Labor Force Sample Survey (LFSS) (1988)

Description

The LFSS is the main source of a series of data on employment in Egypt. Prior to 1977, the LFSS was undertaken annually. However realizing the importance of following up changes in employment conditions on shorter time intervals, CAPMAS started in 1987 undertaking the LFSS quarterly until 1993; then conducted twice per year.

The October 1988 round of the LFSS was redesigned to extend and deepen the measurement of employment conditions at a high level of quality.

Collaborating institutions

Central Agency of Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS)

For more details

Objectives of the Study

The LFSS focused on employment conditions including:

  • Basic Characteristics
  • Employment Characteristics
  • Labor mobility
  • Agricultural labor occasionally employed in construction
  • Employment of women
  • Employment of children
  • Characteristics of the economic unit of employment
  • Earnings
  • Return migrants

Survey Design and Implementation

A multi-stage stratified random of 10,000 housing units was designed on the basis of the samples of two rounds of the CAPMAS LFSS master- sample.

Urban areas were divided into seven substrata and rural areas into three.

The primary sampling unit (PSU) was an area segment consisting of about 1000 housing units in urban areas and 500 housing units in rural areas.

In the first stage of sampling, 150 urban segments and 100 rural segments were selected at random, with probabilities proportional to size across substrata. Forty housing units were selected at random from a recently updated list in the selected area segments.

In effect then, urban housing units were selected with a probability larger than that of rural housing units. It is to be noted, however, that rural housing units have, on average, a large number of households than their urban counterparts.

This difference in the probability of selection was meant to allow for greater heterogeneity in employment characteristics, as well as higher rates of non-response in urban areas. The weighting scheme for the survey results was designed to correct for the difference.

In addition to correcting for differences in the probability of selection among the strata of the sample and discrepancies in response rates among PSUs, the weighting scheme allowed for a bias in the selection of HHs in rural PSUs which over-represented hamlets, compared to mother villages. This bias was detected during the field operation.

Data Collection

Data collection of the survey extended for two months, October-November 1988.

Summary of Findings

Prevalence of child labor

Proportional distribution of working children (6-14 years) by age group and sex
  Age
6-11 12-14 6-14
Male 49.7 56.8 53.8
Female 50.3 43.2 46.2
Total 100 100 100
Total no. of working children in the sample 531 778 1309

Data from Labor Force Sample Survey (LFSS) (1988) 

Proportional distribution of working children (6-14 years) by age group and urban/rural location
 

Age
6-11 12-14 6-14
Urban 11.7 16.3 14.4
Rural 88.3 83.7 85.6
Total 100 100 100
Total no. of working children in the sample 531 778 1309

Data from Labor Force Sample Survey (LFSS) (1988)  

Proportional distribution of working children (6-14 years) by sex and urban/rural location
  Urban Rural All Egypt
Male 69.5 52.1 53.8
Female 30.5 47.9 46.2
Total 100 100 100
Total no. of working children in the sample 189 1120 1309

Data from Labor Force Sample Survey (LFSS) (1988)  

Proportional distribution of paid working children (6-14 years) by age group, urban/rural location, and sex
  Urban Rural Total
M F Total M F Total M F Total
6-11 27.4 15.4 26.7 32.6 52.3 38.9 30.8 49.7 25.1
12-14 72.6 84.6 73.3 67.4 47.7 61.1 69.2 50.7 74.9
Total 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100
% distribution of paid working children 29.8 70.2 100.0
Total no. of paid working children in the sample 172 406 578

Data from Labor Force Sample Survey (LFSS) (1988)  

Proportional distribution of working children (6-14 years) by age group and economic activity
 

Age
6-11 12-14 6-14
Agriculture 86.1 72.1 77.8
Manufacturing 6.0 10.8 8.8
Construction 0.1 2.4 1.6
Trade 5.2 8.4 7.1
Services 2.6 6.2 4.7
Total 100 100 100
Total no. of working children in the sample 531 778 1309

Data from Labor Force Sample Survey (LFSS) (1988)  

Proportional distribution of working children (6-14 years) by urban/rural location and economic activity
  Urban Rural Egypt
Agriculture 26.3 86.5 77.8
Manufacturing 25.3 6.2 8.9
Construction 2.6 1.4 1.6
Trade 23.2 4.2 7.0
Services 22.6 1.7 4.7
Total 100 100 100
Total no. of working children in the sample 189 1120 1309

Data from Labor Force Sample Survey (LFSS) (1988)  

Proportional distribution of paid working children (6-14 years) by urban/rural location, sex, and economic activity
  Urban Rural Total
  M F Total M F Total M F Total
Agriculture 5.3 14.3 6.9 50.1 93.1 73.4 43.2 86.9 54.1
Manufacturing 43.1 35.7 42.6 18.5 3.8 13.8 27.4 6.2 22.1
Construction 5.7 0.0 5.2 9.1 0.8 6.4 7.8 0.7 6.0
Trade 15.2 14.3 15.1 2.5 1.5 2.2 7.1 2.1 5.9
Services 29.7 35.7 30.2 5.8 0.8 4.2 14.5 4.1 11.9
Total 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100

Data from Labor Force Sample Survey (LFSS) (1988)  

Proportional distribution of paid working children (6-14 years) who worked extra hours after 6 p.m., by sex and urban/rural location
 

% working extra hours after 6 p.m.

