Colombia - Total Employment

In the publication "Principales Indicadores del Mercado Laboral," Colombia's National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE) releases monthly labor force status, employment by industry level, and employment by industry share; for the country, a composite of 13 major cities, the national capital region, and the national capital district.

Data are collected by a monthly survey, Gran Encuesta Integrada de Hogares (GEIH).

Labor force status

Active:

• Benchmark: Census 2018
• Measurements:
  • Thousands of persons (Ths. #)
  • Percent (%)
• Cumulations:
  • None
  • 3-month moving average (3-mo MA)
• Adjustment: Not seasonally adjusted (NSA)
• Native frequency: Monthly
• Start dates:
  • 2001m1
  • 2021m3 for formal and informal employment
• Geo coverage:
  • Country
  • Capital region (ICOL_BO)
  • 13-city aggregate (ICOL_M13A)

Predecessors:

• Benchmarked to Census 2005, monthly - As early as 2000m1 to 2021m12 ("_05")
• Quarterly - 1976Q1 to 2000Q4 ("_00")

Employment by industry

Active:

• Benchmark: Census 2018
• Industry classification: A*10 aggregation of CIIU Rev 4, the localization of ISIC Rev. 4.
• Measurement: Thousands of persons (Ths. #)
• Cumulation: 3-month moving average (3-mo MA)
• Adjustment: Not seasonally adjusted (NSA)
• Native frequency: Monthly
• Start date: 2015m3
• Geo coverage:
  • Country
  • Bogotá region (ICOL_BO)
  • Bogotá Distrito Capital (ICOL_BOG)

Predecessors:

• CIIU 3 - 2001 to 2019 ("_I3")
• 1996 to 2000 ("_00")

Employment share by industry

Properties for all vintages:

• Measurement: Percent (%)
• Adjustment: Not applicable
• Native frequency: Annual

Predecessors:

• Benchmarked to Census 2005, annual - 2002 to 2018 ("_05")
• Annual - 1958 or 1991 to 2011 ("_11")

Encuesta Nacional de Hogares (ENH)

Gran Encuesta Integrada de Hogares (GEIH)

DANE conducts the Continuous Household Survey (ECH) on labor force, income, and expenditure to produce demographic and socio-economic statistics. The survey samples more than 44,000 households in 13 cities and municipal townships. 

In December 2005, new questions were added to the survey for a more complete analysis of a single household. Continuity and comparability was maintained with the adjustment in methodology. 

DANE uses standards set by the International Labour Organization (ILO) to define population classifications.

• Economically Active Population or Labor Force (EAP): Individuals who are of working age that are either working or looking for a job during the reference week.
• Employed (E): Individuals who either worked at least one paid hour, was on a temporary leave, unpaid family workers who worked at least one hour in the reference week. 
• Unemployed (U): Individuals categorized in one of the following situations during the reference week: (1) Visible Unemployment (VU) or Invisible Unemployment (IU). 
• Economically Inactive Population (EIP): Individuals who are of working age, but did not participate in the production of goods or services during the reference week. Groups of people are students, home-makers, pensioners, retired persons, disabled, or those or are not interested in working. All others are considered to be the working-age population (WAP). 

The reference week is the week prior to the one when the survey is conducted. It is a complete calendar week from Monday to Sunday.  

The source reports select variables for a 13-city/metro area aggregate (geo code ICOL_M13A) which comprises: Bogotá, Medellín, Valle de Aburrá, e de Aburrá, Cali, Yumbo, Barranquilla , Soledad, Bucaramanga, Floridablanca, Girón, Piedecuesta, Manizales, Villamaría, Pasto, Pereira, Dosquebradas, La Virginia, Ibagué, Cúcuta, Villa del Rosario, Los Patios, El Zulia, Villavicencio, Montería, and Cartagena.

The study titled "Informal Employment and Social Security" offers an analysis of the workforce, focusing on key indicators of informal employment, including company size and enrollment in health and pension social security systems. It provides quarterly findings at the national level, across 13 cities and metropolitan regions, and within 23 principal cities.

Moody's Analytics supplements

We produce SA counterparts for: monthly labor force, for the total-country and 13-city geos. Monthly and quarterly labor force and unemployment rate for the capital.

Yes.

In 2022, the monthly LFS results were benchmarked to CNPV 2018. This was the first national census since 2005.

Further reading

At the source:

• GEIH methodology (Dec 2009, pdf)
• GEIH methodology (Mar 2013, pdf)
• El DANE actualizó la Gran Encuesta Integrada de Hogares (GEIH) con el marco muestral del Censo Nacional de Población y Vivienda 2018 (Feb 2022, pdf)
• Mercado laboral: Empleo y desempleo
• Censo general 2005
• Censo Nacional de Población y Vivienda 2018
• Data benchmarked to CNPV 2018 results (Excel)

At IMF (SDDS):

• Labor market: Employment (Jan 2025)

At Wikipedia:

• Summary table of Censos de Colombia (Spanish)

• Sep 2005 - Initial version.
• Aug 2012 - Addendum of SA supplements.
• Jul 2014 - Addendum of employment level by industry.
• Feb 2020 - Addendum of LFS in Bogota.
• Feb 2020 - Addendum of employment share by industry.
• Feb 2020 - Addendum of employment level in Bogota.
• Oct 2020 - Addendum of SA supplements in Bogota.
• 11 Nov 2024, Phillip Thorne - Addendum of formal and informal employment: Properties, Further reading.
• 16 Jul 2025, Phillip Thorne - Addendum of participation rate.