enumeration districts, the survey was conducted on household members 15 years old or more in approximately 440,000 households dwelling in sampled units (a building or part of building capable of housing one household) selected by the mayors of cities, the mayors of towns and village heads in the manner prescribed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.
The following persons however were excluded from the enumeration.  

A.Foreign diplomatic corps or consular staff and foreign military personnel or civilians, and their dependents

B.Persons dwelling in camps or ships of the Self-Defense Forces

C.Persons serving sentences in prisons or detention houses and inmates of reformatory institutions or women's guidance homes

4. Items surveyed

Items surveyed included the following.

(1)Items related to household members 15 years old or more

A.All household members

Name, sex, marital status, relationship to the head of household, year and month of birth, educational status e.g. attending or graduated from an educational institution, when started living at present address, reason for moving house, address before moving house, usual labour force status and labour force status of the last week of September. 

B.Persons engaged in work 

a)Main job
Status in employment, type of employment at place of work, type of legal organization at place of work, name of place of work, contents of business at place of work, contents of work, number of persons engaged in enterprise, days worked per year, regularity of work, working hours per week, income, whether wishing to change the present job or to have an additional job, etc.; whether wishing to extend working hours, etc.; reason for wishing to change the present job, kind of job wished to take, whether seeking a job, when took up the job, reason for starting a job, labour force status a year ago, and whether had a job.

b)Second job
Status in employment and contents of business at place of work

c)Previous job
When left the job, reason for leaving the job, status in employment, type of employment at place of work, contents of business at place of work, contents of work, number of persons engaged in enterprise, and duration engaged in work (years and months).

C.Persons not engaged in work 

a)Wish for work, etc.
Whether wishing to work, reason for wishing to work, classification of job wished to take, kind of job wished to take, whether seeking a job, reason for not seeking a job, duration of seeking a job, intention to take up a job, labour force status a year ago, and whether had working experience.

b)Previous job
When left the job, reason for leaving the job, status in employment, type of employment at place of work, contents of business at place of work, contents of the work, number of persons engaged in enterprise, and duration engaged in work (years and months).

(2)Items related to households

Household members less than 15 years old, household members 15 years old or more, type of household income sources and annual income of household as a whole.

5. Method of the survey

(1)Survey channel

The survey was conducted through the following channel:
Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications (MIC) - prefectures - cities, towns and villages - statistical surveyors

(2)Statistical surveyors

A.Following instructions on implementation of the survey issued by the mayors of cities, the mayors of towns and village heads, the statistical surveyors distributed and collected questionnaires pertaining to households within their assigned enumeration districts, prepared relevant documents and performed other associated work.

B.Irrespective of the procedures described in A, statistical surveyors designated by prefectural governors (hereafter referred to as "Supervisors"), extended guidance to statistical surveyors (excluding the Supervisors, and hereafter referred to "Enumerators"), examined questionnaires and other relevant documents, and performed other associated work, following instructions on implementation of the survey issued by the mayors of cities, the mayors of towns and village heads.

C.Irrespective of the procedures described in A and B, if for a particular reason the Enumerator(s) could not perform part of the work described in A, the Supervisor(s) performed this work in the manner prescribed by mayors of cities and towns and village heads.

(3)Method of the survey

For the survey, Enumerators (including Supervisors performing part of the work of the Enumerators as described in (2)-C, hereafter referred to as "Enumerators, etc.") distributed questionnaires to each household to be surveyed and collected the completed questionnaires, and conducted Q&A sessions with the households.

(4)Method of response

Response to the questionnaires was through completion of questionnaires by household members 15 years old or more, or by the head of the household surveyed, as well as by answering questions from the Enumerators, etc.

6. Items tabulated

The following items were tabulated for the whole of Japan, prefectures, prefectural capitals, and cities with population of 300,000 or more. However for the prefectural capitals and cities with population of 300,000 or more, tabulations were limited to usual labour force status and associated major items.

(Persons 15 years old or more)

(1)General items related to usual labour force status

(2)Items related to moving place of residence and change of labour force status

(3)Items related to labour force status of the last week of September

(Persons engaged in work)

(4)Items related to days worked per year and working hours per week

(5)Items related to Industry and number of persons engaged in enterprise

(6)Items related to occupation, status in employment and annual earnings

(7)Items related to wishing to change the present job and to have an additional job

(8)Items related to whether having a second job and labour force status of the second job

(9)Items related to duration engaged in work of the present job, labour force status a year ago and reason to work

(10)Items related to industry, occupation, duration engaged in work, when left the previous job, etc. for the previous job

(Persons not engaged in work)

(11)Items related to whether wishing to work, reason for wishing to work, classification of job wished to take and kind of job wished to take

(12)Items related to whether seeking a job and intention to take up a job

(13)Items related to reason for not seeking a job

(14)Items related to labour force status a year ago

(15)Items related to status in employment, number of persons engaged in enterprise, industry and occupation, for the previous job

(16)Items related to duration engaged in work of the previous job, when left the previous job, reason for leaving the previous job, etc.

(The head of household) 

(17)Items related to labour force status of the head of household and of household members

(18)Items related to type of household, family composition, type of household income sources and annual earnings of household

(Other)  

(19)Items related to other labour force status and associated matters

7. Method and date for release of results

All results of the survey following tabulation were released on the Internet in July 2003, and this electromagnetic record presented in paper and other forms for public viewing. A report will also be published at the end of December 2003.
A report on the population of 15 years old or more broken down by labour force status of the last week of September and prefectures was published at the end of December 2002.

8. Period for safekeeping of relevant documents and person responsible

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