INTRODUCTION
1. The labour force is conceptually equivalent to the supply of labour for economic production. It is a measure of the economically active population, and the underlying concept of economic activity is compatible with that used in the United Nations System of National Accounts.
2. The labour force framework classifies the in-scope population into three mutually exclusive categories as at a given moment in time: employed; unemployed and not in the labour force. The employed and unemployed categories together make up the labour force which gives a measure of the number of persons contributing to, or willing to contribute to, the supply of labour at that time (the currently economically active population). The third category (not in the labour force) represents the currently inactive population.
3. Labour force concepts and definitions used by the ABS align closely with the standards and guidelines as defined by the International Labour Organisation, (ILO). The Australian labour force framework is detailed in Labour Statistics: Concepts Sources and Methods (cat.no. 6102.0). The scope of the Labour Force Survey and key concepts measured by the survey are outlined below.
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