Lao Pdr Labour Force Survey 2017

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Ministry of Planning and Investment Lao Statistics Bureau

Survey Finding Report

LAO PDR LABOUR FORCE SURVEY 2017

June 2018

LAO PDR LABOR FORCE SURVEY 2017 (LFS 2017)

Laos Statistics Bureau (LSB)

June 2018

Contents

CONTENTS ...... I LIST OF TABLE ...... III LIST OF FIGURE...... VI FORWARD ...... VII

KEYS FINDING ...... 1

SUMMARY OF THE LFS 2017 RESULTS ...... 3

DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS ...... 3 ECONOMIC ACTIVITY ...... 3 EMPLOYMENT ...... 3 WAGES AND WORKING CONDITIONS ...... 4 LABOR UNDERUTILIZATION ...... 4 SOCIAL PROTECTION...... 4 MIGRATION ...... 4

CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ...... 5

BACKGROUND ...... 5

CHAPTER II: SAMPLE AND METHODOLOGY ...... 6

SAMPLE DESIGN ...... 6 QUESTIONNAIRE ...... 7 TRAINING ...... 8 FIELDWORK AND FIELD MONITORING ...... 8 DATA PROCESSING ...... 8

CHAPTER III: DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS ...... 10

SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION ...... 10 HOUSEHOLD CHARACTERISTICS ...... 15 AGE STRUCTURE ...... 30 DEPENDENCY RATIOS ...... 31 EDUCATIONAL PROFILE OF THE POPULATION ...... 32

CHAPTER IV: ECONOMIC ACTIVITY ...... 33

LABOR FORCE ...... 33 LABOR FORCE BY EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT ...... 33 LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION ...... 35 LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION RATE BY EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT ...... 37 POPULATION OUTSIDE THE LABOR FORCE ...... 39

CHAPTER V: EMPLOYMENT ...... 41 I

EMPLOYED POPULATION ...... 41 EMPLOYED POPULATION BY EDUCATION ...... 44 STATUS IN EMPLOYMENT ...... 45 EMPLOYMENT BY INDUSTRY ...... 47 EMPLOYMENT BY OCCUPATION ...... 50 INSTITUTIONAL OF EMPLOYMENT ...... 52 INFORMAL EMPLOYMENT ...... 54

CHAPTER VI: WAGES AND OTHER WORKING CONDITIONS ...... 58

GROSS MONTHLY INCOME ...... 58 FREQUENCY OF PAYMENT ...... 64 CONTRACT TYPES ...... 64 HOURS OF WORKS ...... 65 EXCESSIVE HOURS OF WORKS ...... 68 REASON FOR EXCESSIVE HOURS OF WORKS ...... 70

CHAPTER VII: LABOR UNDERUTILIZATION ...... 71

LABOR UNDERUTILIZATION ...... 71 YOUTH LABOR UNDERUTILIZATION...... 73 TIME-RELATED UNDEREMPLOYMENT ...... 75 POTENTIAL LABOR FORCE ...... 76

CHAPTER VIII: SOCIAL PROTECTION: COVERAGE AND BENEFITS ...... 77

TOTAL POPULATION COVERED BY SOCIAL PROTECTION ...... 77 WORKING AGE POPULATION COVERED BY SOCIAL PROTECTION SCHEMES ...... 79 SOCIAL PROTECTION BENEFITS AND CURRENT BENEFICIARIES ...... 81 POPULATION NOT COVERED BY AND NOT BENEFITED FROM SOCIAL PROTECTION ...... 82

CHAPTER IX. MIGRATION ...... 84

MOVING FROM BIRTH PLACE ...... 84 HOUSEHOLD MEMBER LIVING ABROAD ...... 85

ANNEX A: SURVEY ORGANIZATION ...... 87

ANNEX B: QUESTIONNAIRE ...... 95

List of table

TABLE 1. KEY LABOR MARKET INDICATORS, 2017 ...... 2 TABLE 2. KEY LABOR MARKET INDICATORS, 2010 ...... 2 TABLE 3. DISTRIBUTION OF SAMPLE VILLAGES AND NUMBER OF SURVEYED HOUSEHOLD BY PROVINCES AND GEOGRAPHIC AREA ...... 7 TABLE 4. TOTAL NUMBER AND PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION OF POPULATION (0+), BY GEOGRAPHIC AREA, SEX AND PROVINCES, 2017 (1,000) ...... 10 TABLE 5. TOTAL NUMBER AND PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION OF WORKING-AGE POPULATION (15+), BY GEOGRAPHIC AREA, SEX AND PROVINCES, (1,000) ...... 11 TABLE 6. TOTAL NUMBER AND PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION OF WORKING-AGE POPULATION (15+), BY GEOGRAPHIC AREA, SEX, EDUCATION ATTAINED AND PROVINCES, (1,000) ...... 13 TABLE 7. TOTAL NUMBER AND PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION OF WORKING-AGE POPULATION (15+), BY GEOGRAPHIC AREA, SEX, AND AGE GROUP, (1,000) ...... 14 TABLE 8. PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION OF SEX OF HOUSEHOLD HEAD BY GEOGRAPHIC AREA AND PROVINCE ...... 16 TABLE 9. PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION OF HOUSEHOLD BY SOURCE OF DRINKING WATER AND PROVINCE...... 17 TABLE 10. PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION OF HOUSEHOLD BY TYPE OF ELECTRICITY AND PROVINCES ...... 18 TABLE 11. PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION OF HOUSEHOLD BY MAIN SOURCE OF ENERGY FOR COOKING ...... 19 TABLE 12. PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION OF HOUSEHOLD BY TYPE OF TOILET FACILITIES USED BY HOUSEHOLD ...... 20 TABLE 13. PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION OF HOUSEHOLD BY HOUSEHOLD ASSETS (VEHICLE) ...... 21 TABLE 14. PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION OF HOUSEHOLD BY HOUSEHOLD ASSETS (DEVICE) ...... 22 TABLE 15. PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION OF HOUSEHOLD BY HOUSEHOLD ASSETS (COMMUNICATION DEVICE) ...... 23 TABLE 16. NUMBER AND PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION OF HOUSEHOLD BY HOUSEHOLD’S INCOME STATUS ...... 24 TABLE 17. PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION OF REASON FALL IN INCOME COMPARE TO LAST YEAR BY PROVINCE, GEOGRAPHIC AREA ...... 25 TABLE 18. PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION OF HOUSEHOLD BY SOURCE/ METHODS USED TO OVERCOME PROBLEM FACED DUE TO FALL IN INCOME ...... 26 TABLE 19. NUMBER AND PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION OF HOUSEHOLD BY STATUS OF LOANING, PROVINCE AND GEOGRAPHIC AREA...... 27 TABLE 20. PERCENTAGE OF HOUSEHOLD WITH LOANING BY MAIN REASON FOR LOANING BY PROVINCE AND GEOGRAPHIC AREA ...... 28 TABLE 21. PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION OF HOUSEHOLD WITH LOANING BY SOURCE OF LOANING BY PROVINCE AND GEOGRAPHIC AREA ...... 29 TABLE 22. PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION OF THE TOTAL POPULATION (0+), BY AGE-GROUP, SEX AND GEOGRAPHIC AREA ...... 30 TABLE 23. DISTRIBUTION OF DEPENDENCY RATIOS, BY PROVINCES AND GEOGRAPHIC AREA ...... 31 TABLE 24. PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION OF WORKING-AGE POPULATION, BY EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT, SEX AND GEOGRAPHIC AREA, 2017 ...... 32 TABLE 25. PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION OF LABOR FORCE BY PROVINCE, GEOGRAPHIC AREA AND SEX ...... 33 TABLE 26. PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION OF LABOR FORCE BY EDUCATION ATTAINED, GEOGRAPHIC AREA AND SEX ... 34 TABLE 27. PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION OF LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION RATE, BY PROVINCE, SEX AND GEOGRAPHIC AREA ...... 37

III

TABLE 28. PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION OF LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION RATE, BY EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT, SEX AND GEOGRAPHIC AREA ...... 38 TABLE 29. PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION OF OUTSIDE LABOR FORCE BY PROVINCE, GEOGRAPHIC AREA AND SEX ...... 39 TABLE 30. PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION OF THE POPULATION OUTSIDE THE LABOR FORCE BY REASON, SEX AND GEOGRAPHIC AREA ...... 40 TABLE 31. NUMBER AND PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION OF EMPLOYED POPULATION, BY AGE-GROUP, SEX AND GEOGRAPHIC AREA, (1,000) ...... 42 TABLE 32. PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION OF THE EMPLOYED POPULATION, BY PROVINCE, SEX AND GEOGRAPHIC AREA43 TABLE 33. PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION EMPLOYMENT BY EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT, SEX AND GEOGRAPHIC AREA 44 TABLE 34. PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION OF EMPLOYMENT BY STATUS OF EMPLOYMENT, PROVINCE, GEOGRAPHIC AREA AND SEX ...... 46 TABLE 35. NUMBER AND PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION OF EMPLOYMENT, BY INDUSTRY, SEX AND GEOGRAPHIC AREA (1,000) ...... 48 TABLE 36. NUMBER AND PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION OF EMPLOYMENT, BY OCCUPATIONAL GROUP, SEX AND GEOGRAPHIC AREA (1,000) ...... 51 TABLE 37. PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION EMPLOYMENT BY INSTITUTIONAL SECTOR, PROVINCES, AND GEOGRAPHIC AREA ...... 53 TABLE 38. PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION EMPLOYMENT BY INSTITUTIONAL SECTOR, EDUCATION ATTAINED ...... 54 TABLE 39. INFORMAL EMPLOYMENT RATE, BY PROVINCE, SEX AND GEOGRAPHIC AREA ...... 55 TABLE 40. INFORMAL EMPLOYMENT RATE BY EDUCATION ATTAINED, SEX AND GEOGRAPHIC AREA ...... 55 TABLE 41. INFORMAL EMPLOYMENT, BY AGE-GROUP, SEX AND GEOGRAPHIC AREA (1,000) ...... 56 TABLE 42. INFORMAL EMPLOYMENT RATE, BY AGE-GROUP, SEX AND GEOGRAPHIC AREA ...... 57 TABLE 43. NUMBER OF PAID EMPLOYEES BY GROSS MONTHLY INCOME, SEX AND GEOGRAPHIC AREA (1,000) ...... 59 TABLE 44. AVERAGE MONTHLY INCOME FROM EMPLOYMENT BY PROVINCE, SEX AND GEOGRAPHIC AREA ...... 60 TABLE 45. AVERAGE MONTHLY INCOME FROM EMPLOYMENT BY OCCUPATION, EDUCATION ATTAINED, SEX AND GEOGRAPHIC AREA (KIP) ...... 61 TABLE 46. AVERAGE MONTHLY INCOME FROM EMPLOYMENT BY INDUSTRY, SEX AND GEOGRAPHIC AREA (KIP) ..... 62 TABLE 47. AVERAGE MONTHLY INCOME FROM EMPLOYMENT BY AGE GROUP, SEX AND GEOGRAPHIC AREA (KIP) ... 63 TABLE 48. NUMBER AND PERCENTAGE OF EMPLOYEE’S DISTRIBUTION BY FREQUENCY OF WAGE/SALARY PAYMENT, SEX AND GEOGRAPHIC AREA (1,000) ...... 64 TABLE 49. CONTRACT TYPE FOR PAID EMPLOYEES, BY, SEX AND GEOGRAPHIC AREA (PERCENT) ...... 65 TABLE 50. NUMBER OF PAID EMPLOYEES BY WORKING HOURS PER WEEK, SEX AND GEOGRAPHIC AREA (1,000).... 66 TABLE 51. AVERAGE HOURS OF EMPLOYED PERSONS WORKED PER WEEK BY OCCUPATION, SEX AND GEOGRAPHIC AREA ...... 66 TABLE 52. AVERAGE HOURS OF EMPLOYED PERSONS WORKED PER WEEK BY INDUSTRY, SEX AND GEOGRAPHIC AREA67 TABLE 53. PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION OF PERSONS WITH EXCESSIVE HOURS OF WORK PER WEEK, BY OCCUPATION, SEX AND GEOGRAPHIC AREA ...... 68 TABLE 54. PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION OF PERSONS WITH EXCESSIVE HOURS OF WORK PER WEEK, BY INDUSTRY, SEX AND GEOGRAPHIC AREA ...... 69 TABLE 55. PERCENTAGE OF DISTRIBUTION OF REASONS FOR WORKING 48+ HOURS FOR PAID EMPLOYEES, BY SEX AND GEOGRAPHIC AREA ...... 70 TABLE 56. LABOR UNDERUTILIZATION BY SEX AND GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION (1,000) ...... 71

TABLE 57. LABOR UNDERUTILIZATION BY SEX AND GEOGRAPHIC AREA ...... 72 TABLE 58. DISTRIBUTION LABOR UNDERUTILIZATION RATE BY PROVINCE, REGION, SEX AND GEOGRAPHIC AREA ..... 72 TABLE 59. DISTRIBUTION LABOR UNDERUTILIZATION RATE BY OCCUPATION AND EDUCATIONAL LEVEL ...... 73 TABLE 60. YOUTH LABOR UNDERUTILIZATION (15-24) BY, SEX AND GEOGRAPHIC AREA (1,000) ...... 74 TABLE 61. PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION OF PERSONS IN TIME RELATED UNDEREMPLOYMENT BY PROVINCE, SEX AND GEOGRAPHIC AREA ...... 75 TABLE 62. PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION OF PERSONS IN TIME RELATED UNDEREMPLOYMENT BY COMPLETE EDUCATIONAL LEVEL AND AGE GROUP ...... 75 TABLE 63. PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION OF POTENTIAL LABOR FORCE BY PROVINCE, SEX AND GEOGRAPHIC AREA .... 76 TABLE 64. TOTAL POPULATION COVERED BY SOCIAL PROTECTION BY PROVINCE, SEX AND GEOGRAPHIC AREA ...... 77 TABLE 65. TOTAL POPULATION RECEIVING BENEFITS FROM SOCIAL PROTECTION, BY MAIN SOCIAL PROTECTION SCHEMES, SEX AND GEOGRAPHIC AREA (1,000) ...... 78 TABLE 66. WORKING AGE POPULATION COVERED BY SOCIAL PROTECTION, BY PROVINCE, SEX AND GEOGRAPHIC AREA (1,000) ...... 79 TABLE 67. WORKING AGE POPULATION CURRENTLY RECEIVING BENEFITS FROM SOCIAL PROTECTION, BY MAIN SOCIAL PROTECTION SCHEMES, SEX AND GEOGRAPHIC AREA (1,000) ...... 80 TABLE 68. WORKING AGE POPULATION RECEIVING SOCIAL PROTECTION BENEFITS, BY PROVINCE, SEX AND GEOGRAPHIC AREA (1,000) ...... 81 TABLE 69. TOTAL POPULATION RECEIVING SOCIAL PROTECTION, BY MAIN CATEGORIES OF BENEFITS, SEX AND GEOGRAPHIC AREA (1,000) ...... 82 TABLE 70. TOTAL POPULATION NOT COVERED BY AND NOT BENEFITED FROM SOCIAL PROTECTION, BY PROVINCE, SEX AND GEOGRAPHIC AREA (1,000) ...... 83 TABLE 71. POPULATION MOVED FROM BIRTH PLACE BY SEX AND PROVINCES (1,000) ...... 84 TABLE 72. THE REASON FOR THOSE WHO MOVED FROM BIRTH PLACE BY SEX (PERCENT) ...... 85 TABLE 73. THE REASON FOR HOUSEHOLD MEMBER LIVING ABROAD MORE THAN 6 MONTHS BY SEX, AND SENT MONEY BACK HOME (1,000) ...... 86

List of figure

FIGURE 1. THE COMPOSITION OF THE WORKING AGE POPULATION (15+) BY LABOR FORCE STATUS ...... 1 FIGURE 2. COMPONENT OF ECONOMICALLY ACTIVE (LABOR FORCE) AND ECONOMICALLY INACTIVE POPULATION (OUTSIDE LABOR FORCE) ...... 9 FIGURE 3. AVERAGE HOUSEHOLD SIZE ...... 15 FIGURE 4. LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION RATE BY SEXT AND AGE GROUP ...... 36 FIGURE 5. PERCENTAGE OF EMPLOYED POPULATION BY STATUS IN EMPLOYMENT 2017 AND 2010 ...... 45 FIGURE 6. PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION BY EMPLOYMENT BY INSTITUTIONAL SECTOR ...... 52

Forward

Base on the statistical law and the National Strategy for sustainable Development of Statistical System 2016-2020 and vision for 2030, Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) throughout the Lao Statistics Bureau in cooperate with Ministry of Labor and Welfare has conducted the Lao Labor Force Survey in 2017. This is a nation-wide household based survey with a sample size of 10,800, covering all 18 provinces. It aims to generate data at provincial level disaggregated by age, sex and geographic area on the size and characteristics of the labor force, employment, unemployment and other labor market characteristics of the population.

Lao Labor Force Survey II provides up-to-date information needed for the selection of data on key social development indicators to monitor the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) especially key inputs for the ongoing Voluntary National Report on SDG, 2018. This will provide a baseline for the 8th National Socio-Economic Development Plan (NSEDP) and provincial development plans including the inputs for upcoming Mid-Term Review of the 8th NSEDP, and support the country’s graduation from Least Developed Country by 2020. This report presents the estimates of household characteristics, demographics, economic activity, employment, and wages and other working conditions, labour underutilization, social protection and migration. I would like to extend our sincere thanks to all organizations and individuals who have contributed to making this survey a success, especially the Lao Statistics Bureau, Ministry of Planning and Investment, Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare for leading and implementing the entire survey. We would also like to express our special thanks to the Lao Labor Force Survey II Steering Committee for their leadership and guidance of the survey, the Technical Task Force for advising and supporting the survey, and the Secretariat Group for organizing and dealing with day-to-day work. We acknowledge the great contribution of the International Labour Organization (ILO) for overall technical support throughout the survey. Special thanks are extended to 126 enumerators and supervisors especially from the Provincial Statistics Centres, Department of Labour and Welfare in each province for being intensively involved in field data collection and monitoring. All Committees at all levels have played a very critical role in the successful achievement of the survey, and its high standard of quality.

Head of Lao Statistics Bureau, Vice Minister Ministry of Planning and Investment

VII

Keys finding

The Labor Force Survey that was implemented in Lao People’s Democratic Republic in 2017 (LFS 2017) adopts the new concept of work, employment and labor underutilization that was adopted by the 19th International Conference of Labor Statisticians (ICLS) in 2013. It provides a new perspective on the labor market of the country. As noted above, the important difference from the previous definition is that those who worked solely or mainly for own final use during the reference period are no longer considered to be in employment but outside the labor force. Around 2 million persons are estimated to be engaged in own- use production worker and neither worked for pay or profit (employed) nor actively searched for work and was available for work (unemployed). Many of the own-use production workers would have likely been counted as being employed according to the old method of estimating employment.

