Measuring Sustainable Agriculture Indicators Cancun, 2 – 4 November, 2004

1. MEASUREMENT OF RURAL LABOUR FORCE IN POLANDbyWitkowski JanuszCENTRAL STATISTICAL OFFICE OF POLAND Measuring Sustainable Agriculture Indicators Cancun, 2 – 4 November, 2004

2. RURAL LABOUR MARKET ASAN IMPORTANT COMPONENT OF THE NATIONAL LABOUR MARKET • characteristic features of the present situation in the Polish labour market • importance of the rural labour market

3. DESIRABLE SCOPE OF ANALYSIS OF THE RURAL LABOUR MARKET • size of the labour supply • structural features of the active population: • sex and age • professional and qualification characteristics • territorial diversification • demand for the labour in rural areas • number of the offered vacancies (jobs) • jobs in agriculture and outside agriculture • desirable qualifications for the offered jobs

4. POPULATION CENSUSES AS A FUNDAMENTAL SOURCE OF DATA ON RURAL LABOUR MARKET • opportunity to distinguish 3 categories of population: the employed, unemployed and inactive • details of demographic, professional and social characteristic features of the employed and unemployed • detailed data on the population working in private farms • official and hidden unemployment • spatial approach in any cross-section

5. DUAL CHARACTER OF THE LABOUR MARKET IN RURAL AREAS – AGRICULTURAL AND NON-AGRARIAN POPULATION

8. In rural areas we observe considerable separate features in the situation of agricultural and non-agrarian population in the labour market. This first group is characterized by a higher level of economic activity, mainly because of a higher involvement of post-working age and working non-mobile age population in work process and population with at least primary education (higher employment levels). On the other hand, non-agrarian population is characterized by a high unemployment level, considerably higher than that of the agricultural population, but also considerably higher than that of the urban population. Situation of the non-agrarian population in the labour market is, therefore, particularly difficult but the youth and population with low education levels are in the most difficult situation.

9. PROBLEM OF MEASURING THE NUMBER OF THE EMPLOYED AND UNEMPLOYED IN PRIVATE FARMS • present number of the employed • changes in the years 1996-2002 • factors determining the changes (real or statistical situation) • hidden unemployment in agriculture

10. THE NEED FOR CURRENT MONITORING OF THE RURAL LABOUR MARKET • LFS – basic source of data on the rural labour market? • opportunity to separate the agricultural and non-agrarian population • 3 categories of population distinguished according to the same methodology • opportunity for a wide analysis of the demographic and occupational structure of population • quarterly frequency of data since 1992 • limited opportunities for the spatial analysis • other data sources: • current employment statistics (persons employed outside agriculture) • Farm Structure Survey – for the employed in agriculture • Unemployment registered for the limited number of the rural population

11. THE NEED FOR THE EXTENSION OF ASSESSMENTS WITH THE USE OF SEVERAL DATA SOURCES • integration of data from population censuses with LFS and FSS • wider use of small area statistics

12. Thank you very much for your kind attention!