Labor market indicators

The labor market is usually described by a series of indicators. Among them:

The active population  
In accordance with the international definition adopted in 1982 by the International Labour Office (ILO), the active population includes the employed active population and the unemployed.  

The rest of the population aged 15 or older constitutes the so-called "inactive" population, that is, people who are not working and not actively seeking employment.

The employed active population  
It includes people who, having passed a specified age, provide labor for the production of goods and services. It therefore encompasses all people who have performed work for a wage or profit during a reference period.  

The year-to-year percentage change in the total number of employed persons within a country's economic territory is measured by an indicator called "employment growth."  

The unemployed population  
According to the International Labour Office (ILO), an unemployed person is a person of working age (15 years or older) who simultaneously meets three conditions:  

- being without employment, that is, not having worked at least one hour during a reference week;  

- being available to take up employment within 15 days;  

- having actively sought employment in the previous month or having found a job that starts within less than three months.  

The unemployment rate represents the percentage of unemployed persons within the active population.