{"doc_desc":{"title":"UGA-UBOS-NLFS-2021-v01.xml","idno":"DDI-UGA-UBOS-NLFS-2021-v01"},"study_desc":{"title_statement":{"idno":"DDI-UGA-UBOS-NLFS-2021-v01","title":"National Labor Force Survey 2021"},"authoring_entity":[{"name":"Uganda Bureau of Statistics","affiliation":"Ministry of Finance Planning and Economic Developement"}],"production_statement":{"producers":[{"name":"Uganda Bureau of Statistics","affiliation":"MoFPED","role":"Funding the survey"},{"name":"International Labour Organisation","affiliation":"","role":""}]},"study_info":{"abstract":"he National Labour Force Survey (NLFS) 2021 was conducted by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) as the third in a series of stand-alone labour force surveys, following editions in 2011\/12 and 2016\/17. Its primary purpose was to generate updated labour market indicators to support evidence-based policymaking and monitor employment trends across Uganda. The survey covered a nationally representative random sample of 11,000 households across 15 sub-regions, using a multi-stage cluster sampling design aligned with the resolutions of the 20th International Conference of Labour Statisticians (ICLS). It achieved a 95% response rate.\n\nUganda's total population was estimated at approximately 43 million, with a working-age population (14\u201364 years) of 23.5 million. Of these, 20.5 million were working, predominantly in agriculture, forestry, and fishing. The Labour Force Participation Rate stood at 48% (58% male, 39% female), and the Employment-to-Population Ratio was 43%. The unemployment rate was 12%, with long-term unemployment accounting for 47% of all unemployed persons. The composite measure of labour underutilisation reached 42% (6.6 million people).\nInformality was pervasive \u2014 nearly 88% of employed persons outside agriculture were in informal employment. The median monthly cash earnings for paid workers were UGX 200,000. Youth (18\u201330 years) faced particular challenges, with a 17% unemployment rate and 41% classified as NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training). Child labour was a significant concern, with 40% of children aged 5\u201317 years engaged in child labour (excluding household chores). The survey also covered unpaid care work, subsistence agriculture, older persons' activities, and youth transitions to employment, providing a comprehensive picture of Uganda's labour market landscape.","nation":[{"name":"Uganda","abbreviation":"UGA"}],"geog_coverage":"The NLFS 2021 had the following geographic coverage:\n\nNational Scope\nThe survey covered the entire country of Uganda, designed to be nationally representative of the population living in Uganda at the time.\n\nSub-national Breakdown\nThe country was divided into 15 sub-regions (strata), which served as the primary domains for generating estimates. Results were also disaggregated at 4 regional levels and for urban and rural areas separately. The major regional cities were also specifically catered for in the sample design.\nSampling Frame\nThe enumeration areas (EAs) used in the survey were drawn from the 2014 National Population and Housing Census frame. In the first stage of the multi-stage cluster sampling design, EAs were selected across all sub-regions; in the second stage, ten households were selected within each EA.","analysis_unit":"Primary Units of Analysis\n\nIndividuals\/Persons \u2014 This was the main unit of analysis for labour market indicators. Specifically, the survey focused on persons aged 14\u201364 years (Uganda's working age population) for employment-related measures, though some modules extended to different age groups.\n\nOther Units of Analysis by Age Group\n\nChildren aged 5\u201317 years \u2014 used for analysis of child labour and children's activities\nYouth aged 18\u201330 years \u2014 used for youth employment, NEET status, and transition to employment analysis\nOlder persons (65+ years) \u2014 used for analysis of older persons' activities and labour participation\nPersons aged 10 years and above \u2014 used for education attainment, marital status, and access to financial services\nPersons aged 5 years and above \u2014 used for unpaid work analysis\n\nSecondary Unit of Analysis\n\nHouseholds \u2014 used for socio-demographic background characteristics such as household size, headship, main source of income, and perceived financial situation. The sample itself was drawn from 11,000 households across the country.","universe":"The universe of the NLFS 2021 was the civilian, non-institutional household population of Uganda residing within the country's 135 districts and 11 cities as of July 2020. The survey explicitly excluded persons living in institutions (such as military barracks, prisons, hospitals, and boarding schools) and other special areas.\n\nGeographic Boundary\nThe population was restricted to persons residing within the sovereign territory of Uganda, covering both rural and urban areas across all 15 statistical sub-regions.\n\nNationality\nWhile the survey covered all household residents regardless of nationality, the population was overwhelmingly Ugandan - 99.4% were Ugandan nationals, with less than 1% being non-Ugandans (such as refugees and migrants).