Labour Force Information
Data quality

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Definitions and explanations

The labour force is composed of those members of the civilian non-institutional population 15 years of age and over who, during the reference week, were employed or unemployed.

Employed persons are those who, during the reference week:

1. did any work at all at a job or business;
2. had a job but were not at work.

A person is considered to be full-time if his/her usual hours at the main job or only job are 30 or more hours per week. When the number of hours worked at the main job or only job is usually less than 30 hours per week then he/she is considered to be part-time.

Unemployed persons are those who, during the reference week:

1. were without work, had looked for work in the past four weeks ending with the reference period and were available for work;
2. were on temporary layoff due to business conditions, with an expectation of recall, and were available for work;
3. were without work, but had a job to start within four weeks from the reference period and were available for work.

Persons in the civilian non-institutional population 15 years of age and over who, during the reference week, were neither employed nor unemployed are classified as not in the labour force.

The unemployment rate represents the number of unemployed persons expressed as a percentage of the labour force (employed and unemployed). The unemployment rate for a particular group (for example, age, sex, or marital status) is the number unemployed in that group expressed as a percentage of the labour force for that group.

The participation rate represents the total labour force expressed as a percentage of the population aged 15 years and over. The participation rate for a particular group (for example, women aged 25 years and over) is the labour force in that group expressed as a percentage of the population for that group.

The employment rate represents the number of employed persons expressed as a percentage of the population aged 15 years and over. The employment rate for a particular group (for example, age, sex, marital status, or province) is the number employed in that group expressed as a percentage of the population for that group.

The part-time rate represents the number of persons employed part-time expressed as a percentage of the employed. The part-time rate for a particular group (for example, age or sex) is the number of persons employed part-time in that group expressed as a percentage of the employed for that group.

All geographic regions are based on the 2011 Census boundaries.

Seasonal adjustment

Fluctuations in economic time series are caused by seasonal, cyclical and irregular movements. A seasonally adjusted series is one from which seasonal movements have been eliminated. Seasonal movements are defined as those which are caused by regular annual events such as climate, holidays, vacation periods and cycles related to crops, production and retail sales associated with Christmas and Easter. It should be noted that the seasonally adjusted series contain irregular as well as longer-term cyclical fluctuations.

The seasonally adjusted series are revised each year to take into account current data and to generate new forecast factors for the next twelve months. The data are therefore subject to slight revisions in future issues of this publication.

For more information on seasonal adjustment, see Seasonally adjusted data – Frequently asked questions.

Sampling variability of estimates

Estimates in this publication are based on the Labour Force Survey, a monthly survey of approximately 56,000 households across Canada. Because the entire population is not surveyed, the estimates are subject to sampling error. While the published estimate is the best available indicator of the real value, changes in the level of any estimates between two months can be the result of a true change, or sampling variability. The sampling error can be estimated by calculating the standard error for the published estimate or statistic. These standard errors have been included in the publication tables in order to assist users in interpreting the data. They are based on 12-month averages and are updated twice a year, in February and August.

Interpretation based on standard error

Approximately two-thirds (68%) of the time, a change greater than the sampling error indicates a real change. The larger the change compared to the standard error, the better the chance that we are observing a real change, as opposed to a change due to sampling variability. At the 95% confidence level, the change in the estimate must be greater than twice the standard error in order to ensure that change is real.

Movements in estimates that are smaller than the standard error are less likely to reflect a real change and more likely to be due to sampling variability. While the above is true for monthly movements, one can have more confidence in a series of consecutive movements in the same direction, even though some of the monthly movements may be smaller than the standard error.

Interpretation based on confidence intervals

Confidence intervals provide another way of looking at the variability inherent in estimates of sample surveys. To illustrate how to calculate the confidence interval, let us say that one month the published estimate for total employment rose by 16,000 to reach 18,000,000. The associated standard error for the movement estimate is 29,500. The standard error used to interpret the movement estimate indicates that:

• There are approximately two chances in three (68%) that the real value of the movement between the two months falls within the range -13,500 to +45,500 (16,000 + or – one standard error).
• There are approximately nine chances in ten (90%) that the real value of the movement between the two months falls within the range -31,200 to +63,200 (16,000 + or – 1.6 times the standard error).
• There are approximately nineteen chances in twenty (95%) that the real value of the movement between the two months falls within the range -43,000 to +75,000 (16,000 + or – two standard errors).

For more detailed explanations on the sampling variability of estimates, and in particular for information on how to assess the variability of level estimates, consult the Data quality section of the Guide to the Labour Force Survey (71-543-G).

Documentation

For more detailed information about the Labour Force Survey, see the following documents:

• Overview of the Labour Force Survey (LFS) 3701
• Guide to the Labour Force Survey (71-543-G)
• Methodology of the Canadian Labour Force Survey (71-526-X)
• LFS geographical maps

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