Figure 1. The composition of the working age population (15+) by labor force status

Employed: 1,757,733 Labour force: 1,940,230 Unemployed: Working age population: 182,497 4,758,031

Out of labour force: Own-use production worker 2,817,801 2,455,328

The method of calculating the key labor market indicators, such as the labor force participation rate and the unemployment rate, remains the same. However, because around 40 per cent of the working age population are counted as being outside the labour force since they are either not interested in or cannot be part of the labour force due to age, studies and other socioeconomic reasons or undertake only own-use production work, the estimated indicators are affected. The labor force participation rate, which is the share of labor force in working age population, is estimated at 40.8 per cent in 2017 (table 1). The unemployment rate, which is the proportion of the unemployed in total labor force, is estimated at 9.4 per cent. These estimates are very different from the estimated indicators in 2010 (table 2), when the labor force participation rate was estimated to be around 79 per cent and the unemployment rate around 2 per cent. Such difference stems from the small size of the defined labor force in 2017.

The key labor statistics presented in this report provide a new and different perspective on the state of the labor market in Lao People’s Democratic Republic and cannot be compared with the previous estimates. It provides a baseline to monitor the working age population and the labor force, closely in line with the recommendations for monitoring the employment-related indicators for Sustainable Development Goals. Because own-use production workers represent the traditional form of work, it also supports policymakers to monitor structural change and its constraints, as well as make informed decisions on policies to facilitate structural change and economic diversification.

Table 1. Key labor market indicators, 2017

Indicator 2017 Working age population 4,758,031 Labor force 1,940,230 Employment 1,757,733 Labor force participation rate (%) 40.8 Unemployment rate (%) 9.4 Composite rate of labor underutilization (%) 25.8 Youth unemployment rate, aged 15-24 (%) 18.2 Share of wage workers in total employment (%) 32.4 Average gross monthly income, employees (Laotian Kip) 2,481,000

Table 2. Key labor market indicators, 2010

Indicator 2010 Working age population 3,886,618 Labor force 3,079,852 Employment 3,021,212 Labor force participation rate (%) 79.2 Unemployment rate (%) 1.9

Summary of the LFS 2017 results

Demographic characteristics

Of the 6.9 million total population, 69 per cent were of working age (15 years and above). The share of working age population in urban area was 75.4 per cent, while in rural areas; this was much lower at 66 per cent due to a larger number of younger cohorts aged less than 15 years old. This results in higher dependency ratio of 62 per cent in rural areas, compared to 43 per cent in urban areas. Among working age population, around two-third have primary education or less, mainly because of large incidence of less educated people in the rural areas.

On the whole, a large majority of households have access to basic services, such as drinking water, electricity, road and durable household goods. Nevertheless, some gaps remain in access to services across provinces and between urban and rural areas. A majority of the households (58 per cent) reported having the same income as the year before. For those who experienced a change in income, almost twice as many households reported an increase in income (311 thousand) rather than a decrease (155 thousand).

Economic activity

The labor force participation rate was 41 per cent. The labor force participation rates were higher in urban areas, for men and for those who are better educated than in rural areas, for women and for those with less education, respectively. Of the remaining 59 per cent of the working age population who were outside the labor force, the reported reasons for staying out of labor force were mainly family-related or for education.

Employment

A total of 1.8 million persons were in employment. Youth accounted for a bigger proportion of employment in the rural areas than in the urban areas. There was some concentration of employment in Vientiane Capital. By status in employment, contributing family workers accounted for the biggest portion (38 per cent), closely followed by employees (32 per cent). More than half a million persons worked in agriculture, forestry and fishing, followed by wholesale and retail trade and public administration and defense. The dominance of agriculture-related economic activities is closely reflected in occupational distribution, where skilled agricultural, forestry and fishery workers constituted the biggest segment of employment. Interestingly, women were more likely to be managers and professionals than men. Men and workers in urban areas were better educated than women and workers in rural areas.

35 per cent of total employment took place in the informal sector while the formal sector accounted for 27 per cent of total employment. When including informal employment outside the informal sector (in the formal sector and in households), the total informal employment rate was 83 per cent. This rate was higher among women and in the rural areas than in the urban areas. The youngest and the older cohorts (aged 60 years and above) were more likely to be affected by informality.

Wages and working conditions

Average gross monthly income of employees, including cash and in-kind payments and incomes from secondary jobs, was LAK 2.5 million and the median was LAK 1.8 million. There was a notable gender gap, with female employees earning, on average, LAK 0.5 million less per month than men.

Around two-third of employees had a written contract or an oral agreement, and a large majority (84 per cent) were employed on a permanent basis. Around one-third of employees worked more than 49 hours per week on all jobs. The main reasons provided for working more than 48 hours per week were ‘variable working time or nature of work’, ‘personal or family reasons or responsibilities’ and ‘to have higher income’.

Labor underutilization

A total of 604 thousand persons did not fully meet their need for employment (i.e. underemployed, unemployed or in potential labor force). Potential labor force accounted for almost two-third of underutilized labor and another 30 per cent due to unemployment. Youth accounted for 37 per cent of underutilized labor, reflecting the difficulties they faced in fully taking part in the labor market.

Social protection

Of the 4.8 million working age population, 0.8 million were covered by a social protection scheme. The National Social Security Fund constituted the biggest share of coverage (72 per cent of the covered population), followed by National Health Insurance Fund (21 per cent). Of those who reported they currently receive benefits (259 thousand), the bulk were mainly benefiting from health insurance coverage, followed by maternity benefits and survivors’ pension benefits.

Migration

A majority of those who had moved from their birthplace can be found in Vientiane Capital and Vientiane province. The reported reasons for moving mainly constituted family-related, marriage and job-related reasons. Women were much more likely to move for family- related reasons than men, while job-related reasons were more important for men than for women.

A fairly small number of 127 thousand persons were at present living in another country for more than 6 months. Almost 60 per cent of them were women. A large majority (87 per cent) were abroad for job-related reasons, sending cash and/or goods back home.

Chapter I. Introduction

Background

Lao PDR conducted Labor force Survey and child labor force survey in 2010 (LFS&CLS) in 2010. The main objectives of the survey are to explore the situation and condition of children in the age groups between 5 and 17 years who contributed in the active economic labor force. The target was to identify their main features, causes, working conditions and side effects; provide information on the background, prevalence and issues affecting the child labor. To build up and strengthen the data base of child labor in Lao PDR that helps provide consistent data and information for socio-economic development activities. In particular, the findings help witness the sincere commitment and initial achievement of the government to comply with the obligation to the ILO, the ratification and application of the Conventions No. 138 and 182 forwarding to the outstanding implementation of protection and promotion 7 of the rights and interest of children and eliminate the worst form of child labor.

Base on the statistical law and the National Strategy for sustainable Development of Statistical System 2016-2020 and vision for 2030, the labor force survey will be done in every five years. Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) throughout the Lao Statistics Bureau by cooperating with Mistry of Labor and Welfare has conducted the Lao Labor Force Survey in 2017. According to the new international standards, employment includes only persons working for pay or profit, excluding persons engaged wholly or mostly in subsistence foodstuff production. The effect of this is to lower the count of employment (according to the old definition) and to higher the count of unemployment because some of the subsistence foodstuff producers would be looking and available for work for pay or profit and thus be classified as unemployed.

The main objective of the survey was to collect current data on the size and characteristics of the labor force, employment, unemployment and other labor market characteristics of the population. The survey was also designed to measure different forms of work, in particular, own-use production work and other components of labor underutilization including time-related underemployment and potential labor force in line with the new international standards, adopted by the 19th International Conference of labor Statisticians (ICLS) in 2013. The results from the survey will serve as baseline data for Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) as Government is currently preparing for National Volunteer report on SDGs as well as to serve data for mid-term review of the national five years plan (NSEDP).

Chapter II: Sample and Methodology

Sample Design

The 2015 Census of Population and Housing was applied for sampling frame for LSF 2017. Base on the Census, Lao PDR has a total population of 6,479,982 distributed into 1,197,926 households. The Province of Savannakhet has the most population but Vientiane Capital has the most households. Population in Xaysomboun is lowest at 85,168, the province also has the lowest number of households at 14,316.

There were 8,500 Villages in 18 provinces. There is an average of 141 households per village. The lowest number of households of 5 was noted in a village in the province of Huaphanh. On the other hand, the most number of 1745 households was noted in a village in the Vientiane Capital. While the fewest number of villages was recorded in the Province of Xaysomboun with 96, the most number of villages was in the Province of Savannakhet with 1,015. There is large coefficient of variation (CV) for the number of households per village at 93% at the national level, as high as 96% in Xiengkhuang, and as low as around 60% in several provinces. The CV is an indication of heterogeneity among the village in terms of number of households. This implies that an equal probability of selection of villages (simple random sampling or systematic sampling) is expected to generate large sampling error. Two possible strategies can be considered, i.e., stratification and/or probability proportional to size sampling (PPS).

Two stage sampling is proposed, with selection of villages in the first stage and selection of households in the second stage. In the provincial domains, villages were selected using PPS (no need for stratification since there are fewer villages within each province). Second stage sampling comprise of systematic selection of 20 households from the updated list of households from the 2015 Census. Provincial Domains target 10,800 sample households at 3% and 6% margin of errors.

Table 3. Distribution of sample villages and number of surveyed household by provinces and geographic area

Number of Sample Number of surveyed household Code Province village Urban Rural

Total Urban Rural Total Number % Number % 01 Vientiane Capital 30 22 8 555 403 72.6 152 27.4 02 Phongsaly 30 9 21 566 168 29.7 398 70.3 03 Luangnamtha 30 11 19 593 215 36.3 378 63.7 04 Oudomxay 30 9 21 592 180 30.4 412 69.6 05 Bokeo 29 12 17 573 236 41.2 337 58.8 06 Luangprabang 30 8 22 587 156 26.6 431 73.4 07 Huaphanh 30 7 23 592 138 23.3 454 76.7 08 Xayabury 30 10 20 595 198 33.3 397 66.7 09 Xiengkhuang 30 9 21 597 178 29.8 419 70.2 10 Vientiane 30 7 23 587 136 23.2 451 76.8 11 Borikhamxay 30 11 19 569 210 36.9 359 63.1 12 Khammuane 30 7 23 588 134 22.8 454 77.2 13 Savannakhet 30 4 26 595 80 13.4 515 86.6 14 Saravane 30 4 26 597 79 13.2 518 86.8 15 Sekong 29 8 21 572 154 26.9 418 73.1 16 Champasack 30 9 21 593 173 29.2 420 70.8 17 Attapeu 30 9 21 590 178 30.2 412 69.8 18 Xaysomboun 29 8 21 579 160 27.6 419 72.4 Lao PDR 537 164 373 10,520 3,176 30.2 7,344 69.8

Questionnaire

The questionnaire for LFS 2017 was designed in line with the new international standards and based on information need for planning and monitoring of the country. The questionnaire include following 12 modules:  Housing and household characteristics  Household Composition and Characteristics of Household Members  Educational attainment for all household members aged 5 and above  Identification of Employed person (MAIN PAID JOB OR BUSINESS ACTIVITY) (For all household members of age 14 years and above)  Characteristics of main paid job or business activity) in the last 7 days (For all household members of age 14 years and above); include secondary job/business  Working time (For all household members of age 14 years* and above, who are in employment)

 Employment related income. For employers and own-account workers, and others who are not paid employees/interns (For all household members of age 14 years* and above, who are in employment)  Job search and availability (unemployment) (For all household members of age 14 years* and above, who are not in employment)  Own-use production work, of goods and services (For all household members of age 14 years* and above)  Occupational injuries and illnesses within the last 12 months (For all household members of age 14 years* and above)  Social protection coverage, benefits, and contributions (For all household members of any age and sex)  labor migration a- migration, migrant workers & returns (module lma) (For all household members of any age)  labor migration b- household members living abroad (For all household members of age any age)

Training

The training of trainers (TOT) was conducted for 8 working days from 21 to 28 April 2017. Training covered interviewing techniques, content of the questionnaire (concept and definition), and how to recode interviewed data into CAPI. There was a total of 25 participants, 12 from the LSB, 5 from the MoLSW and 1 from the ILO. Participated the training. The training was monitored by 7 members of the National Steering Committee from the LSB and MoLSW.

The training of enumerators (TOE) was conducted for 8 working days from 7 to 14July 2017. Training covered interviewing techniques, content of the questionnaire (concept and definition) and how to recode interviewed data into CAPI. Two days field practice in 30 villages was done during the training. There was a total of 196 participants from provincial statistics office and labor departments and 1 ILO consultant.

Fieldwork and field monitoring

Fieldwork was done immediately after the completion of TOE, from 17 July and completed in August 2017. The data was collected by 54 teams, comprising of 2 enumerators. Each province has 3 teams with 1 supervisor responsible to collect data in 30 villages. There are altogether 108 enumerators and 18 supervisors.

All survey teams in each provinces were closely monitored and supervised by national and provincial steering committee in multiple visits in order to facilitate and provide technical assistance if any issue happened during the field data collection.

Data processing

Data were received at the LSB via Internet file Streaming System (IFSS) integrated into the management application on the supervisors’ tablets. The central office communicates

updates through this system to field teams. The data cleaning and processing were simultaneously with data collection in August 2017, and final dataset was completed in September 2017.

All date was exported into SPSS format for processing and tabulation. The dummy table and constructing of key variable were prepared in advance base on new international standards adopted by the 19th ICLS in 2013. The data processing and report writing workshop was organized for a week at Vangvieng, Vientaine province from 29 January to 2 February 2018. All key persons from social statistic department, data analysis unit and MoLW were participated in this workshop, and it was facilitated by ILO consultants. A number of consultation meetings on the results and primary report were done during March to May 2018. Finally, the report was approved by the national steering committee on 23 May 2018.

Figure 2. Component of economically active (labor force) and economically Inactive Population (outside labor force)

Working age population

E Economically Active E Economically Inactive

population population (Labor force) (Outside Labor force)

Employed Unemployed Full time Persons engaged Retired/ Infirmed/ population population student exclusively in own- Old age Disability

use production

Chapter III: Demographic characteristics

Chapter III provides data and analysis for the demographic profile of Lao PDR, beginning with the spatial distribution of the population by regional division (provinces, Section 3.1), followed by the household characteristics(Section 3.2), age-structure of the population (Section 3.3), the child and elderly dependency ratios (Section 3.4) and the educational profile of the working-age population (Section 3.5).

Spatial distribution

The total population in Lao PDR was 6.9 million in 2017 according to this survey. The most populous provinces were Savannakhet (1.0 million), Vientiane Capital (0.9 million), and Champasak (0.7 million). The share of population in rural areas was 73.1 per cent. Only 5 per cent of the population, or 0.3 million persons, is estimated to be living in the rural areas without roads.

Table 4. Total number and percentage distribution of population (0+), by geographic area, sex and provinces, 2017 (1,000)

Total Urban Rural Code Province Both Both Both Male Female Male Female Male Female sex sex sex Lao PDR 6,916 3,410 3,507 2,038 993 1,045 4,878 2,416 2,462 1 Vientiane Capital 882 420 462 593 287 306 289 133 156 2 Phongsaly 191 95 95 52 26 25 139 69 70 3 Luangnamtha 187 91 95 60 29 31 127 62 64 4 Oudomxay 330 163 167 84 41 43 246 121 125 5 Bokeo 192 101 91 46 23 24 146 79 67 6 Luangprabang 459 235 224 122 62 60 338 173 164 7 Huaphanh 309 156 153 53 28 25 257 128 129 8 Xayabury 412 206 206 125 62 62 287 144 144 9 Xiengkhuang 263 131 132 67 33 33 196 98 98 10 Vientiane 446 219 228 103 47 56 343 172 171 11 Borikhamxay 297 145 153 160 76 83 138 68 69 12 Khammuane 412 202 210 108 53 55 304 149 155 13 Savannakhet 1,018 503 515 113 56 57 905 447 458 14 Saravane 417 211 206 37 19 19 380 193 187 15 Sekong 122 59 63 19 9 10 103 50 53 16 Champasack 729 350 380 236 112 124 494 237 256 17 Attapeu 150 72 78 38 18 20 113 55 58 18 Xaysomboun 98 50 48 23 11 12 76 39 37 Percent (%) Lao PDR 100.0 49.3 50.7 100.0 48.7 51.3 100.0 49.5 50.5 1 Vientiane Capital 100.0 47.6 52.4 100.0 48.4 51.6 100.0 46.1 53.9 2 Phongsaly 100.0 50.1 49.9 100.0 51.2 48.8 100.0 49.7 50.3 3 Luangnamtha 100.0 49.0 51.0 100.0 48.6 51.4 100.0 49.2 50.8 10

4 Oudomxay 100.0 49.3 50.7 100.0 49.1 50.9 100.0 49.4 50.6 5 Bokeo 100.0 52.7 47.3 100.0 49.0 51.0 100.0 53.8 46.2 6 Luangprabang 100.0 51.2 48.8 100.0 50.9 49.1 100.0 51.3 48.7 7 Huaphanh 100.0 50.4 49.6 100.0 52.9 47.1 100.0 49.9 50.1 8 Xayabury 100.0 50.0 50.0 100.0 50.0 50.0 100.0 50.0 50.0 9 Xiengkhuang 100.0 49.9 50.1 100.0 49.9 50.1 100.0 49.9 50.1 10 Vientiane 100.0 49.0 51.0 100.0 45.5 54.5 100.0 50.0 50.0 11 Borikhamxay 100.0 48.6 51.4 100.0 47.9 52.1 100.0 49.6 50.4 12 Khammuane 100.0 49.0 51.0 100.0 48.9 51.1 100.0 49.0 51.0 13 Savannakhet 100.0 49.4 50.6 100.0 49.7 50.3 100.0 49.4 50.6 14 Saravane 100.0 50.7 49.3 100.0 49.8 50.2 100.0 50.8 49.2 15 Sekong 100.0 48.2 51.8 100.0 47.8 52.2 100.0 48.3 51.7 16 Champasack 100.0 47.9 52.1 100.0 47.5 52.5 100.0 48.1 51.9 17 Attapeu 100.0 48.1 51.9 100.0 47.4 52.6 100.0 48.4 51.6 18 Xaysomboun 100.0 50.9 49.1 100.0 49.5 50.5 100.0 51.3 48.7

Of the 6.9 million, 4.8 million persons were of working age (15 years and above) or 68.8 per cent of the total population. Women accounted for a little more than 50 per cent of the working age population in both urban and rural areas. The share of working age population in total urban population was 75.4 per cent, while in rural areas; this was much lower at 66.4 per cent. The population in rural areas is younger than in urban areas.

