Ukraine - Unemployment

For Ukraine, ILO-definition labor force status (LFS) measures (labor force, employment, unemployment, and corresponding rates) for first-level subnational areas. Quarterly from 2008.

• Age scopes:
  • 15 and older
  • 15 to 70 years
  • Working age (male 15 to 59 years, female 15 to 55 years)
• Measurements:
  • Thousands of persons (#)
  • Percent (%)
• Cumulations:
  • Single-period
  • Year-to-date moving average (MA YTD)
• Adjustment: Not seasonally adjusted (NSA)
• Native frequency: Quarterly
• Start date: ...

Indicators of economic activity, employment and unemployment are based on data quarterly sample surveys conducted and monthly sample survey of the economic activity of the population conducted. 

The LFS methodology is consistent with the ILO and EU current methodology and definitions of the main indicators for economic activity of the population. Within the framework of the labor force concept, employment has priority over any other type of economic activity/inactivity.

1. Starting 2014, the data is presented excluding the temporarily occupied territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol.
2. Data on Lugansk and Donetsk regions can be refined.
3. Excluding the data for June 2014 from Slovyansk Municipal Employment Center of Donetsk region.
4. The data provided refer to enterprises and their independent divisions with 10 and more employees.
5. Data on Lugansk region not available.

The quarterly figures are a year-to-date moving average of monthly data. That is:

• Q1 = average over M1 to M3
• Q2 = average over M1 to M6
• Q3 = average over M1 to M9
• Q4 = average over M1 to M12

Definitions

The source writes:

Economically active population (labor force) - persons of age established to measure economic activities of population, which for the observed period are considered employed or unemployed. The number of the economically active population includes data on employed and unemployed based on the results of surveys on employment of population. The definition of the economically active population is carried out for people of 15-70 years old as follows.

The employed are persons aged 15-70 who:

• during the reference week were employed at least one hour
• to receive cash or in kind payment; they worked individually (self-employed) or were employed by other individuals or worked at their own (family) enterprise
• worked for free at enterprise or business that belongs to any member of household, were employed at private subsidiary agriculture in order to sell products produced as a results of this activity
• persons who were temporally absent from work, i.e. were formally attached to a work place, had their own enterprise (business) or did not work during the reference period due to the reasons beyond their control

The employed population does not include the persons who perform unpaid civil or voluntary work and the persons who are engaged in household chores only.

The voluntary activity is the uneconomic type of activity and has the three specific features: a) it should not be paid for; b) it is done though one's own will, and freely as compared, for instance, to term military service; c) it is done for an organization, community or a person with whom exists no kinship beyond one's own household. 

Persons of working age include women aged 15-54 years and men aged 15-59. In connection with the implementation of the law on pension reform the working age population since 2012 includes women aged 55 years.

Employed in the economy are persons who in the reference period were involved in paid jobs as well as in income related self-employment either with the participation of hired employees or without any hired employees. The employed comprise persons who are temporarily out of their work, non-paid family workers as well as those in households who engaged in goods and services production for sale.

The unemployed population is made up of persons above specified age who are available to, but did not, furnish the supply of labor for the production of goods and services.

Starting 2014, the source presents the data excluding the occupied territories of Crimea and Sevastopol. Data on Lugansk and Donetsk regions can be refined.

Through 2018, the source published under two age-scopes, "working age" and "15 to 70 years". Starting 2019, the source added a third scope, "15 years and older".

Further reading

At the IMF (SDDS):

• Labor market: Employment