\n\nAge Boundaries\nThe universe was defined differently depending on the module of analysis:\n\n5 years and above - the broadest eligible age group for individual interviews; used for unpaid work, schooling status, ICT access, and children's activities\n10 years and above - used for education attainment, marital status, financial inclusion, and access to information\n14-64 years - Uganda's defined working age population, the primary universe for all core labour market indicators (employment, unemployment, labour underutilisation)\n15 years and above - used for internationally comparable labour market indicators aligned with ILO standards\n18-30 years - Uganda's defined youth population, used for youth employment and NEET analysis\n5-17 years - used for child labour analysis\n65 years and above - used for older persons' labour force participation analysis\n\nSex\nBoth male and female persons were included, with results disaggregated by sex throughout the report.\nResidence\nBoth rural and urban residents were included, with residence being a key dimension of disaggregation."},"method":{"data_collection":{"time_method":"Type of Survey\nThe NLFS 2021 was a cross-sectional survey \u2014 data was collected at a single point in time (or over a defined period) to provide a snapshot of Uganda's labour market situation in 2021. It was not a panel or longitudinal survey.\n\nReference Period\nThe survey used a short reference period of one week (7 days) preceding the date of interview as the standard timeframe for measuring labour force status. This means a respondent's employment, unemployment, or inactivity status was determined based on their activities during the 7 days immediately before the interview date. This is consistent with ILO and 20th ICLS recommendations for labour force measurement.\n\nData Collection Period\nThe actual fieldwork spanned six months, from June to December 2021, broken down as follows:\n\nJune 2021 \u2014 data collection commenced\n18th June to 30th July 2021 \u2014 data collection was interrupted due to a COVID-19 related national lockdown imposed by the Ugandan government\nAugust 2021 \u2014 data collection resumed after the lockdown was lifted\nDecember 2021 \u2014 data collection was concluded\n\nSo in practice, active data collection took place over approximately four months (June, then August through December 2021), with a roughly two-month gap due to the pandemic-related lockdown.\n\nListing Exercise\nPrior to the main data collection, a listing exercise was carried out where sixteen listing teams updated the number of households within sampled Enumeration Areas (EAs). This was done to capture new households that had emerged after the 2014 National Population and Housing Census, and to get current names of household heads.\n\nPre-test Period\nBefore the main fieldwork, a pre-test was conducted over a period of five days in selected EAs in Kayunga and Mukono Districts (outside the final sample) to test and refine the questionnaire.\nTraining Period\nField staff training was conducted for a period of fourteen days prior to deployment, using a non-residential, mixed-methods approach.","sampling_procedure":"Type of Sample \nThe NLFS 2021 used a probability-based random sample, meaning every household in Uganda had a known, non-zero chance of being selected. The sample was designed to be nationally representative of the civilian, non-institutional household population of Uganda.\n\nSample Design The survey followed a stratified two-stage cluster sampling design, structured as follows:\n\nStage 1 \u2014 Stratification (Explicit and Implicit) The country was first divided into 15 strata (sub-regions), referred to as explicit stratification. These sub-regions served as the primary domains for generating estimates. Within each explicit stratum, the Primary Sampling Units (PSUs) were further sorted geographically, which constituted implicit stratification. The 15 sub-regions used were:\n\nKampala\nBuganda South\nBuganda North\nBusoga\nBukedi\nElgon\nTeso\nLango\nAcholi\nKaramoja\nWest Nile\nBunyoro\nTooro\nAnkole\nKigezi\n\nEach sub-region was further disaggregated into rural and urban domains, and regional cities were specifically catered for in the design.\n\nStage 2 \u2014 First Stage Selection (PSU\/EA Level) Within each stratum, Enumeration Areas (EAs) were selected as the Primary Sampling Units (PSUs). A total of 1,100 EAs were targeted across the country, allocated across the 15 sub-regions as follows:\n\nSub-region\tRural EAs\tUrban EAs\tTotal EAs\nAcholi\t43\t19\t62\nAnkole\t54\t36\t90\nBukedi\t50\t10\t60\nBunyoro\t51\t19\t70\nBusoga\t67\t24\t91\nElgon\t59\t14\t73\nKampala\t\u2014\t60\t60\nKaramoja\t43\t7\t50\nKigezi\t39\t11\t50\nLango\t53\t7\t60\nNorth Buganda\t62\t33\t95\nSouth Buganda\t48\t56\t104\nTeso\t56\t11\t67\nTooro\t61\t19\t80\nWest Nile\t70\t18\t88\nNational\t756\t344\t1,100\nThe EAs were drawn from a sampling frame based on the 2014 National Population and Housing Census (NPHC), updated through a listing exercise conducted prior to the main survey to capture new households formed after the census.\n\nStage 3 \u2014 Second Stage Selection (Household Level) Within each selected EA, 10 households were systematically selected, giving a total target sample of 11,000 households nationally (1,100 EAs \u00d7 10 households per EA).