Table 5. Total number and percentage distribution of working-age population (15+), by geographic area, sex and provinces, (1,000)

Urban Total Rural Code Province Both Both Both Male Female Male Female Male Female sex sex sex Lao PDR 4,758 2,328 2,430 1,530 738 792 3,228 1,590 1,638 1 Vientiane Capital 666 315 351 455 219 236 211 96 115 2 Phongsaly 123 62 61 36 19 18 87 44 44 3 Luangnamtha 127 62 65 46 22 24 81 40 41 4 Oudomxay 215 105 110 61 29 32 154 76 78 5 Bokeo 130 68 62 36 17 18 95 51 44 6 Luangprabang 297 148 148 91 45 46 206 103 102 7 Huaphanh 194 96 99 39 19 19 156 76 79 8 Xayabury 302 152 150 95 47 47 208 105 103 9 Xiengkhuang 174 85 89 45 22 23 130 63 67 10 Vientiane 323 158 164 78 36 42 244 122 122 11 Borikhamxay 217 104 112 122 57 65 95 48 47 12 Khammuane 292 139 152 83 40 43 209 100 109 13 Savannakhet 694 347 347 82 41 41 611 306 305 14 Saravane 242 118 123 28 14 14 214 105 109 15 Sekong 69 33 36 12 6 7 57 27 29

16 Champasack 534 256 279 180 84 95 354 171 183 17 Attapeu 97 46 50 26 12 14 70 34 36 18 Xaysomboun 62 32 31 16 8 8 47 24 23 Percent (%) Lao PDR 100.0 48.9 51.1 100.0 48.2 51.8 100.0 49.3 50.7 1 Vientiane Capital 100.0 47.4 52.6 100.0 48.2 51.8 100.0 45.6 54.4 2 Phongsaly 100.0 50.3 49.7 100.0 51.1 48.9 100.0 49.9 50.1 3 Luangnamtha 100.0 48.8 51.2 100.0 48.3 51.7 100.0 49.1 50.9 4 Oudomxay 100.0 48.9 51.1 100.0 47.9 52.1 100.0 49.3 50.7 5 Bokeo 100.0 52.4 47.6 100.0 49.0 51.0 100.0 53.7 46.3 6 Luangprabang 100.0 50.0 50.0 100.0 49.6 50.4 100.0 50.2 49.8 7 Huaphanh 100.0 49.3 50.7 100.0 50.2 49.8 100.0 49.0 51.0 8 Xayabury 100.0 50.2 49.8 100.0 50.1 49.9 100.0 50.3 49.7 9 Xiengkhuang 100.0 48.7 51.3 100.0 49.0 51.0 100.0 48.6 51.4 10 Vientiane 100.0 49.1 50.9 100.0 45.9 54.1 100.0 50.1 49.9 11 Borikhamxay 100.0 48.2 51.8 100.0 46.7 53.3 100.0 50.1 49.9 12 Khammuane 100.0 47.8 52.2 100.0 48.0 52.0 100.0 47.7 52.3 13 Savannakhet 100.0 50.0 50.0 100.0 49.8 50.2 100.0 50.1 49.9 14 Saravane 100.0 49.0 51.0 100.0 50.0 50.0 100.0 48.9 51.1 15 Sekong 100.0 47.7 52.3 100.0 46.3 53.7 100.0 48.1 51.9 16 Champasack 100.0 47.8 52.2 100.0 47.0 53.0 100.0 48.3 51.7 17 Attapeu 100.0 48.0 52.0 100.0 47.2 52.8 100.0 48.3 51.7 18 Xaysomboun 100.0 50.5 49.5 100.0 49.0 51.0 100.0 51.1 48.9

Table 6. Total number and percentage distribution of working-age population (15+), by geographic area, sex, education attained and provinces, (1,000)

Total Urban Rural Province Both Both Both Male Female Male Female Male Female sex sex sex Educational attained Not enrolled 950 306 644 146 42 103 804 264 541 Less than primary 1,603 801 802 371 164 208 1,232 638 594 Primary completed 869 475 394 298 149 149 571 327 245 Lower secondary 614 339 276 270 143 127 344 196 148 Upper Secondary 207 115 92 108 57 51 100 59 41 Vocational first 48 30 19 27 15 12 21 14 7 Vocational middle 135 78 57 77 41 36 58 37 22 Vocational high 183 99 84 120 62 57 63 36 27 University and upper 148 86 62 114 66 49 34 21 13 Percent (%) Educational attained Not enrolled 100.0 32.2 67.8 100.0 29.0 71.0 100.0 32.8 67.2 Less than primary 100.0 50.0 50.0 100.0 44.1 55.9 100.0 51.7 48.3 Primary completed 100.0 54.7 45.3 100.0 49.8 50.2 100.0 57.2 42.8 Lower secondary 100.0 55.1 44.9 100.0 52.9 47.1 100.0 56.9 43.1 Upper Secondary 100.0 55.6 44.4 100.0 52.8 47.2 100.0 58.6 41.4 Vocational first 100.0 61.0 39.0 100.0 56.1 43.9 100.0 67.3 32.7 Vocational middle 100.0 57.5 42.5 100.0 53.3 46.7 100.0 62.9 37.1 Vocational high 100.0 53.9 46.1 100.0 52.2 47.8 100.0 57.1 42.9 University and upper 100.0 58.3 41.7 100.0 57.5 42.5 100.0 61.1 38.9

Table 7. Total number and percentage distribution of working-age population (15+), by geographic area, sex, and age group, (1,000)

Total Urban Rural Province Both Both Both male female male female male female sex sex sex Age group Total(15+) 4,758 2,328 2,430 1,530 738 792 3,228 1,590 1,638 Adult(25+) 3,474 1,704 1,770 1,170 565 604 2,305 1,139 1,166 Youth(15-24) 1,284 624 660 360 173 187 923 451 472 15-19 730 364 366 194 95 99 536 269 267 20-24 554 260 293 166 78 88 387 182 205 25-29 584 284 301 177 84 93 408 200 208 30-34 516 241 274 175 76 99 341 165 175 35-39 495 250 245 163 81 83 332 170 162 40-44 403 204 199 135 67 68 268 137 131 45-49 380 186 195 136 68 68 244 118 126 50-54 306 146 160 113 52 60 193 94 100 55-59 277 138 139 99 53 46 179 86 93 60-64 191 99 92 66 33 33 125 66 59 65+ 321 156 165 106 51 55 215 104 110 Percent (%) Age group Total(15+) 100.0 48.9 51.1 100.0 48.2 51.8 100.0 49.3 50.7 Adult(25+) 100.0 49.0 51.0 100.0 48.3 51.7 100.0 49.4 50.6 Youth(15-24) 100.0 48.6 51.4 100.0 48.0 52.0 100.0 48.9 51.1 15-19 100.0 49.8 50.2 100.0 48.8 51.2 100.0 50.2 49.8 20-24 100.0 47.0 53.0 100.0 47.1 52.9 100.0 47.0 53.0 25-29 100.0 48.6 51.4 100.0 47.5 52.5 100.0 49.0 51.0 30-34 100.0 46.8 53.2 100.0 43.5 56.5 100.0 48.5 51.5 35-39 100.0 50.6 49.4 100.0 49.4 50.6 100.0 51.1 48.9 40-44 100.0 50.6 49.4 100.0 49.9 50.1 100.0 51.0 49.0 45-49 100.0 48.8 51.2 100.0 49.8 50.2 100.0 48.2 51.8 50-54 100.0 47.6 52.4 100.0 46.3 53.7 100.0 48.3 51.7 55-59 100.0 49.9 50.1 100.0 53.3 46.7 100.0 47.9 52.1 60-64 100.0 51.9 48.1 100.0 50.4 49.6 100.0 52.7 47.3 65+ 100.0 48.5 51.5 100.0 48.3 51.7 100.0 48.6 51.4

Household Characteristics

The average household size was 4.9 persons. In all provinces, there were more than 4 persons in a household, on average.

Figure 3. Average household size

7.0 5.9 6.0 5.6 5.4 5.3 5.5 5.2 5.3 5.0 5.1 5.2 4.9 4.8 4.9 4.9 5.0 4.6 4.5 4.4 4.4 4.2 4.0

3.0

2.0

1.0

0.0

A large majority of the households was headed by men (86.9 per cent). The share of female- headed households among all households was the highest in Vientiane Capital (21.2 per cent), Khammuan (20.4 per cent) and Champasack (18.6 per cent). Female-headed households were more prevalent in the urban areas (17.2 per cent) than in the rural areas (11.2 per cent), except in Phongsaly.

Table 8. Percentage distribution of sex of household head by geographic area and province

Total Urban Rural Code Province Male Female Male Female Male Female Lao PDR 86.9 13.1 82.8 17.2 88.8 11.2 1 Vientiane Capital 78.8 21.2 77.1 22.9 82.5 17.5 2 Phongsaly 94.3 5.7 97.2 2.8 93.1 6.9 3 Luangnamtha 92.7 7.3 91.8 8.2 93.3 6.7 4 Oudomxay 92.1 7.9 91.7 8.3 92.2 7.8 5 Bokeo 91.2 8.8 90.5 9.5 91.4 8.6 6 Luangprabang 92.4 7.6 87.3 12.7 94.4 5.6 7 Huaphanh 95.9 4.1 91.2 8.8 97.3 2.7 8 Xayabury 92.5 7.5 90.9 9.1 93.3 6.7 9 Xiengkhuang 92.4 7.6 92.2 7.8 92.5 7.5 10 Vientiane 89.0 11.0 81.4 18.6 91.4 8.6 11 Borikhamxay 86.0 14.0 84.1 15.9 88.4 11.6 12 Khammuane 79.6 20.4 75.8 24.2 81.0 19.0 13 Savannakhet 86.3 13.7 82.0 18.0 86.9 13.1 14 Saravane 87.6 12.4 77.2 22.8 88.8 11.2 15 Sekong 93.6 6.4 85.1 14.9 95.5 4.5 16 Champasack 81.4 18.6 79.8 20.2 82.1 17.9 17 Attapeu 88.5 11.5 79.8 20.2 91.9 8.1 18 Xaysomboun 95.7 4.3 93.8 6.2 96.4 3.6

Around 65.2 per cent of households in Lao PDR had access to improved sources of drinking water. Nine in ten households in the urban areas had access to improved sources of drinking water, while around 53per cent in the rural areas had access to such improved sources. Access to improved sources of drinking water is a particular challenge in Huapanh and Phongsaly where less than 19 per cent of the households had access.

Table 9. Percentage distribution of household by source of drinking water and province

Improved drinking water unimproved drinking water

Well/ Bottle/ Well/ River/ Improved Code Piped Tank Mountain Rain Province borehole can borehole Stream/ Other Total drinking water water source water protected water unprotected Dam water 1 Vientiane Capital 0.14 0.36 98.85 0.21 - - 0.2 - 0.24 100.0 99.6 2 Phongsaly 8.5 0.36 9.94 - 0.33 8.14 72.57 0.15 - 100.0 18.8 3 Luangnamtha 18.29 11.92 29.9 - 0.85 3.12 35.72 0.2 - 100.0 60.1 4 Oudomxay 3.59 0.38 30.88 - - 2.98 61.12 1.05 - 100.0 34.8 5 Bokeo 8.86 7.61 28.58 - 1.66 1.67 51.5 - 0.12 100.0 45.0 6 Luangprabang 2.17 1.83 40.92 - 0.77 0.95 53.36 - - 100.0 44.9 7 Huaphanh 11.91 0.14 5.94 - 0.14 2.96 78.75 - 0.16 100.0 18.0 8 Xayabury 1.66 2.02 61.47 0.72 4.33 0.09 8.66 3.07 17.98 100.0 65.9 9 Xiengkhuang 2.07 7.11 34.11 - 8.41 0.65 43.17 - 4.48 100.0 43.3 10 Vientiane 1.75 4.93 81.13 - 1.03 1.49 6.18 2.03 1.47 100.0 87.8 11 Borikhamxay 0.31 25.51 62.2 - 0.79 - 5.87 - 5.32 100.0 88.0 12 Khammuane 0.56 30.11 55.87 - 7.81 3.97 1.69 - - 100.0 86.5 13 Savannakhet 0.86 35.73 40.9 - 7.11 1.91 4.31 8.82 0.36 100.0 77.5 14 Saravane 0.05 27.38 16.5 - 4.12 1.74 21.79 4.47 23.96 100.0 43.9 15 Sekong 23.72 10.25 15.52 - 1.07 12.57 36.53 0.15 0.2 100.0 49.5 16 Champasack 4.57 27.25 42.99 0.19 1.57 3.94 3.92 15.06 0.5 100.0 75.0 17 Attapeu 2.08 19.51 36.87 - 11.12 9.76 13.84 6.38 0.45 100.0 58.4 18 Xaysomboon 1.37 7.42 12.92 0.45 0.59 1.94 74.96 - 0.35 100.0 22.2 Geographic area Urban 6.5 7.51 79.13 0.12 0.75 0.22 4.86 0.46 0.45 100.0 93.3 Rural 1.98 17.67 33.23 0.08 3.89 3.18 30.47 4.48 5.02 100.0 53.0 Lao PDR 3.35 14.59 47.16 0.09 2.94 2.28 22.7 3.26 3.63 100.0 65.2

The electricity supply by the government covered around 1 million households (87.1 per cent). When all forms of electricity supplies are included, 93.1 per cent of the households in Lao PDR had access to electricity. All urban households had access to electricity, while 90.3 per cent in rural areas. Access to electricity was still limited in Luangprabang and in Saravane, where 27 per cent and 18 per cent of the households reported having no electricity.

Table 10. Percentage distribution of household by type of electricity and provinces

Household Yes (own Yes (share Yes (own Yes, (use Code Province No (1,000) meter) meter) generator) batteries) 1 Vientiane Capital 127 97.8 1.8 0.0 0.0 0.4 2 Phongsaly 32 56.2 1.3 20.1 13.5 8.9 3 Luangnamtha 31 83.9 3.7 0.0 11.1 1.2 4 Oudomxay 54 73.9 8.9 1.7 3.9 11.6 5 Bokeo 47 85.8 2.5 10.2 0.1 1.5 6 Luangprabang 77 58.7 11.0 0.4 2.2 27.7 7 Huaphanh 48 61.1 7.5 16.5 3.1 11.9 8 Xayabury 75 90.2 5.7 0.0 0.2 4.0 9 Xiengkhuang 43 89.0 3.1 1.3 0.2 6.4 10 Vientiane 79 95.7 4.1 0.0 0.0 0.2 11 Borikhamxay 75 97.5 2.2 0.1 0.0 0.1 12 Khammuane 77 84.7 8.5 1.9 2.0 2.9 13 Savannakhet 134 88.9 2.9 0.0 0.0 8.2 14 Saravane 78 54.7 2.3 0.1 25.1 17.8 15 Sekong 22 51.3 5.5 20.7 14.4 8.1 16 Champasack 103 93.4 3.5 0.0 0.2 2.9 17 Attapeu 22 66.2 7.9 13.8 1.1 11.1 18 Xaysomboon 18 84.9 11.9 0.3 0.1 2.8 Geographic area Urban 352 95.0 2.7 1.6 0.2 0.5 Rural 788 76.9 5.5 3.1 4.7 9.7 Lao PDR 1,140 82.4 4.7 2.6 3.4 6.9

67 per cent of the households used wood as the main source of energy for cooking, while another 24 per cent used charcoal. Use of charcoal for cooking was more frequent in the urban areas accounting for 37 per cent of the urban households. Wood was the most often used source of energy for cooking in the rural areas.

Table 11. Percentage distribution of household by main source of energy for cooking

Energy cooking

Code Provinces

Household Household (1,000) Electricity Paraffin Wood Coal Charcoal Sawdust Gas Other 1 Vientiane Capital 127 7.2 - 20.3 7.9 44.7 0.3 2.4 - 2 Phongsaly 32 3.2 - 9 3.0 - - - - - 3 Luangnamtha 31 8.7 - 79.1 0.2 - - 0.8 - 4 Oudomxay 54 2.2 - 3.6 - 0.2 - 2.8 - 5 Bokeo 47 1.8 - 86.2 - - - 11.0 - 6 Luangprabang 77 1.6 0.2 94.3 0.2 0.7 - 0.7 - 7 Huaphanh 48 1.3 - 95.0 0.2 0.2 - 1.8 0.3 8 Xayabury 75 0.8 - 79.5 0.1 17.4 - 1.2 0.2 9 Xiengkhuang 43 2.5 - 96.2 - 0.4 - 0.5 - 10 Vientiane 79 1.2 0.1 81.2 0.5 11.9 0.2 2.7 - 11 Borikhamxay 75 2.9 - 59.4 0.6 31.2 - 1.6 0.1 12 Khammuane 77 4.4 0.1 54.6 0.6 37.2 0.3 0.2 0.4 13 Savannakhet 134 2.1 - 58.6 0.8 37.4 - - - 14 Saravane 78 - - 74.3 0.4 24.4 - - 0.5 15 Sekong 22 5.6 - 82.7 0.3 10.2 - 0.2 - 16 Champasack 103 1.0 - 34. 3 1.0 61.6 0.2 0.6 0.2 17 Attapeu 22 6.6 0.4 72.7 1.7 15.7 - 0.8 - 18 Xaysomboon 18 2.5 - 96.8 0.1 0.2 - 0.3 - Geographic area Urban 352 6.0 - 43.8 1.8 37.1 0.2 7.2 0.0 Rural 788 1.7 0.1 77.2 1.0 17.7 0.0 0.6 0.1 Lao PDR 1,140 3.1 0.0 66.9 1.3 23.7 0.1 2.6 0.1

A large majority of the households had flush toilet at 72 per cent, or 825 thousand households in Lao PDR. More than 90 per cent of the urban households had flush toilet. In contrast, a notable number of rural households reported having no toilet at all – 29.5 per cent in rural areas. Lack of toilet facilities in households was particularly serious in Saravane (75 per cent), Sekong (41 per cent) and Attapeu (38 per cent).

Table 12. Percentage distribution of household by type of toilet facilities used by household

Toilet facilities

Code Provinces

toilet

Household Household (1,000) Flush/pou r flush Latrine Pit ventilated Latrine Pit other Compositi ng Bucket Hanging toilet No toilet 1 Vientiane Capital 127 92.1 0.2 - 0.2 - - 0.4 2 Phongsaly 32 49.8 0.2 0.2 1.1 0.2 9.5 35.3 3 Luangnamtha 31 90.5 - - - - - 8.4 4 Oudomxay 54 49.2 10.4 4.6 1.3 - 10.3 23.0 5 Bokeo 47 91.7 0.1 0.8 - - - 6.4 6 Luangprabang 77 63.6 0.2 - 0.2 0.7 0.2 32.7 7 Huaphanh 48 75.1 - - 0.2 - 1.6 21.9 8 Xayabury 75 92.5 - 0.1 0.3 0.4 - 5.9 9 Xiengkhuang 43 92.2 - 0.2 - - - 7.2 10 Vientiane 79 71.9 14.7 6.5 0.4 - - 4.2 11 Borikhamxay 75 93.7 0.3 - - - - 1.7 12 Khammuane 77 72.2 0.2 - - - - 25.5 13 Savannakhet 134 69.1 0.2 - - - - 29.6 14 Saravane 78 24.7 - - - - - 74.9 15 Sekong 22 53.5 1.2 1.6 1.5 0.4 - 40.9 16 Champasack 103 68.3 1.7 0.2 0.1 0.6 - 28.1 17 Attapeu 22 55.3 1.3 2.3 0.5 - 0.2 38.2 18 Xaysomboon SR 18 74.5 0.7 11.1 0.4 - - 13.2 Geographic Area Urban 352 90.3 1.4 0.4 0.2 0.2 0.5 3.2 Rural 788 64.4 2.0 1.3 0.3 0.1 1.0 29.5 Lao PDR 1,140 72.4 1.8 1.0 0.2 0.1 0.8 21.4

Motor bikes were the most frequently owned vehicle in Lao PDR at 79 per cent of the households (902 thousand), followed by tractors at 38 per cent (432 thousand). More urban households owned motor bikes, car/van or bicycles than in the rural areas, while more rural households owned tractors and boats than in the urban areas.

