Timor-Leste Labour Force Survey 2021 - Summary Report
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▶Timor-Leste Labour Force Survey 2021 - Summary Report
By age
Male
Female
Total
15-24
25-64
65+
7.4
12.4
9.6
4.5
5.2
4.7
1.4
3.5
2.3
By disability status
Without any disability
4.4
5.9
5.0
With disability
30.2
3.1
20.7
Composite rate of labour underutilization (%)
25.8
33.3
28.9
Informal employment rate (%)
75.3
80.4
77.3
Average monthly wage (US$)
256.7
239.8
252.2
Source: Timor-Leste Labour Force Survey 2021.
Background
The 2021 Timor-Leste Labour Force Survey (LFS) was conducted by the General Directorate of Statistics
(GDS), Ministry of Finance. The main objective of the LFS was to collect, analyze and disseminate statistical
information on the labour force in order to support evidence-based policy and programme formulation
and monitoring. Specifically, the LFS provides detailed information disaggregated by sex, age and region
on the economic characteristics of the working-age population, including employment, wages and
earnings, hours of work, labour underutilization, and economic inactivity.
The LFS 2021 is the third full stand-alone LFS carried out in Timor-Leste since the country's independence
in 2002. The first LFS was conducted in 2010 and the second was conducted in 2013. In 2016 a mini
labour force analysis was produced with data generated from the 2016 child labour survey. The LFS
2021 was carried out by GDS, in close collaboration with the Secretariat of State for Vocational Training
and Employment (SEFOPE), and data collection was conducted for about two months from October to
November 2021, covering a representative sample of 7,275 households.
Labour force
The results of the Labour Force Survey in 2021 reveal that the working-age population aged 15 years and
above in Timor-Leste was 809.3 thousand, with slightly more women (405.8 thousand) than men (403.6
thousand). Young persons aged 15-24 years and elderly persons aged 65 years and above accounted
respectively for 271.2 thousand (33.5 per cent) and 65.1 thousand (8 per cent) of the total working-age
population.
The labour force totalled 247 thousand, comprising of 98.1 thousand women and 148.9 thousand men
that were either employed or unemployed. Overall, the labour force participation rate was 30.5 per cent,
with a sharp disparity by sex (see Figure 1). The labour force participation rate for women (24.2 per cent)
lagged that for men (36.9 per cent) by 12.7 percentage points. By region, the labour force participation
rate at 26.3 per cent was the lowest in Region 2 and highest at 42.1 per cent in Region 4. In addition to
Region 2, Region 1 (27.6 per cent) and Region 3 (29 per cent) also had a labour force participation rate
below the national average.View entire presentation