2.1 Definition

A. Employment refers to individuals who have done any paid work at a job or business either as an employee or under self-employment (Statistics Canada). The employed may also be temporarily absent from work due to illness, strikes, vacation, etc. (Statistics Canada).²  Those who are unemployed may not be looking for work because they are unable to work, or because they are not looking for work (e.g., retired or on leave).

B. Employment categories include full-time, part-time, unemployed, on leave, and permanent/temporary/contract.³

2.2 Considerations and Limitations

Employment can be useful to understand:

• Whether a person has a source of income.
• In aggregate, knowing about employment of clients can demonstrate community needs in the services organizations provide.
• Trends in sectors to understand economic ebbs and flows.⁴
• Populations that may or may not be eligible for government supports.⁵
• Unemployment rates of industries.⁶
• Quality of work available to employees.

Employment cannot be used to understand:

• Whether the amount of work is sustainable, stable, and sufficient to meet basic financial needs.⁷
• Details about household income as that can be important for example, for determining eligibility for programs for children and youth, or when an agency needs to consider household income and number of people in household, e.g., when calculating low-income cut-offs.⁸
• A person’s work history, education attained, or employment goals. 
• Soft skills not gained from work experiences.⁹
• Additional skills or training needed.

Additional Considerations:

• Whether to ask at all? Is it relevant to the supports that agencies are providing to clients?
• People may be unable to work for various reasons such as being a full-time student or full-time unpaid caregiver, or having a disability, being on leave (e.g., for medical reasons), or they are unable to work in Canada.
• People may not be looking for work because they are retired (over 65 years) and not willing to seek work, they may not be retired and are aren’t willing to seek work (65 and under), or individuals may be on income supports (AISH, disability insurance, etc.), or be on parental leave.
• Language barriers and cultural considerations may impact employment options.^{10, 11}

2.3 Suggested Collection Methods

The minimum suggested data collection method, or “basic” option reflects a synthesis of practices, considerations from nonprofit stakeholders, and recognized standards in capturing demographic data. The suggested method is modeled after what might be asked on an intake form during an initial meeting with a client. The process by which intake or registration occurs can vary widely depending on the context within which you are working. For example, the way questions are asked and data are recorded will vary for clients in crises, as compared to walk-in or drop-in sessions, or when registering for a program that requires people to meet certain eligibility requirements. In those cases, the suggested collection method can be used as a starting point but adapted to fit the needs of the context within which the data are being collected.

As a standard practice we suggest always including an option for people to write in an answer that may not fit within the options provided, along with an option not to answer. These are both important for creating inclusive demographic questions.^{1, 12, 13}

2.3.1 Basic Question(s)