Timor-Leste Labour Force Survey 2021 - Summary Report
▶Timor-Leste Labour Force Survey 2021 - Summary Report
cent compared to 24.2 per cent, respectively). By locality, Region 3 has the highest proportion of services
employment (74.9 per cent) while Region 4 had the largest share of agricultural employment (54.2 per cent).
Almost half (48.5 per cent) of total employment was classified as wage employment, while 50.3 per cent
was self-employment as either an own-account worker or a contributing family worker. Women compared
to men were more likely to be self-employed and less likely to be in wage employment, indicating stark
gender inequalities to the detriment of women in accessing more secure and stable employment as wage
earners. Across the five regions, the share of wage employment in total employment lagged behind the
national average in Region 1 (42.7 per cent) and Region 4 (29.9 per cent). In addition, more than two-thirds
(68.7 per cent) of all employment in Region 4 was self-employment comprised of own-account workers
and contributing family workers.
The share of informal employment - defined in the LFS 2021 as comprising own-account workers, owner
of informal sector enterprises, all contributing family workers, as well as employees without access
to basic social security benefits or without both paid and sick leave benefits - is a key indicator of the
quality of employment. In Timor-Leste, informal employment in 2021 accounted for 77.3 per cent of all
employment (see Figure 2). The informal employment rate was distinctly higher for working women
(80.4 per cent) compared to working men (75.3 per cent). Likewise, the share of informal employment
in three of the five regions exceeded the national average: Region 1 (78.5 per cent), Region 2 (78.3 per
cent) and Region 4 (84.9 per cent).
Figure 2. Informal employment rate by sex and region, 2021 (per cent)
90
60
30
Total
Male
Female
1
2
3
4
5
Sex
Region
Source: Timor-Leste Labour Force Survey 2021.
Average wages of salaried employees in Timor-Leste in 2021 was US$252 per month. A gender pay gap is
prevalent, with women (US$240) earning on average around 6.6 per cent less than men (US$257) overall.
Across the major occupation groups, the largest male-female disparity in wages was evident among
craft and related trades workers (40.4 per cent), managers (38.5 per cent) and technicians and associate
professionals (28.4 per cent). Likewise, based on the sector of economic activity, the gender pay gap
amounted to 36.5 per cent in agriculture, 17.3 per cent in education and 14.4 per cent in wholesale andView entire presentation