Indicator 8.5.2 Unemployment rate, by sex, age and persons with disabilities

Goal 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.

Target 8.5: By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men, including for young people and persons with disabilities, and equal pay for work of equal value

Indicator 8.5.2: Unemployment rate, by sex, age and persons with disabilities

November, 2021

1.1.1, 8.2.1, 8.6.1, 10.4.1

Uganda Bureau of Statistics

Sharon Apio

Labour Statistics Unit

Senior Statistician

+256 782 770851

P.O. Box 7186, Kampala

sharon.apio@ubos.org

The unemployment rate conveys the percentage of persons in the labour force who are unemployed. 

Unemployed persons are defined as all those of working age (usually aged 15 and above) who were not in employment, carried out activities to seek employment during a specified recent period and were currently available to take up employment given a job opportunity, where:

• “not in employment” is assessed with respect to the short reference period for the measurement of employment;
• “seek employment” refers to any activity when carried out, during a specified recent period comprising the last four weeks or one month, for the purpose of finding a job or setting up a business or agricultural  undertaking;
• • “currently available” serves as a test of readiness to start a job in the present, assessed with respect to a short reference period comprising that used to measure employment (depending on national circumstances, the reference period may be extended to include a short subsequent period not exceeding two weeks in total, so as to ensure adequate coverage of unemployment situations among different population groups).  

Percent

Disability status is based on the WHO International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), according to which disability covers impairments (problems in body function or structure such as a significant deviation or loss), activity limitations (difficulties in executing activities) and participation restrictions (problems in involvement in life situations). For measurement purposes, the ICF defines a person with disability as a person who is limited in the kind or amount of activities that he or she can do because of ongoing difficulties due to a long-term physical condition, mental condition or health problem.

The Uganda National Household Surveys-(UNHS)

Data collection includes; survey planning, consultative user needs assessment meetings, survey and sampling design, questionnaire development, pretesting and finalization of questionnaires, recruitment and training of field staff, field data collection and capture, data processing, management, checking and analysis, report writing and production. At each stage, the survey conformed to international best practices in survey implementation.

Sample Design

The sample was designed to allow generation of separate estimates at the national level, for urban and rural areas and for fifteen sub-regions of Uganda. A two-stage stratified sampling design is used. At the first stage, EAs are grouped by districts of similar socio-economic characteristics and by rural-urban location. The EAs were then drawn using Probability Proportional to size.

At the second stage, households which are the ultimate sampling units are drawn using Systematic Random Sampling. The total numbers of the EAs are selected from the National Population and Housing Census (NPHC) which constituted the sampling frame.

Training and data collection

team of field supervisors and interviewers are recruited and trained for the main survey. The main approach of the training comprised instructions in relation to interviewing techniques and field procedures, a detailed review of the data collection modules, tests and practice using hand-held Computer Assisted Interviews (CAPI) devices. The training also includes interviews and field practice in selected EAs outside of the main survey sample. Team supervisors are further trained in data quality control procedures and coordination of field activities.

Prior to the main fieldwork, the data collection module are pretested to ensure that the questions are clear, flowing and easily understood by respondents.

UNHS-LFS Module – Every after 3 years

2023/24

Uganda Bureau of Statistics

UBOS

The Uganda Bureau of Statistics Act 1998 provides for the development and maintenance of the National Statistical System (NSS) to ensure collection, analysis and publication of integrated, relevant, reliable and timely statistical information.

The unemployment rate is a useful measure of the underutilization of the labour supply. It reflects the inability of an economy to generate employment for those persons who want to work but are not doing so, even though they are available for employment and actively seeking work. It is thus seen as an indicator of the efficiency and effectiveness of an economy to absorb its labour force and of the performance of the labour market. Short-term time series of the unemployment rate can be used to signal changes in the business cycle; upward movements in the indicator often coincide with recessionary periods or in some cases with the beginning of an expansionary period as persons previously not in the labour market begin to test conditions through an active job search. 

Even though in most developed countries the unemployment rate is useful as an indicator of labour market performance, and specifically, as a key measure of labour underutilization, in many developing countries, the significance and meaning of the unemployment rate could be questioned. In the absence of unemployment insurance systems or social safety nets, persons of working age must avoid unemployment, resorting to engaging in some form of economic activity, however insignificant or inadequate. Thus, in this context, other measures should supplement the unemployment rate to comprehensively assess labour underutilization.

Trend and independent analysis Hold data validation stakeholder meetings Data consistency and quality checks are regularly conducted

In order to calculate this indicator (according to the ILO definitions of unemployment and unemployment rate), data is needed on both the labour force and the unemployed, by sex and age (and eventually disability status). This data is collected at the national level mainly through labour force surveys (or other types of household surveys with an employment module). For the methodology of each national household survey, one must refer to the most comprehensive survey report or to the methodological publications. 

• Decent Work and the Sustainable Development Goals: A Guidebook on SDG Labour Market Indicators
• ILO Manual – Decent Work Indicators, Concepts and Definitions – Chapter 1, Employment opportunities.
• Resolution concerning statistics of work, employment and labour underutilization 
• ILOSTAT Indicator descriptions
• • ILOSTAT’s topic page on Unemployment and Labour Underutilization

Quality Management is addressed through a series of activities by the UBOS Top Management;

1. The survey implementation is overseen by a Technical Working Group which is constituted using a multi-sectorial approach.
2. The survey report is reviewed by an experienced team at Management level who are in most cases Directors or Heads of departments.

The 2019/20 UNHS underwent several stages before production and sharing of the final findings. During the Survey implementation.

1. Consultative user needs assessment meetings are held with all key stakeholders.
2. The survey and sampling design generated using scientific methods as recommended by the Census and Survey Rules and Regulations.
3. The questionnaire development follows a multi-stakeholder approach and pretesting helps to establish the relevancy and adequacy of the questions to be used.
4. Senior Supervision is conducted during data collection to ensure that quality data is collected.

Data editing, cleaning and coding is undertaken before analysis and report writing

Before dissemination, the report is reviewed and quality assured by the Department of Outreach and Quality Assurance at the Bureau.

Data availability:

Data for this indicator is available.

Time series:

Data series cover the period from 2012/13, 2016/17 and 2019/20.

Disaggregation:

Data disaggregated sex, industry, age and persons with disability.

Data is comparable internationally

Uganda National Household Survey reports (2012/13, 2016/17 and 2019/20). • Decent Work and the Sustainable Development Goals • A Guidebook on SDG Labour Market IndicatorsILO Manual – Decent Work Indicators, Concepts and Definitions – Chapter 1, Employment opportunities.  • Resolution concerning statistics of work, employment and labour underutilization.    • ILOSTAT Indicator descriptions ILOSTAT’s topic page on Unemployment and Labour Underutilization.