Table 13. Percentage distribution of household by household assets (Vehicle)

Household Code Provinces Tractor Car/van Motor-bike Bicycle Boat (1,000) 1 Vientiane Capital 127 16.1 38.7 88.5 27.1 0.9 2 Phongsaly 32 28.9 8.6 71.0 1.9 1.5 3 Luangnamtha 31 31.7 19.6 87.3 27.1 2.3 4 Oudomxay 54 21.5 11.6 66.7 9.1 3.2 5 Bokeo 47 20.8 12.7 65.3 18.3 16.7 6 Luangprabang 77 9.3 7.3 65.9 17.8 1.9 7 Huaphanh 48 29.6 12.8 74.6 5.4 1.8 8 Xayabury 75 46.4 12.6 81.5 32.2 6.3 9 Xiengkhuang 43 36.5 30 93.8 21.2 0.9 10 Vientiane 79 41.4 22.1 87.7 30.6 4.8 11 Borikhamxay 75 43.9 26.0 85.8 19.2 9.1 12 Khammuane 77 46.6 17.7 78.2 35.4 9.9 13 Savannakhet 134 74.4 10.4 77.6 18.0 5.7 14 Saravane 78 53.8 8.3 75.0 9.4 1.0 15 Sekong 22 19.6 8.6 62.8 6.7 - 16 Champasack 103 36.6 20.4 82.6 17.1 7.7 17 Attapeu 22 35.7 11.7 71.4 7.5 9.5 18 Xaysomboon SR 18 39.6 12.2 88.4 17 7.8 Geographic Area Urban 352 24.9 33.4 88.5 25.8 2.9 Rural 788 43.7 10.8 75.0 17.3 6.0 Lao PDR 1,140 37.9 17.8 79.1 19.9 5.0

More than half of households in Lao PDR owned a fan (67 per cent) and fridge/freezer (60 per cent). Ownership of all household appliances included in the survey was more prevalent among the urban households than the rural households.

Table 14. Percentage distribution of household by household assets (Device)

Code Province Washing machine Air conditioner Fan Fridge/Freezer 1 Vientiane Capital 49.9 31.2 92.1 88.2 2 Phongsaly 3.3 1.1 20.7 29.7 3 Luangnamtha 14.6 8.3 61.7 44.9 4 Oudomxay 8.3 3.3 46.1 31.7 5 Bokeo 19.7 6.5 75.4 53.4 6 Luangprabang 5.5 2.8 43.2 33.9 7 Huaphanh 8.3 3.6 40.8 26.1 8 Xayabury 32.0 2.7 85.2 71.5 9 Xiengkhuang 13.4 1.2 42.4 49.9 10 Vientiane 32.9 10.9 91.7 81.5 11 Borikhamxay 47.4 11.5 87.7 80.5 12 Khammuane 20.2 9.7 82.6 76.0 13 Savannakhet 4.7 3.2 69.5 63.0 14 Saravane 4.3 1.7 39.9 25.5 15 Sekong 6.1 2.2 26.5 27.9 16 Champasack 13.1 9.3 73.0 79.2 17 Attapeu 13.1 4.9 58.8 45.7 18 Xaysomboon SR 5.8 2.2 61.5 65.7 Geographic Area Urban 42.9 21.2 87.9 83.9 Rural 9.5 2.7 58.2 49.8 Lao PDR 19.8 8.4 67.4 60.3

Around two-third of the households owned a television (66 per cent) and a cell phone (64 per cent), more so in the urban areas than in the rural areas. For fixed-line telephones and radio, urban and rural households were almost equally likely to own them. The ownership of computer was clearly more prevalent in the urban areas at 15 per cent (51 thousand households) compared to just 2 per cent in the rural areas. Table 15. Percentage distribution of household by household assets (Communication Device)

Code Provinces Radio Television Telephone fixed Cell phone Computer 1 Vientiane Capital 10.3 89.5 4.2 88.5 20.7 2 Phongsaly 18.1 60.1 26.0 64.6 3.1 3 Luangnamtha 4.6 73.4 27.4 73.0 6.7 4 Oudomxay 13.6 66.2 15.0 58.8 6.2 5 Bokeo 4.4 69.9 14.1 53.5 5.4 6 Luangprabang 18.4 52.0 26.3 49.3 2.3 7 Huaphanh 1.3 53.4 6.4 70.5 2.0 8 Xayabury 10.0 85.9 17.4 78.2 3.8 9 Xiengkhuang 8.5 74.1 32.6 81.4 9.1 10 Vientiane 15.6 89.4 26.6 84.7 4.2 11 Borikhamxay 13.2 84.9 18.8 82.5 4.6 12 Khammuane 17.3 79.0 3.6 57.4 5.0 13 Savannakhet 20.2 69.9 11.6 50.5 1.8 14 Saravane 5.2 42.8 23.8 35.1 1.5 15 Sekong 6.1 49.7 14.5 27.6 3.4 16 Champasack 7.0 84.6 14.6 59.1 3.7 17 Attapeu 7.5 65.6 11.3 60.5 4.4 18 Xaysomboon SR 10.0 66.3 69.2 63.6 4.1 Geographic Area Urban 11.7 88.0 16.5 80.8 14.6 Rural 11.8 66.2 17.0 57.4 1.7 Lao PDR 11.7 72.9 16.9 64.6 5.7

Majority of the households (58 per cent) reported having the same income as last year. For those who experienced a change in income, almost twice as many households reported an increase in income (311 thousand) rather than a decrease (155 thousand). An increase in income was more likely among the urban households (34 per cent) than among the rural households (around 25 per cent). More than 50 per cent of the households reported an increase in income in Xiengkhuang (26 thousand) and in Borikhamxay (38 thousand), while households in Oudomxay and Attapeu were more likely to report a decrease in income (14 and 5 thousand, respectively, or nearly 25 per cent of the households). Table 16. Number and percentage distribution of household by household’s income Status

Household Income Code Province Increased Decreased Same % % % (1,000) (1,000) (1,000) 1 Vientiane Capital 40 33.4 16 13.1 63 53.5 2 Phongsaly 14 45.8 3 10.8 13 43.4 3 Luangnamtha 8 27.5 2 5.7 20 66.8 4 Oudomxay 18 34.0 14 26.2 21 39.8 5 Bokeo 7 16.1 8 16.9 31 67.0 6 Luangprabang 17 23.0 7 9.6 51 67.4 7 Huaphanh 11 23.9 5 11.1 31 65.0 8 Xayabury 25 33.4 11 14.3 39 52.3 9 Xiengkhuang 26 61.1 2 5.0 15 33.9 10 Vientiane 15 19.9 9 12.1 52 68.1 11 Borikhamxay 38 52.7 8 11.6 26 35.7 12 Khammuane 13 16.8 9 12.3 53 70.9 13 Savannakhet 37 28.3 21 15.7 74 56.0 14 Saravane 15 19.0 8 9.9 55 71.0 15 Sekong 4 17.0 5 22.0 13 60.9 16 Champasack 13 13.2 19 19.0 69 67.7 17 Attapeu 2 10.5 5 24.4 14 65.1 18 Xaysomboon 7 38.9 3 16.7 8 44.4 Geographic Area Urban 116 34.2 36 10.7 186 55.1 Rural 196 25.2 119 15.3 462 59.5 Lao PDR 311 27.9 155 13.9 648 58.2

The top three reasons cited for a fall in income were unspecified reasons (21.6 per cent), no agricultural production (18.8 percent) and unemployment (17.8 percent). Other reasons for a fall in income were more important in the urban areas (30.2 per cent), while no agricultural production was the most important reason in the rural areas (20.6 per cent).

Table 17. Percentage distribution of reason fall in income compare to last year by province, geographic area

Code Province

Flood Drought crop Enemy Epidemics closing Business economic to due recession oil increased Price inflation Price fire forest storms landslides no agriculture production unemployed other 1 Vientiane 4.4 0.0 1.5 0.0 1.9 1.6 46.2 0.0 0.0 1.4 2.4 12.9 27.7 Capital 2 Phongsaly 0.0 1.3 1.9 1.7 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.7 14.9 25.4 53.1 3 Luangnamtha 8.8 6.7 7.6 0.0 4.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 41.2 11.3 20.3 4 Oudomxay 1.4 39.1 2.1 0.6 1.0 0.0 0.6 0.6 0.0 0.7 19.1 20.0 14.8 5 Bokeo 0.7 10.7 1.2 0.0 0.7 0.9 3.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 63.9 10.6 8.1 6 Luangprabang 5.1 11.3 52.3 3.3 0.0 0.0 3.6 0.0 0.0 0.0 7.8 1.5 15.2 7 Huaphanh 7.8 2.6 4.4 1.1 3.7 0.0 0.0 1.0 0.0 0.0 50.8 3.5 24.9 8 Xayabury 2.1 4.7 5.4 0.8 3.9 1.4 9.4 1.0 1.1 0.9 27.8 8.2 33.2 9 Xiengkhuang 0.0 1.4 7.2 0.0 25.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.4 38.1 4.9 21.8 10 Vientiane 2.2 5.6 12.4 13.3 4.2 0.0 1.9 0.0 0.0 0.0 2.5 13.8 44.1 11 Borikhamxay 5.2 0.0 1.7 0.0 21.7 0.0 2.2 0.0 1.0 1.2 21.5 9.3 36.2 12 Khammuane 11.8 2.6 1.1 0.0 5.2 0.0 8.4 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 27.5 43.3 13 Savannakhet 6.5 5.0 1.4 0.0 3.2 13.9 15.1 1.0 0.0 3.6 16.2 30.1 3.9 14 Saravane 4.0 0.2 3.8 3.8 26.2 0.0 0.7 0.0 0.0 0.0 26.0 18.2 17.2 15 Sekong 1.3 7.7 29.2 13.5 7.0 0.6 0.2 0.0 1.4 0.0 3.1 6.1 30.0 16 Champasack 9.0 1.8 17 4.1 3.7 2.1 2.2 0.0 0.8 0.0 26.4 12.7 20.3 17 Attapeu 1.0 0.0 1.1 1.5 26.1 0.0 1.6 0.0 0.0 0.7 12.5 22.2 33.3 18 Xaysomboon 5.1 0.0 1.7 7.8 1.4 0.0 1.1 0.8 0.8 0.9 12.5 47.4 20.6 Geographic area Urban 5.5 2.4 3.5 2.3 8.6 4.3 13.9 0.0 0.1 1.0 12.6 15.6 30.2 Rural 4.9 7.5 8.4 2.3 5.0 3.5 8.2 0.5 0.3 1.2 20.6 18.5 19.1 Lao PDR 5.0 6.4 7.3 2.3 5.8 3.6 9.4 0.4 0.3 1.2 18.8 17.8 21.6

A majority of the households reported that they had not received any assistance from any organizations (50.3 percent). By far the most frequently cited method of coping with a fall in income was a reduction in household expenditures (29.8 percent), followed by selling of property or livestock (7.1 percent) and assistance from friends or relatives (4.1 percent). A reduction in household expenditures was the often-used method of coping with a fall in income in both urban and rural areas.

Table 18. Percentage distribution of household by source/ methods used to overcome problem faced due to fall in income

Code Province

rty/livestock

Received assistance assistance Received local From working Increase

No assistance from from No assistance organization any assistance Received government the from NGO from community organization from Assistance relatives/friends household of hours member Sold prope household Reduced expenditure Other 1 Vientiane Capital 68.5 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.8 0.0 0.0 29.7 0.0 2 Phongsaly 76.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 2.3 0.0 0.0 16.8 4.6 3 Luangnamtha 38.4 0.0 5.1 0.0 6.2 0.0 5.6 38.6 6.2 4 Oudomxay 90.6 1.3 0.0 0.7 2.6 0.0 1.1 3.7 0.0 5 Bokeo 26.6 8.9 53.5 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 9.6 1.4 6 Luangprabang 82.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 2.2 11.4 4.0 7 Huaphanh 41.2 2.3 5.0 16.7 0.0 1.2 1.0 18.5 14.1 8 Xayabury 49.6 1.0 0.0 0.0 0.8 9.3 14.6 24.7 0.0 9 Xiengkhuang 55.8 6.5 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 9.7 18.6 9.3 10 Vientiane 42.7 1.6 0.0 1.5 2.5 0.4 1.1 44.1 2.4 11 Borikhamxay 48.5 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.2 6.7 41.9 0.8 12 Khammuane 39.9 1.2 0.0 0.0 2.3 6.5 2.6 43.4 4.0 13 Savannakhet 34.4 0.0 0.0 0.0 2.3 0.0 26 36.5 0.8 14 Saravane 39.4 0.0 0.0 0.0 7.9 0.0 0.0 50.6 2.1 15 Sekong 36.5 0.4 0.0 0.0 13.3 0.0 0.6 43.0 6.3 16 Champasack 44.5 0.5 0.0 0.8 15.6 3.3 0.5 33.6 1.4 17 Attapeu 77.3 0.0 0.9 0.0 1.8 0.0 1.2 15.4 3.4 18 Xaysomboon 43.7 0.4 0.3 0.0 1.7 1.5 18.4 32.9 1.1 Geographic Area Urban 49.8 1.3 0.2 0.0 3.3 1.4 6.3 33.9 3.9 Rural 50.5 0.9 3.5 1.1 4.3 2.0 7.3 28.7 1.6 Lao PDR 50.3 1.0 2.8 0.8 4.1 1.9 7.1 29.8 2.1

A large majority of households did not have any loans (970 thousand or 87 per cent of the households). This situation was similar in both urban and rural areas. The incidence of household indebtedness was higher in Oudomxay (29.3 per cent), Phongsaly (22 per cent) and Huaphanh (19.8 per cent) than in other provinces.

Table 19. Number and percentage distribution of household by status of loaning, province and geographic area.

Loan Code Province Yes No Household (1,000) % Household (1,000) % 1 Vientiane Capital 13 10.9 105 89.1 2 Phongsaly 7 22.0 24 78.0 3 Luangnamtha 5 17.5 25 82.5 4 Oudomxay 16 29.3 37 70.7 5 Bokeo 3 7.2 43 92.8 6 Luangprabang 10 12.8 66 87.2 7 Huaphanh 9 19.8 38 80.2 8 Xayabury 14 18.7 60 81.3 9 Xiengkhuang 8 19.6 35 80.4 10 Vientiane 8 9.9 69 90.1 11 Borikhamxay 8 10.5 64 89.5 12 Khammuane 8 10.8 67 89.2 13 Savannakhet 18 13.8 114 86.2 14 Saravane 3 4.2 75 95.8 15 Sekong 2 9.1 20 90.9 16 Champasack 9 8.7 93 91.3 17 Attapeu 2 8.2 20 91.8 18 Xaysomboon 2 12.0 16 88.0 Geographic Area Urban 39 11.7 299 88.3 Rural 105 13.5 671 86.5 Lao PDR 145 13.0 970 87.0

Among households with a loan, the main reasons cited were agricultural production (33 per cent) and to meet essential household expenditures (29.9 per cent). These were the main reasons for incurring a debt particularly among rural households. The third main reason for taking a loan was to operate or expand a business (10.2 per cent).

Table 20. Percentage of household with loaning by main reason for loaning by province and geographic area

Code Province

ousehold

For health related related For health

To meet essential essential meet To h expenditure for vehicle To buy member household To purchase/ remodel/repaired/c a house onstruct expenditure For ritual expenditures operate/expand To business loan previous To pay For agriculture production Other 1 Vientiane Capital 60.4 2.6 1.7 1.8 0.0 17.3 0.0 12.2 4.0 2 Phongsaly 39.8 3.8 3.4 8.2 0.0 6.8 0.8 22.6 14.6 3 Luangnamtha 38.6 14.3 10.0 1.1 0.0 18.3 0.0 16.8 0.9 4 Oudomxay 17.6 0.5 3.2 7.9 0.6 12.5 0.0 50.7 7.1 5 Bokeo 30.7 4.2 1.3 39.8 0.0 4.0 0.0 19.2 0.8 6 Luangprabang 16.3 2.5 2.2 20.0 1.5 10.9 0.7 38.5 7.2 7 Huaphanh 4.4 2.8 7.4 6.7 0.0 3.2 0.8 35.9 38.7 8 Xayabury 43.8 2.7 3.7 2.0 0.0 4.2 0.0 40.0 3.7 9 Xiengkhuang 1.9 1.0 3.6 0.4 0.0 11.1 0.0 73.9 8.1 10 Vientiane 27.6 2.8 8.3 10.1 0.0 17.3 2.7 21.8 9.4 11 Borikhamxay 27.5 9.7 7.9 2.1 0.0 18.1 0.0 29.8 4.9 12 Khammuane 33.1 4.5 10.1 11.5 1.6 16.5 0.0 16.3 6.4 13 Savannakhet 31.1 10.0 0.7 4.2 0.0 1.1 0.0 35.8 17.1 14 Saravane 40.8 8.6 0.0 9.6 0.8 2.3 0.0 38.0 0.0 15 Sekong 21.8 13.3 6.3 15.8 1.4 12.1 0.0 11.8 17.4 16 Champasack 34.0 4.8 6.6 10.1 1.1 17.7 0.0 19.0 6.7 17 Attapeu 46.3 5.9 2.2 0.0 0.0 18.9 0.0 21.7 5.1 18 Xaysomboon 6.4 4.3 7.6 4.1 0.0 6.7 1.2 45.6 24.1 Geographic Area Urban 26.7 4.5 8.2 4.0 0.0 25.7 0.0 22.9 7.9 Rural 31.0 4.8 2.9 8.5 0.5 4.8 0.4 36.5 10.6 Lao PDR 29.9 4.7 4.3 7.4 0.4 10.2 0.3 33.0 9.9

The main sources of loan were the Government bank and village development fund followed by Village development fund.

Table 21. Percentage distribution of household with loaning by source of loaning by province and geographic area

Loan source

Code Province

friends relatives

Government Government bank bank Private Individual money lender Village development fund Other (specify) 1 Vientiane Capital 17.4 24.1 9.7 1.8 3.3 34.4 9.3 2 Phongsaly 57.9 2.5 0.7 0.8 33.1 4.2 0.8 3 Luangnamtha 62.6 7.3 0.0 0.0 2.1 28.0 0.0 4 Oudomxay 64.8 6.7 3.4 1.3 15.7 6.9 1.3 5 Bokeo 30.5 5.2 1.7 1.0 57.6 4.1 0.0 6 Luangprabang 49.3 1.5 1.2 1.7 28.5 14.7 3.2 7 Huaphanh 49.1 4.5 1.7 0.8 11.8 5.3 26.7 8 Xayabury 40.6 3.0 17.3 0.9 17.2 21.0 0.0 9 Xiengkhuang 94.6 0.7 0.0 0.0 1.1 0.9 2.7 10 Vientiane 44 7.8 1.9 5.2 13.3 24.5 3.3 11 Borikhamxay 41.4 7.3 3.5 1.3 1.3 39.4 5.8 12 Khammuane 7.3 23.1 6.3 1.5 1.6 60.2 0.0 13 Savannakhet 64.0 5.5 3.0 1.3 13.8 12.4 0.0 14 Saravane 51.6 13.6 0.0 0.5 19.9 14.4 0.0 15 Sekong 14.3 26.3 2.0 2.6 46.5 3.8 4.6 16 Champasack 28.5 15.2 7.5 8.0 37.1 3.7 0.0 17 Attapeu 34.0 10.8 2.5 2.3 31.2 3.9 15.3 18 Xaysomboon 83.5 0.0 1.2 0.0 1.9 12.7 0.8 Geographic area Urban 47.7 15.2 7.1 1.8 6.0 17.6 4.6 Rural 47.8 6.1 3.8 1.8 19.3 17.6 3.5 Lao PDR 47.8 8.6 4.7 1.8 15.7 17.6 3.8

Age structure

Lao PDR has a young population, where more than 30 per cent of the population was less than 15 years of age and only 5 per cent of the population was older than 65 years of age. 33.8 per cent of the population in the rural areas was aged less than 15 years compared to 24.5 per cent in the urban areas.

