Statistics concerning the economically active population: An overview

Abstract

This issue of the Demographic Yearbook features the economically active population as its special topic. The previ ous issues which dealt with this special topic are those of 1979, 1972, 1964, 1956 and 1948. Data on the economically active population serve a variety of purposes in both developed and developing countries. Principally, the data are needed to assess national human resources and their skills for the production of economic goods and services, and to study the demographic and other factors that affect the growth of the labour force. Also, the data are useful to estimate labour supply in future years including its age—sex composition and distribution by urban/rural regions. Further, the data indicate the extent of unutilized human resources that must be absorbed by the economy to ensure full employment and economic well-being of all people and families. Additional uses, for example, are in computing national income, labour productivity and other key economic indicators as well as in formulating policies regarding unemployment, vocational training and guidance, human resource development and so on.