\n\nIndividual Respondents Within each selected household, all household members aged 5 years and above were eligible for individual interview, making the individual selection essentially a complete enumeration within selected households rather than a sub-sample.\n\nTarget Sample Size\n\nEAs targeted: 1,100\nHouseholds targeted: 11,000\nHouseholds successfully completed: 8,668 (95% response rate)\nIndividual interviews completed: 39,522 (99% response rate)\nSampling Fraction and Precision The sample size was determined by balancing several factors including:\n\nThe accuracy required for estimates at each domain level\nAvailable resources and operational constraints\nThe need to control both sampling error (measurable through variance estimation) and non-sampling error (from response errors, coding errors, data entry errors, etc.)\nThe sample was specifically designed to produce reliable estimates at four levels of disaggregation:\n\nNational level\nUrban\/rural residence\n15 sub-regions\nRegional cities\nLimitation A noted limitation of the design was that the sample size was insufficient to generate district-level estimates \u2014 disaggregation was only reliable up to the 15 sub-regional groupings. Additionally, the 2014 NPHC sampling frame was considered inadequate to fully capture statistics on labour migration (inflows and outflows).\n\nIn summary, the NLFS 2021 employed a stratified two-stage cluster sampling design with 15 explicit strata, 1,100 EAs as PSUs, and 10 households per EA, targeting a total sample of 11,000 households \u2014 large enough to generate reliable estimates down to the sub-regional and city level across Uganda.","coll_mode":["Mode of Data Collection\n\nThe primary method of data collection was face-to-face interviews conducted by trained field enumerators visiting sampled households in person. The interviews were administered using Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI) technology, replacing the traditional paper-based data collection approach."],"weight":"The NLFS 2021 applied sampling weights to all statistical estimates to account for the complex stratified cluster sampling design used. The report makes consistent reference to weighted and unweighted figures throughout, confirming that weights were applied to produce population-representative estimates.\nWhy Weights Were Necessary\nWeights were necessary for three main reasons arising from the survey design:\n\nUnequal probability of selection \u2014 the stratified design with 15 sub-regions and differential EA allocations (e.g., Kampala had 60 EAs versus Karamoja's 50) meant different households had different probabilities of being selected\nNon-response adjustment \u2014 the household response rate of 95% and individual response rate of 99% meant some sampled units did not respond, requiring adjustment to avoid bias\nPopulation representation \u2014 to enable the sample of 8,668 completed households and 39,522 individual interviews to produce estimates that correctly represent Uganda's total population of approximately 43 million people\n\nEvidence of Weighting Applied\nThe report explicitly distinguishes between weighted and unweighted figures. The response rate tables (Tables 1.2 and 1.3) are explicitly labelled (un-weighted), while all substantive statistical tables throughout the report present weighted population estimates. For example, the survey's weighted estimate of the national population was 42,885,900 compared to the unweighted sample of 47,690 individuals \u2014 confirming the application of expansion\/inflation factors to project sample figures to population-level estimates.\n\n\nPrecision of Weighted Estimates\nThe survey errors appendix also reports Standard Errors (SE), Relative Errors (Coefficient of Variation\/CV), and 95% Confidence Intervals for all key weighted estimates, for example:\n\nNational population: 42,885,900 \u00b1 2,279,700 (CV = 5.3%; 95% CI: 38.4M\u201347.4M)\nWorking age population: 23,493,896 \u00b1 1,239,120 (CV = 5.3%; 95% CI: 21.1M\u201325.9M)\nUnemployment rate: 0.119 \u00b1 0.005 (CV = 3.8%; 95% CI: 11.1%\u201312.8%)\nLFPR: 0.483 \u00b1 0.009 (CV = 1.9%; 95% CI: 46.5%\u201350.2%)\n\nLimitation on Weighting Formula\n\nWhile the report confirms that weights were applied and reports their effect through design effects and standard errors, it does not explicitly publish the full weighting formula or the step-by-step calculation of the sampling weights in the main report. The specific mathematical formula for the weight coefficient \u2014 including the base weight (inverse of selection probability), non-response adjustment factor, and any post-stratification\/calibration factors \u2014 is not detailed in this main report. Such technical details would typically be contained in a separate technical report or methodology annex not included in this main report document.\nIn summary, the NLFS 2021 used probability-based sampling weights to produce population-representative estimates, necessitated by the stratified cluster design and differential sampling fractions across sub-regions. The weights effectively inflated the sample of ~39,500 interviewed individuals to represent Uganda's population of ~43 million. Design effects ranging from approximately 1.0 to 21.0 across different indicators confirm the significant role of weighting and design-based estimation in producing accurate, unbiased national and sub-national statistics."}}}}