Table 22. Percentage distribution of the total population (0+), by age-group, sex and geographic area

Total Urban Rural Age-group Total Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female 0-4 10.5 10.7 10.4 8.1 8.8 7.5 11.4 11.4 11.5 5-9 9.9 10.0 9.7 7.7 7.2 8.2 10.7 11.0 10.3 10-14 10.8 11.0 10.6 8.7 9.2 8.3 11.5 11.7 11.4 15-19 10.6 10.7 10.4 9.5 9.4 9.6 10.9 11.1 10.8 20-24 8.0 7.6 8.4 8.2 7.9 8.5 7.9 7.6 8.3 25-29 8.5 8.3 8.6 8.8 8.7 8.9 8.3 8.2 8.4 30-34 7.5 7.1 7.8 8.6 7.7 9.5 7.0 6.9 7.2 35-39 7.2 7.3 7.0 8.0 8.1 7.9 6.8 7.1 6.6 40-44 5.8 6.0 5.7 6.5 6.7 6.4 5.6 5.7 5.4 45-49 5.5 5.4 5.6 6.6 6.9 6.3 5.1 4.9 5.3 50-54 4.4 4.3 4.6 5.7 5.5 5.9 4.0 3.8 4.1 55-59 4.0 4.1 4.0 4.8 5.2 4.4 3.7 3.7 3.8 60-64 2.8 2.9 2.6 3.4 3.5 3.2 2.5 2.7 2.4 65+ 4.6 4.6 4.7 5.3 5.3 5.3 4.4 4.3 4.5 Total (0+) 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Dependency ratios

The dependency ratio was 55.9 per cent for the whole country. This ratio was the highest in the rural areas (61.9 per cent), and urban areas (43.1 per cent). The dependency ratio was notably high in Sekong (89.7 per cent) and Saravane (86.5 per cent), mainly because of the large proportion of those aged less than 15 years of age.

Table 23. Distribution of dependency ratios, by provinces and geographic area

Total Urban Rural Code Province DPR 0-14 15-64 65 + DPR 0-14 15-64 65 + DPR 0-14 15-64 65 + 1 Vientiane Capital 42.1 24.5 70.4 5.1 40.3 23.3 71.3 5.4 45.9 27.1 68.5 4.4 2 Phongsaly 66.7 35.2 60.0 4.8 55.3 30.0 64.4 5.6 71.4 37.2 58.3 4.5 3 Luangnamtha 56.2 32.1 64.0 3.9 37.8 24.0 72.6 3.4 66.8 35.9 60.0 4.2 4 Oudomxay 62.9 34.8 61.4 3.8 49.0 27.2 67.1 5.6 68.3 37.4 59.4 3.2 5 Bokeo 56.0 32.1 64.1 3.8 39.1 22.7 71.9 5.4 62.2 35.1 61.6 3.3 6 Luangprabang 65.4 35.4 60.5 4.1 44.2 25.2 69.3 5.4 74.6 39.1 57.3 3.6 7 Huaphanh 67.3 37.2 59.8 3.0 45.3 26.7 68.8 4.5 72.6 39.3 57.9 2.7 8 Xayabury 47.4 26.7 67.8 5.5 43.2 24.3 69.8 5.9 49.3 27.7 67.0 5.3 9 Xiengkhuang 59.4 33.6 62.7 3.7 52.5 32.9 65.6 1.5 62.0 33.8 61.7 4.4 10 Vientiane 47.8 27.7 67.7 4.7 44.8 23.9 69.1 7.1 48.7 28.8 67.2 3.9 11 Borikhamxay 48.3 27.1 67.4 5.5 40.8 23.7 71.0 5.3 58.0 31.1 63.3 5.7 12 Khammuane 51.2 29.2 66.1 4.6 39.7 23.2 71.6 5.2 55.8 31.4 64.2 4.4 13 Savannakhet 56.9 31.9 63.7 4.4 50.8 27.4 66.3 6.3 57.7 32.4 63.4 4.2 14 Saravane 86.5 42.1 53.6 4.3 43.2 26.2 69.8 4.0 92.3 43.6 52.0 4.4 15 Sekong 89.7 43.2 52.7 4.1 61.2 34.2 62.0 3.8 96.1 44.9 51.0 4.1 16 Champasack 49.2 26.8 67.0 6.2 39.6 23.9 71.6 4.5 54.3 28.2 64.8 7.0 17 Attapeu 67.8 35.6 59.6 4.8 54.5 29.5 64.7 5.7 72.8 37.7 57.9 4.5 18 Xaysomboon 66.2 36.6 60.2 3.2 56.3 32.0 64.0 4.0 69.5 38.1 59.0 2.9 Lao PDR 55.9 31.2 64.2 4.6 43.1 24.9 69.9 5.2 61.9 33.8 61.8 4.4

Educational profile of the population

Around one-third of the working age population had completed primary school and another one-third had completed secondary school. There was little gender difference in educational attainment. The urban population is much better educated than the rural working age population. 66.3 per cent of the urban population had completed primary school and above, while this proportion was less than 40 per cent in the rural areas.

Table 24. Percentage Distribution of working-age population, by educational attainment, sex and geographic area, 2017

Total Urban Rural Level Total Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female Not enrolled 20.0 13.1 26.5 9.5 5.7 13.1 24.9 16.6 33.0 Less than primary 33.7 34.4 33.0 24.3 22.2 26.2 38.2 40.1 36.3 Primary completed 18.3 20.4 16.2 19.5 20.1 18.9 17.7 20.5 14.9 Lower secondary 12.9 14.5 11.3 17.7 19.4 16.1 10.7 12.3 9.0 Upper Secondary 4.4 5.0 3.8 7.0 7.7 6.4 3.1 3.7 2.5 Vocational first 1.0 1.3 0.8 1.8 2.1 1.5 0.7 0.9 0.4 Vocational middle 2.8 3.3 2.4 5.0 5.5 4.5 1.8 2.3 1.3 Vocational high 3.8 4.2 3.5 7.8 8.5 7.2 2.0 2.3 1.7 University and upper 3.1 3.7 2.5 7.5 8.9 6.1 1.1 1.3 0.8 Lao PDR 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Chapter IV: Economic activity

Chapter IV looks at economic activity, beginning with the labor force (4.1), labor force by educational attainment (Section 4.2), labor force participation (Section 4.3), labor force participation rate by educational attained (Section 4.4), and population outside labor force (Section 4.5).

Labor force

Labor force refer to persons 15 years or older who contribute or are available to contribute to production of goods and service in the country. They are either employed or unemployed during the refer week prior to the survey.

Table 25 and 26 present number and percentage distribution of labor force, geographic area and education attained

Table 25. Percentage distribution of labor force by province, geographic area and sex

Lao PDR Urban Rural Code Provinces Both Both Both Male Female Male Female Male Female sex sex sex 1 Vientiane Capital 14.0 13.5 14.4 29.8 29.7 29.8 6.5 6.0 7.0 2 Phongsaly 2.6 2.7 2.5 2.4 2.5 2.2 2.7 2.7 2.7 3 Luangnamtha 2.7 2.7 2.7 3.0 3.0 3.0 2.5 2.5 2.5 4 Oudomxay 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.8 4.8 4.8 5 Bokeo 2.7 2.9 2.6 2.3 2.4 2.3 2.9 3.2 2.7 6 Luangprabang 6.2 6.4 6.1 5.9 6.1 5.8 6.4 6.5 6.2 7 Huaphanh 4.1 4.1 4.1 2.5 2.6 2.4 4.8 4.8 4.8 8 Xayabury 6.4 6.5 6.2 6.2 6.4 6.0 6.4 6.6 6.3 9 Xiengkhuang 3.7 3.6 3.7 2.9 3.0 2.9 4.0 4.0 4.1 10 Vientiane 6.8 6.8 6.8 5.1 4.9 5.4 7.6 7.7 7.4 11 Borikhamxay 4.6 4.5 4.6 8.0 7.7 8.2 2.9 3.0 2.9 12 Khammuane 6.1 6 6.3 5.4 5.4 5.4 6.5 6.3 6.7 13 Savannakhet 14.6 14.9 14.3 5.4 5.5 5.2 18.9 19.3 18.6 14 Saravane 5.1 5.1 5.1 1.8 1.9 1.7 6.6 6.6 6.7 15 Sekong 1.5 1.4 1.5 0.8 0.8 0.8 1.8 1.7 1.8 16 Champasack 11.2 11.0 11.5 11.7 11.4 12.0 11.0 10.8 11.2 17 Attapeu 2.0 2.0 2.1 1.7 1.7 1.8 2.2 2.1 2.2 18 Xaysomboon 1.3 1.4 1.3 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.4 1.5 1.4 Lao PDR 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Labor force by educational attainment

A large majority of the labor force had lower secondary education or less, constituting around 77 percent of the labor force. At the same time, compared to the estimate of labor force by education in 2010, more people had completed vocational and higher education.

There was little difference in this distribution between men and women, though female labor force was somewhat less educated than men. In both urban and rural areas, the biggest segment of the labor force had not completed primary school at 27.9 per cent and 54.5 per cent of the total urban and rural labor force, respectively. Compared to the rural areas, the urban labor force was more likely to have completed the high level vocational and tertiary education.

Table 26. Percentage distribution of labor force by education attained, geographic area and sex

Lao PDR Urban Rural Education attained Both Both Both Male Female Male Female Male Female sex sex sex Not enrolled 9.3 6.5 12.7 4.3 3.0 5.7 13.0 8.9 18.1 Less than primary 33.9 32.8 35.3 23.6 21.0 26.6 41.5 41.0 42.2 Primary completed 20.4 21.6 18.9 20.3 20.5 20.1 20.4 22.4 17.9 Lower secondary 13.4 14.5 12.3 16.6 17.6 15.4 11.1 12.2 9.8 Upper Secondary 3.5 3.8 3.1 4.1 4.6 3.5 3.0 3.2 2.8 Vocational first 1.7 2.1 1.3 2.3 2.7 1.9 1.3 1.6 0.9 Vocational middle 4.9 5.2 4.6 6.9 7.1 6.6 3.5 3.8 3.0 Vocational high 6.9 7.2 6.6 10.9 11.2 10.5 4.0 4.4 3.6 University and upper 5.9 6.4 5.2 11.1 12.4 9.7 2.1 2.3 1.8 Lao PDR 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Labor force participation

“Labor force participation rate” is calculated by expressing the number of persons in the labor force as a percentage of the working-age population. The labor force is the sum of the number of persons employed and the number of persons unemployed. The labor force participation rate indicator plays a central role in the study of the factors that determine the size and composition of a country’s human resources and in making projections of the future supply of labor. The information is also used to formulate employment policies, to determine training needs and to calculate the expected working lives of the male and female populations and the rates of accession to, and retirement from, economic activity, crucial information for the financial planning of social security systems. Figure 4 show that labor force participant rate for the total working age population was 40.8 per cent. This rate is much lower than the rate estimated in 2010 which stood at 77.7 per cent. It is because the current report uses the new concept of statistics of work, employment and labor underutilization that was adopted by the 19th International Conference of Labor Statisticians (ICLS) in 20131. The important difference from the previous definition is that those who worked solely or mainly for own consumption are no longer considered to be in employment but to be outside the labor force2. Thus, an estimate of labor force participation rate using the new concept presents a significant break from the previous estimates in an agrarian economy with considerable proportion of the population in non-market, subsistence activities. Men are much more likely to participate in the labor force than women. The labor force participation rate for men was 45.2 per cent compared to 36.5 per cent for women. The gap in labor force participation rate between men and women are larger for older cohorts aged 25 years and above, particularly for those aged 50 to 64 years old. Women start to drop out of the labor force from around the age of 50, while men start to drop out of the labor force at an older age of from around 55. The urban labor force participation rate at 53.8 per cent was almost 20 percentage points higher than the rural rates. The labor force participation rate in the urban areas reaches a peak of 72.1 per cent for those aged 35 to 39 years old. In contrast, the peak rate of participation for the rural population was much lower at 45.2 per cent and for a younger cohort aged 30 to 34 years old. This can be partly reflecting a lack of opportunities for employment in the rural areas.

1 Web reference. The new Resolution of the 19th ICLS has been piloted in XX countries thus far. 2 If a definition that is similar to the one used in the previous survey is used with the 2017 dataset, the labour force participation rate can be estimated to be around 82 per cent. 35

Figure 4. labor force participation rate by sext and age group

36.5 Total (15+) 45.2 40.8 40 Adult (25+) 51 45.4 27.3 Youth (15-24) 29.5 28.4 7 65+ 16.4 11.5 19.8 60-64 37 28.8 31.8 55-59 45.6 38.7 35 50-54 54.1 44.1 43.3 45-49 55.2 49.1 49 40-44 57.5 53.3 47.8 35-39 59 53.5 48.8 30-34 59.4 53.8 48.2 25-29 54 51 37.3 20-24 43.7 40.3 19.3 15-19 19.3 19.3 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

Females Males Total

The labor force participation rate was different across provinces, ranging from the low of 16.5 per cent Savannakhet to the high of 68.7 per cent in Xayabury. Women were notably less likely to take part in the labor force in Bokeo, Luangnamtha and Attapeu. The gap in participation between the urban and the rural areas was also considerable in some provinces.

Table 27. Percentage distribution of labor force participation rate, by province, sex and geographic area

Total Urban Rural Code Province Both Both Both Male Female Male Female Male Female sex sex sex 1 Vientiane Capital 62.6 69.6 56.3 63.4 69.4 57.7 60.9 70.0 53.4 2 Phongsaly 50.8 55.7 45.8 58.9 63.4 54.2 47.4 52.4 42.4 3 Luangnamtha 42.3 50.4 34.6 55.7 59.6 52.1 34.7 45.2 24.5 4 Oudomxay 41.0 48.0 34.3 53.9 62.6 45.8 35.9 42.3 29.6 5 Bokeo 37.7 48.3 26.0 47.7 56.9 38.9 33.9 45.4 20.6 6 Luangprabang 36.6 41.2 32.1 46.5 48.0 45.2 32.3 38.3 26.2 7 Huaphanh 36.8 38.4 35.2 50.7 53.0 48.4 33.3 34.6 32.1 8 Xayabury 68.7 73.7 63.6 68.1 74.7 61.5 68.9 73.3 64.5 9 Xiengkhuang 58.5 60.0 57.0 83.5 83.7 83.2 49.8 51.7 48.0 10 Vientiane 39.6 42.7 36.5 57.5 64.3 51.6 33.8 36.4 31.3 11 Borikhamxay 33.0 36.0 30.2 30.3 33.8 27.3 36.4 38.7 34.0 12 Khammuane 30.0 33.0 27.3 42.3 42.6 42.0 25.2 29.2 21.5 13 Savannakhet 16.5 19.2 13.7 26.6 33.8 19.4 15.1 17.3 12.9 14 Saravane 23.0 25.2 20.9 58.7 58.2 59.3 18.4 20.8 16.1 15 Sekong 18.5 21.6 15.7 40.0 46.0 34.8 13.8 16.5 11.4 16 Champasack 47.1 52.4 42.2 51.2 55.6 47.3 45.0 50.8 39.6 17 Attapeu 37.5 44.7 30.9 51.1 51.3 51.0 32.4 42.3 23.1 18 Xaysomboun 36.9 42.1 31.7 53.6 60.5 47.0 31.4 36.2 26.3 Lao PDR 40.8 45.2 36.5 53.8 58.6 49.3 34.6 39.0 30.4

Labor force participation rate by educational attainment

Having higher education is clearly associated with higher participation in the labor force. 77.2 per cent of the working age population with university education and above took part in the labor force compared to only 41.1 per cent for those with less than primary education. A jump in participation rate occurs for those with vocational and higher level of education. For those with primary or lower secondary education, the participation rate was similar to those with less than primary education, at 45.5 and 42.5 per cent, respectively. The participation rate of those with upper secondary education was notably lower than that of lower secondary education at 32.7 per cent. This may reflect the situation where some upper secondary school graduates stayed on in education or training and remained outside the labor force. Women participated less than men for almost all educational levels, and the difference was biggest between men and women with the first level of vocational education (13.0 percentage points).

The rural population with primary education or less was much less likely to be in the labor force than their urban counterpart, with a difference of around 15 percentage points. While the urban-rural gap was narrower for those with upper secondary or vocational education, the gap widens to 12.2 percentage points for those with tertiary education. This suggests a lack of employment opportunities for highly educated persons in the rural areas. Table 28. Percentage distribution of labor force participation rate, by educational attainment, sex and geographic area

Total Urban Rural Level Total Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female Not enrolled 19.0 22.3 17.5 24.1 30.2 21.6 18.1 21.0 16.7 Less than primary 41.1 43.0 39.1 52.4 55.5 49.9 37.7 39.8 35.3 Primary completed 45.5 47.9 42.6 56.0 59.6 52.4 40.0 42.6 36.5 Lower secondary 42.5 44.9 39.5 50.5 53.5 47.2 36.1 38.7 32.8 Upper Secondary 32.7 34.7 30.1 31.4 35.4 26.9 34.0 34.0 34.0 Vocational first 68.6 73.6 60.7 69.5 77.0 60.0 67.3 70.0 61.8 Vocational middle 70.6 70.2 71.2 74.0 75.2 72.6 66.2 64.7 68.8 Vocational high 73.6 76.8 69.9 74.8 77.5 72.0 71.3 75.6 65.7 University and upper 77.2 78.5 75.3 80.0 81.6 77.8 67.8 69.0 65.9 Lao PDR 40.8 45.2 36.5 53.8 58.6 49.3 34.6 39 30.4

Population outside the labor force

Outside labor force refers to economically inactive population, such as full-time students, the retired elderly and the incapacitated.

Populations outside labor force covered 59.2 percent. There was more female (63.5 percent) than male (54.8 percent). Savannakhet had highest population outside labor force (83.5 percent) followed by Sekong province (81.5 percent). The lower number of population outside labor force was found in Xayabouly (31.3 percent).

