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Working population

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Working population  (WORKING population)


A distinction is generally made between the working population1 or economically active population1 and the unoccupied population2 or economically inactive population2. Generally speaking, the working population consists of those individuals who take part in the production of economic goods and services, including unpaid family workers in an economic enterprise as well as persons who work for pay or profit. On occasions, however, only those pursuing a gainful occupation3 are included in the working population. Housewives4 engaged in unpaid domestic duties, students, retired workers, etc. are usually excluded. The members of the economically inactive population are sometimes referred to as dependants5 (358-1) in the sense that they subsist on the product of the working population. (See, however, the different sense of this term stated in para. 358). The ratio of the working population to the total population, usually computed with reference to a given sex-age group or other category, is called the activity rate5 or labour force participation rate6.

  • 1. The terms gainfully occupied population, gainful workers, labour force are often used as synonyms for working population and economically active population. These expressions are also used in another sense in accordance with the gainful worker concept or with the labour force concept (cf. para. 351).
  • 5. The ratio of the economically inactive population to the working population, or a similar ratio computed with respect to the male population only, may be called the dependancy ratio.


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