No. of extra hours worked after 6 p.m.
1 2 3 4+
Urban
M 50.4 20.9 38.1 19.0 22.0
F 48.8 16.9 49.0 0.0 33.1
Total 60.8 20.8 38.9 17.8 22.7
Rural
M 14.6 43.3 30.4 14.1 6.7
F 6.1 46.7 24.3 13.6 15.4
Total 11.3 44.1 29.7 18.1 8.1

Data from Labor Force Sample Survey (LFSS) (1988)  

Percent of working children (6-14 years) in the LFSS sample given rest time during work and its duration, by sex and urban/rural location
  % of working children given rest time during work Duration of rest time (in minutes)
<30 31-60 61-90 91-120 121-200 210+
Urban
Male 92.4 26.0 58.5 3.1 11.0 1.1 0.3
Female 85.0 11.5 52.7 0.0 35.8 0.0 0.0
Total 91.8 25.3 57.9 2.9 12.6 1.1 0.3
Rural
Male 92.0 21.3 69.0 2.5 7.2 0.0 0.0
Female 93.3 25.0 68.3 4.4 2.0 0.3 0.0
Total 92.4 23.0 68.5 3.1 5.3 0.1 0.0

Data from Labor Force Sample Survey (LFSS) (1988)  

Factors contributing to child labor

Proportional distribution of paid working children (6-14 years) who received and retained their wage personally, by sex and urban/rural location
  % of working children who received wage personally What portion the child retained for personal use
Kept all of their wage Kept half of their wage Kept a quarter of their wage Kept nothing
Urban
Male 92.7 39.9 16.0 18.6 25.5
Female 71.6 38.8 20.8 0.1 40.3
Total 91.3 39.7 16.3 17.4 26.5
Rural
Male 77.3 24.2 10.8 18.8 46.2
Female 61.4 13.3 6.1 13.1 67.5
Total 71.6 20.3 9.1 16.7 53.9

Data from Labor Force Sample Survey (LFSS) (1988)  

Proportional distribution of paid working children (6-14 years) by reason to work, by sex and urban/rural location
  Male Female Total Total
Urban Rural Urban Rural Urban Rural M F
Unwilling 69.3 59.3 75.0 50.0 70.8 57.4 63.6 53.8
Family desire 2.6 11.6 0.0 22.7 2.5 13.9 7.4 19.2
Increase family income 5.3 4.7 25.0 22.7 5.0 8.3 4.9 23.2
Own desire to work 15.6 20.9 0.0 4.6 15.0 17.6 18.5 3.8
Other 7.2 3.5 0.0 .0. 6.7 2.8 2.6 0.0
Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Data from Labor Force Sample Survey (LFSS) (1988)  

Education and child labor

Proportional distribution of working children (6-14 years) by age group and educational level
 

Age
6-11 12-14 6-14
Less than 10 years 45.8 0.0 18.6
Illiterate 32.0 62.5 40.7
Read & write 21.8 16.5 18.6
Less than Intermediate 0.4 21.0 12.6
Total 100.0 100.0 100.0
Total no. of working children in the sample 531 778 1309

Data from Labor Force Sample Survey (LFSS) (1988)  

Proportional distribution of working children (6-14 years) by urban/rural location and educational level
  Urban Rural Egypt
Less than 10 years 12.2 19.7 18.4
Illiterate 53.4 49.5 49.7
Read & write 20.6 18.3 19.3
Less than Intermediate 13.8 12.5 12.6
Total 100.0 100.0 100.0
Total no. of working children in the sample 189 1120 1309

Data from Labor Force Sample Survey (LFSS) (1988)  

Percentage distribution of paid working children (6-14 years) by educational status, sex, and urban/rural location
  Urban Rural
Male Female Total Male Female Total
Went to school and left 38.0 33.4 32.3 21.4 14.6 19.0
Currently in school 54.7 26.4 52.6 61.8 43.4 55.3
Never went to school 7.3 40.2 15.1 16.8 42.0 25.7
Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Data from Labor Force Sample Survey (LFSS) (1988)  


All images are copyrighted to Nassif Azmy
@ Social Research Center
Suggestions and Comments to: srchild@aucegypt.edu