Table 29. Percentage distribution of outside labor force by province, geographic area and sex

Total Urban Rural Code Provinces Both Both Both male female Male female Male female sex sex sex Lao PDR 59.2 54.8 63.5 46.2 41.4 50.7 65.4 61 69.6 1 Vientiane Capital 37.4 30.4 43.7 36.6 30.6 42.3 39.1 30.0 46.6 2 Phongsaly 49.2 44.3 54.2 41.1 36.6 45.8 52.6 47.6 57.6 3 Luangnamtha 57.7 49.6 65.4 44.3 40.4 47.9 65.3 54.8 75.5 4 Oudomxay 59.0 52.0 65.7 46.1 37.4 54.2 64.1 57.7 70.4 5 Bokeo 62.3 51.7 74.0 52.3 43.1 61.1 66.1 54.6 79.4 6 Luangprabang 63.4 58.8 67.9 53.5 52.0 54.8 67.7 61.7 73.8 7 Huaphanh 63.2 61.6 64.8 49.3 47.0 51.6 66.7 65.4 67.9 8 Xayabury 31.3 26.3 36.4 31.9 25.3 38.5 31.1 26.7 35.5 9 Xiengkhuang 41.5 40.0 43.0 16.5 16.3 16.8 50.2 48.3 52.0 10 Vientiane 60.4 57.3 63.5 42.5 35.7 48.4 66.2 63.6 68.7 11 Borikhamxay 67.0 64.0 69.8 69.7 66.2 72.7 63.6 61.3 66.0 12 Khammuane 70.0 67.0 72.7 57.7 57.4 58.0 74.8 70.8 78.5 13 Savannakhet 83.5 80.8 86.3 73.4 66.2 80.6 84.9 82.7 87.1 14 Saravane 77.0 74.8 79.1 41.3 41.8 40.7 81.6 79.2 83.9 15 Sekong 81.5 78.4 84.3 60.0 54.0 65.2 86.2 83.5 88.6 16 Champasack 52.9 47.6 57.8 48.8 44.4 52.7 55.0 49.2 60.4 17 Attapeu 62.5 55.3 69.1 48.9 48.7 49.0 67.6 57.7 76.9 18 Xaysomboon 63.1 57.9 68.3 46.4 39.5 53.0 68.6 63.8 73.7

For those who were outside the labor force, one of the most frequently reported reasons was because of the needs or the views by other family members to stay home (28.8 per cent). Family responsibilities was cited as the second most important reason for staying outside the labor force (18.4 per cent), followed by those who reported being in studies, training or education (17.1 per cent).

Women were more likely to be outside the labor force for family related reasons than men. For men, studying was the second most important reasons for being outside the labor force (20.9 per cent).

In urban areas, studying was the most important reasons cited for being outside the labor force (26.4 per cent), while in the rural areas, the main reasons were family-related.

Table 30. Percentage distribution of the population outside the labor force by reason, sex and geographic area

Total Urban Rural Category Total Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female In studies, training, 17.1 20.9 14.2 26.4 31.9 22.4 13.8 17.2 11.2 education Family responsibilities 18.4 15.3 20.7 16.3 12.6 19.0 19.1 16.3 21.4 Illness, injury 4.0 4.1 3.9 4.1 4.1 4.1 3.9 4.0 3.9 Pensioner 1.5 2.1 1.1 3.0 4.4 1.9 1.0 1.3 0.8 Voluntary inactive 14.3 15.6 13.3 11.9 14.7 10.0 15.2 15.9 14.6 Family member says to 28.8 26.7 30.4 22.5 18.7 25.3 31.0 29.4 32.2 stay home Other 15.9 15.3 16.3 15.8 13.7 17.3 15.9 15.9 16.0 Total inactive 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Chapter V: Employment

Chapter V covers the employed population and provides overview of the employed population by age-group and province (Section 5.1), employed population by education (Section 5.2), status in employment (Section 5.3), employment by industry (Section 5.4), employment by occupation (Section 5.5), institutional employment (Section 5.6), and informal employment (Section 5.7). Questions on economic activity were asked to all those aged 14+, however, for the purposes of this report only those aged 15+ are included.

Employed population

Employed population refer to those of working age who, during a short reference period, were engaged in any activity to produce goods or provide services for pay or profit. A total of 1.8 million persons were in employment, of which 939 thousand were men and 818 were women. Women in employment were somewhat younger than men. 18.6 per cent of women in employment were 15 to 24 years old against 15.5 per cent for men. More people were employed in the rural areas (979 thousand) than in the urban areas (779 thousand). Youth accounted for a bigger proportion of employment in the rural areas at 20.1 per cent than in the urban areas at 13.1 per cent.

Table 31. Number and percentage distribution of employed population, by age-group, sex and geographic area, (1,000)

Total Urban Rural Age-group Both Both Both Male Female Male Female Male Female sex sex sex 15-19 117 57 60 33 15 18 84 42 42 20-24 181 88 93 69 33 35 112 55 57 25-29 265 134 131 112 55 57 153 80 74 30-34 256 130 126 117 55 62 140 75 64 35-39 242 133 109 114 58 56 128 75 53 40-44 200 108 92 93 49 44 107 59 48 45-49 175 95 80 89 49 40 86 46 40 50-54 128 73 55 64 34 30 64 38 26 55-59 104 61 44 4358 28 20 56 32 24 60-64 53 35 18 24 16 8 29 19 10 65+ 36 25 12 16 11 4 20 13 7 Youth (15-24) 298 146 152 102 48 53 196 97 99 Adult (25+) 1,460 794 666 677 356 320 782 437 345 Total (15+) 1,758 939 818 779 405 374 979 570 444 Percent (%) 15-19 6.7 6.7 6.1 7.3 4.2 3.7 4.8 6.7 6.7 20-24 10.3 10.3 9.4 11.3 8.8 8.2 9.5 10.3 10.3 25-29 15.1 15.1 14.3 16 14.4 13.5 15.3 15.1 15.1 30-34 14.6 14.6 13.8 15.4 15 13.5 16.6 14.6 14.6 35-39 13.8 13.8 14.2 13.3 14.6 14.3 14.9 13.8 13.8 40-44 11.4 11.4 11.5 11.2 12 12.2 11.7 11.4 11.4 45-49 10.0 10.0 10.1 9.8 11.4 12.2 10.6 10.0 10.0 50-54 7.3 7.3 7.8 6.7 8.2 8.5 7.8 7.3 7.3 55-59 5.9 5.9 6.5 5.3 6.2 7.0 5.3 5.9 5.9 60-64 3.0 3.0 3.7 2.2 3.1 4.0 2.2 3.0 3.0 65+ 2.1 2.1 2.6 1.4 2.1 2.8 1.2 2.1 2.1 Youth (15-24) 17.0 17.0 15.5 18.6 13.1 11.9 14.3 17.0 17.0 Adult (25+) 83.0 83.0 84.5 81.4 86.9 88.1 85.7 83.0 83.0 Total (15+) 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

The employed population was highly concentrated in Vientiane Capital (23.0 per cent) even though Vientiane Capital only had 14.0 per cent of the working age population (table 5). The next biggest concentration of employment can be found in Champasack (11.6 per cent) and in Xayabury (11.5 per cent). Urban employment was highly concentrated in Vientiane Capital (36.0 per cent) while the biggest proportion of rural employment was found in Xayabury (14.3 per cent).

Table 32. Percentage distribution of the employed population, by province, sex and geographic area

Total Urban Rural Province Total Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female Vientiane Capital 23.0 22.5 23.6 36.0 36.3 35.7 12.7 12.1 13.3 Phongsaly 3.5 3.5 3.4 2.7 2.8 2.5 4.1 4.0 4.1 Luangnamtha 2.9 3.1 2.7 3.1 3.1 3.2 2.7 3.1 2.2 Oudomxay 4.5 4.7 4.2 3.9 4.0 3.7 5.0 5.2 4.7 Bokeo 1.9 2.3 1.5 2.0 2.2 1.8 1.9 2.4 1.3 Luangprabang 5.8 6.2 5.4 5.0 5.1 5.0 6.4 7.0 5.8 Huaphanh 3.7 3.5 3.9 2.3 2.2 2.4 4.8 4.5 5.1 Xayabury 11.5 11.6 11.4 7.9 8.4 7.4 14.3 14.0 14.7 Xiengkhuang 5.7 5.3 6.1 4.7 4.5 5.0 6.4 5.9 7.1 Vientiane 6.8 6.7 6.8 5.6 5.5 5.6 7.7 7.6 7.8 Borikhamxay 3.9 3.8 4.1 4.6 4.5 4.7 3.4 3.3 3.5 Khammuane 4.4 4.2 4.6 4.1 3.7 4.5 4.6 4.5 4.7 Savannakhet 4.5 4.9 3.9 2.3 2.6 2.0 6.2 6.7 5.6 Saravane 3.0 3.0 3.1 2.1 1.9 2.2 3.8 3.7 3.8 Sekong 0.7 0.7 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.7 Champasack 11.6 11.1 12.2 10.7 10.3 11.2 12.3 11.6 13.0 Attapeu 1.7 1.8 1.6 1.6 1.3 1.8 1.9 2.2 1.5 Xaysomboun 1.0 1.1 0.9 0.8 0.9 0.7 1.2 1.3 1.0 Lao PDR 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Employed population by education

Table 33 presents the percentage distribution of population employed by education attainment, sex and geographic area.

More than one-third of the employed population had not completed primary education (42.3 per cent). 34.2 per cent of the employed population had completed primary or lower secondary education. Together, employed population with less than lower secondary education accounted for almost three-quarter of employment.

Men in employment were more likely to have completed a somewhat higher level of education than women. The urban workers were also better educated than their rural counterpart. In the urban areas, the share of employed persons with high level vocational or university education accounted for a high share of 22.0 per cent of employment which is notably higher than 6.1 per cent in the rural areas.

Table 33. Percentage distribution Employment by educational attainment, sex and geographic area

Total Urban Rural Level Both Both Both Male Female Male Female Male Female sex sex sex Not enrolled 9.3 6.3 12.7 4.2 2.7 5.8 13.4 9.1 18.6 Less than primary 33.0 31.3 34.8 23.6 20.8 26.7 40.4 39.3 41.6 Primary completed 20.4 21.9 18.7 20.4 20.5 20.2 20.4 22.9 17.5 Lower secondary 13.8 14.9 12.6 16.6 17.8 15.4 11.6 12.7 10.3 Upper Secondary 3.2 3.4 3.0 3.7 4.1 3.3 2.8 2.9 2.7 Vocational first 1.9 2.3 1.4 2.4 2.9 1.9 1.4 1.8 0.9 Vocational middle 5.3 5.6 4.8 7.1 7.3 6.9 3.8 4.3 3.2 Vocational high 7.1 7.4 6.7 10.7 11.1 10.4 4.1 4.6 3.6 University and upper 6.1 6.9 5.2 11.3 12.9 9.5 2.0 2.3 1.6 Lao PDR 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Status in employment

Status of employment refer to the employment by wage employees, employers, Own- account workers and Contributing family workers 1. Wage and salaried employees: A person who works in government department, private business enterprises or organizations, including family business, and receives regular pay; 2. Employers: A person who runs a business on his own or in partnership and engages at least one paid employee on a continuous basis in operating the business; 3. Own account workers: A person who runs a business on his own or in partnership but does not engages any paid employee; 4. Contributing family workers: A person who works in his/her family business without receiving any regular pay

The contributing family workers accounted for the biggest share of employment at 38.3 per cent, followed by employees (32.4 per cent) and own-account workers (28.2 per cent). Compared to 2010 when the share of employees was estimated to be 15.6 per cent, this represents a two-fold increase in the incidence of employees. Such change reflects the changes in the definition of employment based on the 19th ICLS Resolution that focuses on those who earn an income. Women were more likely to be a contributing family worker (45.6 per cent) than men, while men were more likely to be an employee (37.3 per cent). Being an employee was the dominant status in employment in the urban areas at 42.1 per cent, while contributing family worker constituted the dominant status in employment in the rural areas at 48.0 per cent. At the same time, even in the rural areas, employees accounted for a quarter of rural employment. Figure 5. Percentage of employed population by status in employment 2017 and 2010

Status in employment 2017 and 2010 60 49.0 50 38.3 40 34.8 32.4 28.2 30

20 15.7

10 1.1 0.5 0 Employees Employers Own-account workers Contributing family workers

2017 2010

Table 34 presents survey finding on employment by status of employment, province, geographic area, sex, educational attained and age group. The status in employment describes the type of economic risk and authority which workers have in their jobs, as reflected in their explicit or implicit contract of employment.

Table 34. Percentage distribution of employment by status of employment, province, geographic area and sex

status in employment Employed Own- Contributing Code Provinces Wage person Employers account family Total employees workers workers Lao PDR 1,757,733 32.4 1.1 28.2 38.3 100.0 01 Vientiane Capital 404,556 45.3 0.5 37.3 16.9 100.0 02 Phongsaly 60,697 29.5 0.0 21.0 49.5 100.0 03 Luangnamtha 50,915 38.9 2.9 19.5 38.7 100.0 04 Oudomxay 78,939 27.4 1.9 11.2 59.4 100.0 05 Bokeo 34,201 45.8 4.0 34.4 15.8 100.0 06 Luangprabang 102,225 21.8 1.5 58.5 18.2 100.0 07 Huaphanh 64,512 20.3 0.5 15.3 63.9 100.0 08 Xayabury 202,099 18.0 0.9 18.9 62.3 100.0 09 Xiengkhuang 99,722 21.0 1.9 38.6 38.4 100.0 10 Vientiane 118,662 34.0 0.2 37.5 28.3 100.0 11 Borikhamxay 69,204 32.4 1.6 23.2 42.9 100.0 12 Khammuane 76,913 34.8 2.1 30.0 33.1 100.0 13 Savannakhet 78,275 51.7 0.2 24.5 23.6 100.0 14 Saravane 52,895 32.3 2.2 16.3 49.3 100.0 15 Sekong 11,974 36.4 2.2 44.6 16.7 100.0 16 Champasack 203,479 24.4 1.0 14.9 59.7 100.0 17 Attapeu 30,481 38.3 3.1 15.6 43.1 100.0 18 Xaysomboon 17,984 34.6 1.0 16.0 48.4 100.0 Geographic area Urban 779,066 42.1 1.1 30.7 26.1 100.0 Rural 978,666 24.7 1.2 26.1 48.0 100.0 Sex Male 939,267 37.3 1.4 29.3 31.9 100.0 Female 818,465 26.8 0.8 26.9 45.6 100.0 Educational attainment Not enrolled 163,536 9.1 1.1 28.5 61.2 100.0 Less than primary 579,224 15.9 1.2 32.6 50.3 100.0 Primary completed 358,900 23.8 1.4 34.5 40.3 100.0 Lower secondary 242,734 28.1 1.0 35.8 35.2 100.0 Upper Secondary 56,500 38.3 1.3 22.5 37.8 100.0 Vocational first 32,796 67.3 0.7 15.2 16.9 100.0 Vocational middle 92,346 75.3 0.4 15.0 9.3 100.0 Vocational high 124,216 85.0 0.6 9.0 5.4 100.0 University and upper 107,481 84.2 1.0 6.0 8.7 100.0

Employment by industry

Refer to employment comprises all persons of working age who during a specified brief period, were in the following categories: agriculture, forestry and fishing, mining and quarrying, Manufacturing, electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply, water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities, construction, Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles, transportation and storage, accommodation and food service activities, information and communication, financial and insurance activities, real estate activities, Professional, scientific and technical activities, administrative and support service activities, public administration and defense; compulsory social security, education, Human health and social work activities, arts, entertainment and recreation, other service activities, activities of households as employers, and activities for own use production, and activities of extraterritorial organizations and bodies. More than half a million persons worked in agriculture, forestry and fishing (551 thousand), followed by wholesale and retail trade (329 thousand) and public administration and defense (156 thousand). Agricultural employment mostly took place in the rural areas (433 thousand) while there was a concentration of some industries in the urban areas, such as information and communication (8 thousand), financial and insurance activities (10 thousand) and professional, scientific and technical activities (3 thousand).

More than one-third of employed men and women worked in agriculture. Beside agriculture, employed women were more likely to be in wholesale and retail trade (26.4 per cent) and in manufacturing (11.5 per cent). For employed men, they were more likely to be in wholesale and retail trade (17.1 per cent) and in public administration and defense (14.2 per cent).

Agriculture-related activities were the most important source of employment in the rural areas (50.6 per cent). In the urban areas, wholesale and retail trade was the most important source of employment (25.4 per cent).

Table 35. Number and percentage distribution of employment, by industry, sex and geographic area (1,000)

Total Urban Rural Industry Both Both Both Male Female Male Female Male Female sex sex sex Agriculture, forestry and fishing 551 287 264 118 60 58 433 227 206 Mining and quarrying 8 7 1 4 4 1 4 3 1 Manufacturing 140 58 82 62 24 38 78 34 44 Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply 10 9 2 7 6 1 3 2 0 Water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation 6 5 1 4 3 1 2 2 0 activities Construction 83 75 8 43 38 5 40 37 3 Wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles 329 141 188 174 68 105 155 73 82 and motorcycles Transportation and storage 39 35 4 26 23 3 13 13 1 Accommodation and food service activities 41 15 25 26 9 17 14 6 8 Information and communication 8 5 4 8 4 4 0 0 0 Financial and insurance activities 11 4 7 10 3 6 1 0 1 Real estate activities 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Professional, scientific and technical activities 4 2 2 3 2 1 1 0 0 Administrative and support service activities 11 4 6 6 3 4 4 1 3 Public administration and defence, compulsory social security 156 117 39 110 78 32 46 40 7 Education 85 41 43 44 20 24 41 22 19 Human health and social work activities 22 7 15 15 5 10 8 2 5 Arts, entertainment and recreation 9 3 6 6 2 4 3 1 2 Other service activities 24 10 14 17 7 10 8 3 5 Activities of households as employers, and activities for own use 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Activities of extraterritorial organizations and bodies 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 Total (15+) 1,758 939 818 718 369 349 1,039 570 469

Percent (%) Agriculture, forestry and fishing 35.8 34.7 37.1 17.3 16.8 17.8 50.6 48.5 53.2 Mining and quarrying 0.5 0.9 0.2 0.6 1.0 0.2 0.5 0.7 0.2 Manufacturing 9.1 7.0 11.5 9.0 6.7 11.6 9.1 7.2 11.4 Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply 0.7 1.0 0.2 1.1 1.7 0.4 0.3 0.5 0.1 Water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation 0.4 0.6 0.2 0.5 0.8 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.1 activities Construction 5.4 9.1 1.1 6.3 10.5 1.6 4.7 7.9 0.8 Wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles and 21.4 17.1 26.4 25.4 19.0 32.5 18.2 15.6 21.3 motorcycles Transportation and storage 2.5 4.3 0.6 3.8 6.3 1.0 1.5 2.7 0.2 Accommodation and food service activities 2.6 1.9 3.6 3.8 2.6 5.2 1.7 1.3 2.2 Information and communication 0.5 0.5 0.5 1.1 1.2 1.1 0.0 0.1 0.0 Financial and insurance activities 0.7 0.4 1.0 1.4 0.9 1.9 0.1 0.0 0.2 Real estate activities 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.0 Professional, scientific and technical activities 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.5 0.5 0.4 0.1 0.1 0.0 Administrative and support service activities 0.7 0.5 0.9 0.9 0.8 1.1 0.5 0.3 0.7 Public administration and defence, compulsory social security 10.2 14.2 5.5 16.1 21.6 10.0 5.4 8.5 1.7 Education 5.5 5.0 6.1 6.5 5.5 7.5 4.7 4.6 4.9 Human health and social work activities 1.5 0.9 2.1 2.1 1.3 3.1 0.9 0.5 1.4 Arts, entertainment and recreation 0.6 0.4 0.9 0.9 0.5 1.4 0.4 0.3 0.5 Other service activities 1.6 1.2 2.0 2.5 2.0 2.9 0.9 0.7 1.2 Activities of households as employers, and activities for own use 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.1 Activities of extraterritorial organizations and bodies 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Total (15+) 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Employment by occupation

Employment comprises all persons of working age who during a specified brief period, were in the following categories: managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, service and sales workers, skilled agricultural, forestry and fishery workers, craft and related trades workers, Plant and machine operators, and assemblers, and Elementary occupations. Occupational statistics are used for research on labor market topics ranging from occupational safety and health to labor market segmentation. Occupational analyses also inform economic and labor policies in areas such as educational planning, migration and employment services. Occupational information is particularly important for the identification of changes in skill levels in the labor force. Table 36 shows that skilled agricultural, forestry and fishery workers constituted the biggest segment of employment (697 thousand), with a clear concentration of workers in the rural areas. Skilled agricultural workers in the rural areas were 4 times that in the urban areas. Interestingly, 112 thousand women were managers, against 78 thousand male managers. There were also more female professionals than the male professionals: 76 thousand women against 62 thousand men.

In line with the above numbers, the share of skilled agricultural workers in total male and female employment stood around 41 per cent. Employed women were more likely to be in management and professional occupations than men. 13.9 per cent of employed women were managers against 8.7 per cent for employed men. 9.5 per cent of employed women were professionals against 7.0 per cent for employed men. Women were also more likely to be a service and sales workers (14.4 per cent) than men (7.2 per cent).

Table 36. Number and percentage distribution of employment, by occupational group, sex and geographic area (1,000)

Total Urban Rural Occupation Total Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female Managers 189 78 112 116 47 69 73 30 43 Professionals 138 62 76 87 36 51 51 26 26 Technicians and Associate Professionals 46 29 17 37 22 15 9 7 2 Clerical Support Workers 34 21 13 26 16 10 8 5 3 Services and Sales Workers 180 64 116 118 39 79 62 25 37 Skilled Agricultural, Forestry and Fishery Workers 697 367 329 141 73 68 556 294 262 Craft and Related Trades Workers 198 117 81 99 61 38 99 56 42 Plant and Machine Operators and Assemblers 77 64 13 43 37 5 35 27 8 Elementary occupations 135 89 47 75 45 30 60 43 17 Total (15+) 1,758 939 818 779 405 374 979 535 444 Percent (%) Managers 11.2 8.7 13.9 15.7 12.5 19.0 7.7 5.9 9.7 Professionals 8.2 7.0 9.5 11.7 9.6 13.9 5.4 5.0 5.8 Technicians and Associate Professionals 2.7 3.3 2.1 5.0 5.9 4.0 1.0 1.4 0.5 Clerical Support Workers 2.0 2.3 1.6 3.5 4.3 2.7 0.8 0.9 0.7 Services and Sales Workers 10.6 7.2 14.4 15.9 10.4 21.7 6.5 4.9 8.4 Skilled Agricultural, Forestry and Fishery Workers 41.1 41.2 41.0 18.9 19.3 18.6 58.3 57.3 59.6 Craft and Related Trades Workers 11.7 13.2 10.0 13.4 16.2 10.5 10.4 11.0 9.7 Plant and Machine Operators and Assemblers 4.6 7.2 1.7 5.8 9.9 1.4 3.6 5.2 1.9 Elementary occupations 8.0 10.0 5.8 10.2 12.0 8.2 6.3 8.4 3.8 Total (15+) 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Institutional of employment

Employment comprises all persons of working age who during a specified brief period, were in households, formal and informal sectors.

Figure show that by institutional sector of work, 35.2 per cent of total employment was in the informal sector and 38.3 per cent in households. The formal sector accounted for 26.5 per cent of total employment.

Figure 6. Percentage distribution by employment by institutional sector

26.5 38.3

35.2

Formal sector Informal sector Households

Table 37. Percentage distribution employment by institutional sector, provinces, and geographic area

Employed Lao PDR Urban Rural person Code Province Formal Informal Formal Informal Formal Informal (1,000) sector sector Households sector sector Households sector sector Households 01 Vientiane Capital 405 38.7 44.8 16.5 41.3 47.6 11.1 32.9 38.5 28.6 02 Phongsaly 61 13.0 29.0 58.0 32.2 15.7 52.1 2.9 36.0 61.1 03 Luangnamtha 51 28.3 26.4 45.2 43.6 23.5 32.9 14.3 29.1 56.5 04 Oudomxay 79 21.9 50.8 27.3 36.7 36.5 26.8 12.8 59.6 27.6 05 Bokeo 34 34.4 29.2 36.5 51.6 31.5 16.9 20.1 27.2 52.7 06 Luangprabang 102 13.6 37.9 48.5 17.3 52.6 30.1 11.2 28.8 60.0 07 Huaphanh 65 17.0 13.0 70.1 47.5 19.0 33.6 5.4 10.7 83.9 08 Xayabury 202 13.3 38.8 47.8 27.0 39.0 34.1 7.3 38.8 53.9 09 Xiengkhuang 100 20.3 38.7 41.0 34.6 38.2 27.2 11.9 39.0 49.1 10 Vientiane 119 27.2 39.2 33.6 28.7 42.7 28.6 26.3 37.3 36.5 11 Borikhamxay 69 27.1 42.3 30.5 32.9 47.7 19.4 20.9 36.5 42.6 12 Khammuane 77 32.9 32.3 34.8 36.4 39.1 24.5 30.4 27.4 42.2 13 Savannakhet 78 48.8 15.6 35.7 55.0 20.0 25.0 46.9 14.3 38.8 14 Saravane 53 26.8 25.6 47.6 35.4 27.0 37.5 23.0 25.0 52.0 15 Sekong 12 37.5 35.9 26.6 48.8 26.8 24.3 30.1 41.8 28.1 16 Champasack 203 17.3 25.2 57.5 28.6 24.3 47.1 9.5 25.9 64.7 17 Attapeu 30 41.0 24.3 34.6 50.0 27.8 22.2 35.1 22.1 42.8 18 Xaysomboon 18 29.1 16.4 54.5 18.9 23.6 57.5 35.1 12.2 52.8

Table 38. Percentage distribution employment by institutional sector, education attained

Employed person Formal Informal Educational attained Households (1,000) sector sector Not enrolled 164 3.9 35.6 60.4 Less than primary 579 9.4 40.5 50.1 Primary completed 359 16 41.4 42.6 Lower secondary 243 20.9 45.2 33.9 Upper Secondary 57 31.4 36.8 31.8 Vocational first 33 63.6 20.5 15.9 Vocational middle 92 72.5 18.1 9.4 Vocational high 124 81.8 9.8 8.4 University and upper 107 83.9 10.5 5.6

Informal employment

Informal employment consists of two types of employment. The first comprises those who are employed in the informal sector enterprises that are not registered and do not keep accounts of their business, and the workers do not benefit from social protection and work- related benefits. The second segment consists of those who are informally employed outside the informal sector that is in the formal sector and in households. Their employers do not contribute to social protection, and they do not receive work-related benefits such as paid leave and paid sick leave. Contributing family workers are considered to be informal employment regardless of their institutional sector of work.

The table 39 shows a diversity across provinces in terms of informality. The highest informal employment rate occurred in Huaphanh (94.2 per cent) and in Luangprabang (93.4 per cent). The lowest rates were found in Sekong (68.0 per cent) and Savannakhet (69.1 per cent).

Women were more likely to be informal employment than men in almost all provinces, except in Luangprabang. The gender gap in informal employment rate was the highest in Sekong (20.1 percentage points) and Attapeu (14.9 percentage points).

Table 39. Informal employment rate, by province, sex and geographic area

Total Urban Rural Code Province Total Males Females Total Males Females Total Males Females 1 Vientiane Capital 76.6 73.6 79.8 74.2 81.9 70.8 77.8 79.9 84.2 2 Phongsaly 90.3 90.1 90.6 76.3 97.7 75.7 77.0 97.8 97.6 3 Luangnamtha 85.0 85.1 84.9 72.2 96.8 69.3 75.1 96.8 96.6 4 Oudomxay 87.6 84.1 92.1 77.4 93.9 70.9 85.1 91.8 96.7 5 Bokeo 75.4 74.9 76.3 55.6 91.7 48.1 65.8 93.1 88.5 6 Luangprabang 93.4 92.3 94.9 89.8 95.7 87.6 92.2 94.9 96.8 7 Huaphanh 94.2 93.0 95.5 89.6 96.0 90.0 89.2 94.2 98.0 8 Xayabury 89.8 86.8 93.3 77.6 95.2 73.5 82.6 92.8 97.9 9 Xiengkhuang 82.8 77.2 88.2 68.5 91.0 59.0 77.7 87.6 94.5 10 Vientiane 80.2 78.1 82.6 77.0 82.1 72.2 82.1 81.4 82.9 11 Borikhamxay 80.5 77.1 84.1 76.2 85.2 70.2 82.4 84.5 86.0 12 Khammuane 76.1 69.9 82.4 72.2 78.8 68.3 75.7 70.9 87.9 13 Savannakhet 69.1 67.3 71.8 65.7 70.2 60.8 72.6 69.1 71.6 14 Saravane 86.1 86.1 86.1 75.8 90.6 73.0 78.6 91.3 89.7 15 Sekong 68.0 59.3 79.4 57.6 74.8 49.7 66.9 65.1 88.5 16 Champasack 86.5 83.7 89.5 74.9 94.6 70.5 79.4 92.5 96.9 17 Attapeu 71.4 64.8 79.8 63.2 76.9 49.7 74.0 71.9 85.6 18 Xaysomboon 84.8 80.0 91.7 82.8 86.0 75.1 93.3 82.7 90.8 Lao PDR 82.7 79.9 85.9 75.0 88.8 70.7 79.5 86.8 91.3

Table 40. Informal employment rate by education attained, sex and geographic area

Lao PDR Urban Rural Education attained Both Both Both sex Male Female sex Male Female sex Male Female Not enrolled 98.6 98.1 98.9 97.5 97.5 97.5 98.9 98.3 99.3 Less than primary 96.4 95.9 97.0 95.3 94.3 96.1 97.0 96.5 97.6 Primary completed 92.2 89.6 95.6 89.4 85.1 94.1 94.4 92.6 97.1 Lower secondary 88.8 86.9 91.2 88.3 85.0 92.5 89.2 88.9 89.6 Upper Secondary 87.3 83.7 92.1 86.2 83.3 90.2 88.5 84.1 94.0 Vocational first 51.2 50.4 52.6 49.2 42.7 59.7 53.8 59.5 40.5 Vocational middle 38.6 40.7 35.7 45.3 48.0 42.2 28.5 31.4 23.8 Vocational high 36.6 35.4 38.1 34.7 34.2 35.2 40.6 37.8 45.0 University and upper 37.3 31.7 45.6 37.2 31.1 46.1 37.8 34.5 43.5

Table 41 show that out of 1.8 million employed persons, 1.5 million was estimated to be in informal employment. Own-account workers accounted for 33.5 per cent, or 485 thousand persons, of informal employment, and contributing family workers accounted for another 46.3 per cent, or 673 thousand. Informal employment breaks down into 269 thousand youth and 1,185 thousand adults in informal employment. More men were in informal employment than women in total: 750 thousand for men and 703 thousand for women. But for the youngest cohort aged 15 to 19 years old, more young women were in informal employment than men. More people were

informally employed in the rural areas (869 thousand) than in the urban areas (584 thousand). Table 41. Informal employment, by age-group, sex and geographic area (1,000)

Total Urban Rural Age-group Both Both Both Male Female Male Female Male Female sex sex sex 15-19 113 54 58 32 14 18 81 40 41 20-24 156 78 78 56 29 27 100 49 51 25-29 209 108 101 80 41 39 129 67 62 30-34 195 95 99 77 33 44 118 62 56 35-39 196 103 93 81 38 43 115 64 50 40-44 169 85 84 71 33 39 98 52 46 45-49 148 77 71 71 37 34 77 40 37 50-54 100 53 47 45 21 24 55 32 24 55-59 86 45 41 35 17 18 51 27 23 60-64 48 30 18 22 13 8 27 17 10 65+ 33 22 11 14 9 4 19 13 7 Youth (15-24) 269 133 136 87 43 44 181 90 92 Adult (25+) 1,185 618 567 497 243 253 688 374 314 Total (15+) 1,453 750 703 584 286 298 869 464 405 Given the prevalence of employment in the informal sector and in households, the total informal employment rate was 82.7 per cent (table 39). This rate was higher among women (85.9 per cent) than men (79.9 per cent) and in the rural areas (88.8 per cent) than in the urban areas (75.0 per cent).

The youngest and the older cohorts (aged 60 years and above) were more likely to be in- affected by informality. Youth were more likely to be in informal employment (90.1 per cent) than adults (81.2 per cent). The incidence of informal employment was lowest among those aged 30 to 34 years (76.0 per cent) and 50 to 54 years (78.5 per cent).

Table 42. Informal employment rate, by age-group, sex and geographic area

Total Urban Rural Age-group Both Both Both Male Female Male Female Male Female sex sex sex 15-19 96.0 46.3 49.7 95.9 42.2 53.7 96.1 47.9 48.2 20-24 86.2 43.3 42.9 81.1 42.3 38.8 89.4 43.9 45.5 25-29 78.9 40.8 38.1 71.5 36.4 35.1 84.4 44.1 40.3 30-34 76.0 37.2 38.8 65.9 28.5 37.4 84.5 44.6 39.9 35-39 80.9 42.4 38.5 71.1 33.5 37.7 89.5 50.4 39.2 40-44 84.6 42.3 42.2 76.6 34.9 41.6 91.5 48.8 42.7 45-49 84.6 43.9 40.7 80.0 41.7 38.3 89.4 46.2 43.2 50-54 78.5 41.5 37.0 70.7 33.5 37.2 86.3 49.5 36.8 55-59 82.5 42.8 39.7 73.7 35.8 37.9 89.9 48.7 41.2 60-64 90.9 57.2 33.7 88.4 54.9 33.5 93.0 59.2 33.9 65+ 92.2 60.7 31.5 86.6 58.7 27.9 96.7 62.3 34.4 Youth (15-24) 90.1 44.5 45.6 85.9 42.2 43.7 92.3 45.6 46.6 Adult (25+) 81.2 42.3 38.9 73.3 35.9 37.4 88.0 47.9 40.1 Total (15+) 82.7 42.7 40.0 75.0 36.7 38.2 88.8 47.4 41.4

Chapter VI: Wages and other working conditions

Chapter VI looks at wages and conditions of work, namely gross monthly income for employees (Section 6.1), Frequency of payment (Section 6.2), contract types (Section 6.3), hours of work (Section 6.4), excessive hours of work (Section 6.5), and reason for excessive hours of work (Section 6.6).

Gross monthly income

For the survey, data on wages and salaries were collected only from paid employees and not from people who were self-employed. All other forms of income (remittances, rental income, bank interest, etc.) received by paid employees were excluded. Wage and salary earnings can be of two types, in cash or in kind, and information was collected on both. Earnings paid in cash or by cheque or direct bank deposit was considered as cash earnings. Earnings in kind included the regular supply of food, clothing, housing, water, electricity, fuel, transport, etc. on a free or subsidized basis. No regular earnings, such as gifts in cash or kind, were excluded.

Average gross monthly income of employees, including cash and in-kind payments and incomes from secondary jobs, was LAK 2.5 million and the median was LAK 1.8 million3. There was a notable gender gap, with female employees earning, on average, LAK 0.5 million less per month than men. Average gross monthly income for employees in the rural areas was also somewhat lower than in the urban areas by LAK 0.1 million.

Around half of the employees (50.1 per cent) earned in gross between LAK 1.0 and 2.0 million per month. 11.8 per cent of the employees earned less than LAK 1.0 million. The most frequently earned range of income for women was between LAK 1.0 to 1.5 million (32.1 per cent), while this for men was between LAK 2.0 to 2.5 million (24.5 per cent). A notably higher proportion of employees in the rural areas earned less than LAK 1.5 million (42.8 per cent) compared to the urban areas (32.9 per cent).

3 Due to some extreme outliers at the top end of the distribution, top 5 per cent of the distribution was excluded for the analysis in this table.

Table 43. Number of paid employees by gross monthly income, sex and geographic area (1,000)

Total Urban Rural Gross Monthly income Total Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female Lesthan1,000,000 64 35 29 27 13 14 36 21 15 1,000,000 thru 1,500,000 137 71 66 75 37 38 62 34 28 1,500,001 thru 2,000,000 134 82 52 86 51 35 48 31 17 2,000,001 thru 2,500,000 86 59 27 51 34 17 36 25 11 2,500,001 thru 3,000,000 39 28 11 23 16 7 16 12 4 3,000,001 thru 3,500,000 20 14 5 11 7 4 8 7 1 More than 3,500,000 61 46 16 38 27 10 24 18 5 Average income (Lao Kip) 2,481,000 2,670,000 2,173,000 2,532,000 2,812,000 2,109,000 2,412,000 2,491,000 2,269,000 Median income (Lao Kip) 1,800,000 2,000,000 1,600,000 1,900,000 2,000,000 1,700,000 1,700,000 1,860,000 1,500,000

, Table 44, table 45, table 46, table 47 present the detail information on average monthly income from employment by province, sex geographic area, occupation, education attained, industry and age group.

Table 44. Average monthly income from employment by province, sex and geographic area

Lao PDR Urban Rural Code Provinces Total Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female Lao PDR 2,407,000 2,653,000 2,051,000 2,686,000 2,977,000 2,310,000 2,075,000 2,305,000 1,694,000 1 Vientiane Capital 2,580,000 2,846,000 2,244,000 2,850,000 3,129,000 2,516,000 1,906,000 2,197,000 1,478,000 2 Phongsaly 2,647,000 2,755,000 2,497,000 2,668,000 2,908,000 2,392,000 2,625,000 2,623,000 2,629,000 3 Luangnamtha 3,209,000 3,694,000 2,458,000 3,548,000 4,506,000 2,407,000 2,671,000 2,707,000 2,583,000 4 Oudomxay 2,364,000 2,548,000 2,015,000 2,887,000 3,354,000 2,149,000 1,523,000 1,450,000 1,714,000 5 Bokeo 2,614,000 2,286,000 3,243,000 2,331,000 2,533,000 2,036,000 2,900,000 2,080,000 5,038,000 6 Luangprabang 1,721,000 2,080,000 1,170,000 2,219,000 2,711,000 1,555,000 1,357,000 1,657,000 846,000 7 Huaphanh 2,010,000 2,360,000 1,582,000 2,711,000 3,099,000 2,183,000 1,158,000 1,362,000 938,000 8 Xayabury 1,983,000 2,183,000 1,584,000 2,054,000 2,230,000 1,748,000 1,875,000 2,120,000 1,267,000 9 Xiengkhuang 2,786,000 3,554,000 1,926,000 2,411,000 3,062,000 1,704,000 3,043,000 3,883,000 2,082,000 10 Vientiane 2,567,000 2,965,000 2,054,000 2,925,000 2,961,000 2,879,000 2,372,000 2,968,000 1,602,000 11 Borikhamxay 2,255,000 2,536,000 1,884,000 2,454,000 2,670,000 2,123,000 2,071,000 2,396,000 1,696,000 12 Khammuane 1,957,000 1,965,000 1,947,000 2,485,000 2,211,000 2,744,000 1,590,000 1,828,000 1,231,000 13 Savannakhet 2,182,000 2,468,000 1,679,000 2,580,000 2,914,000 2,019,000 2,043,000 2,317,000 1,557,000 14 Saravane 2,922,000 2,948,000 2,888,000 3,364,000 3,862,000 2,794,000 2,692,000 2,519,000 2,943,000 15 Sekong 2,141,000 2,406,000 1,575,000 2,699,000 3,220,000 1,923,000 1,623,000 1,810,000 1,034,000 16 Champasack 2,206,000 2,376,000 1,882,000 2,484,000 2,758,000 2,071,000 1,827,000 1,948,000 1,501,000 17 Attapeu 2,455,000 2,421,000 2,523,000 2,212,000 2,598,000 1,791,000 2,663,000 2,322,000 3,964,000 18 Xaysomboon 2,510,000 2,802,000 1,711,000 2,768,000 2,989,000 1,861,000 2,410,000 2,719,000 1,673,000

Table 45. Average monthly income from employment by occupation, education attained, sex and geographic area (Kip)

Lao PDR Urban Rural Occupation Total Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female Lao PDR 2,407,000 2,653,000 2,051,000 2,686,000 2,977,000 2,310,000 2,075,000 2,305,000 1,694,000 Managers 2,979,000 3,288,000 2,675,000 3,470,000 3,823,000 3,145,000 2,070,000 2,385,000 1,722,000 Professionals 2,962,000 3,746,000 2,305,000 3,285,000 4,645,000 2,261,000 2,422,000 2,457,000 2,388,000 Technicians and associate 2,971,000 3,021,000 2,876,000 2,881,000 3,091,000 2,532,000 3,332,000 2,802,000 5,396,000 professionals Clerical support workers 2,768,000 2,845,000 2,644,000 3,038,000 3,131,000 2,874,000 1,788,000 1,604,000 1,999,000 Service and sales workers 2,257,000 2,264,000 2,253,000 2,501,000 2,086,000 2,731,000 1,837,000 2,513,000 1,306,000 Skilled agricultural, forestry and 1,913,000 2,309,000 1,340,000 1,943,000 2,640,000 1,161,000 1,902,000 2,203,000 1,421,000 fishery workers Craft and related trades workers 2,360,000 2,760,000 1,558,000 2,744,000 3,103,000 1,962,000 1,960,000 2,383,000 1,183,000 Plant and machine operators, and 2,493,000 2,658,000 1,691,000 2,723,000 2,765,000 2,410,000 2,228,000 2,518,000 1,265,000 assemblers Elementary occupations 1,983,000 2,030,000 1,875,000 1,691,000 1,956,000 1,225,000 2,333,000 2,103,000 3,109,000 Educational attained Not enrolled 1,514,000 1,505,000 1,522,000 2,085,000 1,821,000 2,250,000 1,301,000 1,414,000 1,187,000 Less than primary 1,972,000 2,233,000 1,613,000 2,162,000 2,552,000 1,746,000 1,843,000 2,053,000 1,496,000 Primary completed 2,265,000 2,473,000 1,934,000 2,338,000 2,445,000 2,198,000 2,181,000 2,499,000 1,548,000 Lower secondary 2,711,000 3,031,000 2,178,000 3,070,000 3,355,000 2,636,000 2,204,000 2,609,000 1,431,000 Upper Secondary 2,166,000 2,227,000 2,060,000 2,488,000 2,530,000 2,406,000 1,720,000 1,765,000 1,654,000 Vocational first 2,857,000 3,074,000 2,448,000 2,472,000 2,712,000 1,989,000 3,406,000 3,618,000 3,039,000 Vocational middle 2,626,000 2,719,000 2,499,000 2,628,000 2,822,000 2,388,000 2,625,000 2,585,000 2,689,000 Vocational high 2,715,000 3,034,000 2,310,000 2,856,000 3,393,000 2,234,000 2,416,000 2,362,000 2,499,000 University and upper 3,408,000 3,643,000 3,037,000 3,542,000 3,793,000 3,158,000 2,767,000 2,971,000 2,394,000

Table 46. Average monthly income from employment by industry, sex and geographic area (Kip)

Lao PDR Urban Rural Industry sector Total Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female Lao PDR 2,407,000 2,653,000 2,051,000 2,686,000 2,977,000 2,310,000 2,075,000 2,305,000 1,694,000 Agriculture, forestry and 1,666,000 1,975,000 1,233,000 1,994,000 2,633,000 1,335,000 1,505,000 1,710,000 1,167,000 fishing Mining and quarrying 4,534,000 3,691,000 8,631,000 3,540,000 2,939,000 6,104,000 5,591,000 4,453,000 12,019,000 Manufacturing 1,967,000 2,469,000 1,544,000 2,270,000 2,920,000 1,778,000 1,722,000 2,141,000 1,339,000 Electricity, gas, steam and air 3,082,000 3,249,000 2,155,000 3,362,000 3,505,000 2,543,000 2,381,000 2,596,000 1,266,000 conditioning supply Water supply; sewerage, waste management and 2,688,000 2,808,000 2,078,000 2,578,000 2,677,000 1,965,000 2,818,000 2,972,000 2,175,000 remediation activities Construction 3,773,000 3,284,000 10,142,000 4,772,000 4,190,000 10,997,000 2,721,000 2,361,000 8,774,000 Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and 2,255,000 2,322,000 2,195,000 2,870,000 2,836,000 2,896,000 1,528,000 1,817,000 1,212,000 motorcycles Transportation and storage 2,256,000 2,277,000 2,069,000 2,454,000 2,493,000 2,180,000 1,834,000 1,851,000 1,540,000 Accommodation and food 2,105,000 2,408,000 1,912,000 2,098,000 2,255,000 2,008,000 2,116,000 2,631,000 1,729,000 service activities Information and 2,891,000 3,138,000 2,557,000 2,700,000 2,782,000 2,595,000 6,370,000 7,881,000 1,200,000 communication Financial and insurance 3,066,000 3,451,000 2,842,000 3,136,000 3,564,000 2,874,000 2,383,000 1,791,000 2,583,000 activities Real estate activities 2,199,000 2,199,000 - 50,000 50,000 - 2,580,000 2,580,000 - Professional, scientific and 8,561,000 13,096,000 1,731,000 9,835,000 16,079,000 1,655,000 1,904,000 1,733,000 2,500,000 technical activities Administrative and support 2,866,000 3,947,000 1,882,000 3,110,000 4,197,000 2,186,000 2,366,000 3,486,000 1,190,000 service activities Public administration and 2,370,000 2,501,000 1,965,000 2,372,000 2,535,000 1,963,000 2,363,000 2,432,000 1,975,000 defense; compulsory social

security Education 2,535,000 2,597,000 2,477,000 2,465,000 2,737,000 2,246,000 2,614,000 2,468,000 2,781,000 Human health and social 2,124,000 2,730,000 1,846,000 2,138,000 2,395,000 2,024,000 2,100,000 3,278,000 1,526,000 work activities Arts, entertainment and 2,206,000 2,478,000 2,072,000 1,619,000 2,429,000 1,294,000 3,372,000 2,544,000 3,971,000 recreation Other service activities 1,589,000 1,743,000 1,466,000 1,643,000 1,676,000 1,613,000 1,487,000 1,891,000 1,216,000 Activities of households as employers, and activities for 1,450,000 1,317,000 3,000,000 1,914,000 1,774,000 3,000,000 400,000 400,000 - own use production Activities of extraterritorial 13,925,000 15,350,000 2,000,000 13,925,000 15,350,000 2,000,000 - - - organizations and bodies

Table 47. Average monthly income from employment by age group, sex and geographic area (Kip)

Lao PDR Urban Rural Age group Total Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female Lao PDR 2,407,000 2,653,000 2,051,000 2,686,000 2,977,000 2,310,000 2,075,000 2,305,000 1,694,000 Adult(25+) 2,577,000 2,820,000 2,142,000 2,864,000 3,131,000 2,440,000 2,198,000 2,437,000 1,646,000 Youth(15-24) 1,335,000 1,432,000 1,231,000 1,419,000 1,493,000 1,348,000 1,268,000 1,382,000 1,136,000 15-19 1,207,000 1,328,000 1,077,000 1,235,000 1,335,000 1,144,000 1,192,000 1,324,000 1,038,000 20-24 1,464,000 1,536,000 1,385,000 1,603,000 1,652,000 1,552,000 1,344,000 1,440,000 1,234,000 25-29 2,059,000 2,351,000 1,715,000 2,138,000 2,423,000 1,840,000 1,974,000 2,282,000 1,559,000 30-34 2,280,000 2,357,000 2,185,000 2,305,000 2,556,000 2,057,000 2,249,000 2,162,000 2,385,000 35-39 2,627,000 2,634,000 2,616,000 2,893,000 2,689,000 3,167,000 2,267,000 2,571,000 1,594,000 40-44 3,044,000 3,362,000 2,525,000 3,527,000 3,931,000 2,964,000 2,451,000 2,753,000 1,846,000 45-49 3,176,000 3,748,000 2,188,000 3,619,000 4,462,000 2,239,000 2,476,000 2,676,000 2,098,000 50-54 2,773,000 2,999,000 2,386,000 2,879,000 3,022,000 2,650,000 2,596,000 2,963,000 1,891,000 55-59 2,786,000 2,928,000 2,468,000 3,211,000 3,330,000 2,958,000 2,214,000 2,408,000 1,746,000 60-64 2,151,000 2,340,000 1,577,000 2,324,000 2,396,000 2,145,000 1,920,000 2,273,000 444,000 65+ 2,300,000 2,658,000 1,619,000 2,878,000 3,372,000 1,939,000 1,639,000 1,843,000 1,251,000

Frequency of payment

Definition: Earnings (wages and salaries) is the concept of earnings as applied in wages statistics, relates to remuneration in cash and in kind paid employees for time worked or work done together with remuneration for time not worked, such as annual vacation and other paid leave or holidays. The payment could be paid in one time, a day, a week, two weeks, month, and other.

Table 48. Number and percentage of employee’s distribution by frequency of wage/salary payment, sex and geographic area (1,000)

Lao PDR Urban Rural Frequency of payment Total Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female one-time payment 25 18 7 9 6 2 16 11 4 One day 23 13 10 7 3 4 16 10 6 One week 7 3 4 4 2 3 3 2 2 Two weeks 8 7 1 5 4 1 3 3 0 One month 453 279 174 277 165 112 176 114 62 Others 4 3 1 1 1 0 3 2 1 Percent (%) one-time payment 4.8 5.5 3.5 2.9 3.5 2.0 7.3 8.1 5.8 One day 4.4 4.1 4.9 2.3 1.8 2.9 7.4 7.0 8.1 One week 1.4 1.0 2.2 1.4 0.9 2.1 1.5 1.1 2.3 Two weeks 1.6 2.3 0.5 1.7 2.4 0.5 1.6 2.2 0.5 One month 87 86.2 88.3 91.3 90.8 92.0 81 80.3 82.3 Others 0.8 0.9 0.6 0.4 0.5 0.4 1.3 1.3 1.1 Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Contract types

Among all employees, 58.6 per cent had a written contract and 5.9 per cent an oral agreement. Female employees were slightly more likely to have no contract (36.2 per cent) than men (35.1 per cent). Employees in the rural areas were much more likely to have no contract (40.9 per cent) than in the urban areas (31.6 per cent).

Amongst employees with a contract or an oral agreement, a large majority of wage employees had a written contract (90.9 per cent) and were employed on a permanent basis (83.5 per cent). This implies that being a wage employee with a written contract or an oral agreement is associated with some degree of job security.

Female employees with a contract or an agreement were more likely to have a written contract (93.7 per cent) than male employees (89.2 per cent). There was little gender difference in the duration of contract. Employees in the urban areas were more likely to have a written contract (94.5 per cent) on a permanent basis (86.9 per cent) than their rural counterpart.

Table 49. Contract type for paid employees, by, sex and geographic area (Percent)

Total Urban Rural Contract type Total Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female Written contract 58.6 57.9 59.8 64.7 64.4 65.1 50.3 49.7 51.4 Oral agreement 5.9 7.0 4.0 3.7 4.3 2.9 8.8 10.4 5.8 No contract 35.5 35.1 36.2 31.6 31.3 32.0 40.9 39.9 42.8 Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 Permanent 83.5 83.5 83.6 86.9 87.4 86.3 78.1 77.7 78.7 Temporary 16.5 16.5 16.4 13.1 12.6 13.7 21.9 22.3 21.3 Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Hours of works

The number of hours worked has an impact on the health and well-being of workers. Some persons in developed and developing economies working full-time have expressed concern about their long working hours and its effects on their family and community life. Additionally, the number of hours worked has an impact on workers’ productivity and on the labor costs of establishments. Measuring the level and trends in working time in a society, for different groups of persons and for individuals, is therefore important when monitoring working and living conditions as well as for analyzing economic and broader social developments. Wage employees’ average hours of work per week in all jobs were 45.2 hours. Male employees worked somewhat more hours per week on average (45.9 hours) than women (44.2 hours). Urban employees worked more hours per week on average (46.0 hours) than rural employees (44.0 hours). More than one-third of employees reported working more than 49 hours per week (38.6 per cent) on all jobs, and 44.2 per cent reported working 40 to 48 hours. Male employees were more likely to work long hours above 49 hours per week (40.6 per cent) than female employees (35.6 per cent). Employees in the rural areas tended to work shorter hours of 30 hours or less per week (16.8 per cent) than their urban counterpart (10 per cent).

Table 50. Number of paid employees by working hours per week, sex and geographic area (1,000)

Total Urban Rural Working hours per week Total Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female Less than 10 Hours 32 17 15 13 7 6 18 10 8 10-19 hours 21 13 8 9 6 2 12 7 5 20-29 hours 21 9 12 11 4 6 10 5 5 30-39 hours 24 14 10 11 6 4 14 8 5 40-48 hours 252 154 97 156 93 62 96 61 35 49+ hours 220 142 78 129 78 51 91 64 27 Average hours 45.2 45.9 44.2 46.1 46.4 45.7 44.0 45.3 41.8

The table 51 and table 52 present the findings on the average working hours of employed persons by geographic area, rank of working hours, and occupation. The survey collected detailed information on hours of work among employed persons aged 15 years or older. Respondents were asked about the number of hours they usually worked per week in their main job or activity and in any other job or activity. As well, they were asked about the number of hours actually worked each day in the seven days prior to the survey interview. Information on excessive hours of work per week and time-related underemployment also was collected. Table 51. Average hours of employed persons worked per week by occupation, sex and geographic area

Lao PDR Urban Rural Occupation Both Both Both Male Female Male Female Male Female sex sex sex Managers 47.6 47.8 46.9 47.7 47.4 48.6 47.2 48.6 43.5 Professionals 42.2 41.9 42.5 44.5 43.1 45.5 38.5 40.2 36.8 Technicians and associate 45.7 44.7 47.6 45.3 43.7 48.0 47.5 48.4 44.1 professionals Clerical support workers 47.3 47.6 46.9 47.3 47.8 46.4 47.6 47.1 48.2 Service and sales workers 46.5 47.2 45.7 46.9 47.1 46.7 45.7 47.2 43.8 Skilled agricultural, forestry and fishery 41.7 41.4 42.0 42.1 38.7 45.2 41.6 41.9 41.1 workers Craft and related trades 47.4 47.3 47.5 49.3 49.6 48.4 45.7 45.2 46.8 workers Plant and machine 46.6 47.7 42.9 48.0 48.4 45.4 45.0 46.5 41.9 operators, and assemblers Elementary occupations 46.2 48.9 42.5 45.6 50.3 41.4 46.9 47.8 45.0

Table 52. Average hours of employed persons worked per week by industry, sex and geographic area

Lao PDR Urban Rural Industry Both Both Both Male Female Male Female Male Female sex sex sex Agriculture, forestry and fishing 42.3 42.5 42.1 43.5 44.0 43.0 41.9 42.0 41.7 Mining and quarrying 50.5 49.6 55.3 52.0 51.0 56.8 48.8 48.0 53.3 Manufacturing 46.7 47.1 46.3 48.4 49.1 47.7 45.5 45.7 45.2 Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply 50.1 52.5 39.4 49.1 50.2 44.4 53.0 59.4 23.7 Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities 44.1 45.2 38.6 44.6 43.3 54.5 43.3 50.0 25.0 Construction 46.7 48.7 36.5 45.3 47.5 37.9 47.9 49.7 34.2 Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles 46.5 45.9 47.5 48.7 47.9 50.4 43.7 43.4 44.2 Transportation and storage 44.3 44.4 43.8 45.2 45.3 44.7 42.1 42.4 39.7 Accommodation and food service activities 46.0 49.3 43.9 47.2 52.2 44.3 44.2 45.6 43.4 Information and communication 46.0 48.5 43.8 46.5 50.1 43.4 35.2 20.6 60.0 Financial and insurance activities 45.0 45.1 44.9 45.3 45.9 44.9 41.6 28.1 44.8 Real estate activities 47.5 47.5 - 5.0 5.0 - 55.0 55.0 - Professional, scientific and technical activities 50.3 50.0 50.6 49.4 47.7 50.6 54.4 54.4 - Administrative and support service activities 49.9 51.4 48.5 44.4 44.6 44.3 60.6 60.4 60.9 Public administration and defence; compulsory social security 46.6 46.4 47.2 46.4 45.9 47.5 47.2 47.5 45.9 Education 39.2 41.0 37.5 40.3 40.2 40.4 38.0 41.6 33.7 Human health and social work activities 47.8 45.9 48.7 47.5 44.3 49.0 48.6 50.3 48.0 Arts, entertainment and recreation 42.1 39.8 43.3 42.2 41.9 42.3 42.0 36.4 46.0 Other service activities 43.5 41.7 44.9 47.9 49.5 46.6 37.8 30.6 42.9 Activities of households as employers, and activities for own use 43.0 43.0 - 43.0 43.0 - - - - production Activities of extraterritorial organizations and bodies 46.0 45.0 54.0 46.0 45.0 54.0 - - -

Excessive hours of works

The indicator of employment in excessive working time provides information about the share of employed persons whose hours of worked exceed 48 hours per week.

Table and table present the Percentage distribution of persons with excessive hours of work per week, by occupation, sex, geographic area, and industry.

Table 53. Percentage distribution of persons with excessive hours of work per week, by occupation, sex and geographic area

Lao PDR Urban Rural Occupations Both sex Male Female Both sex Male Female Both sex Male Female Armed forces occupations 7.7 10.8 2.1 6.9 10.2 2.1 8.9 11.6 2.3 Managers 11.0 12.7 7.9 11.5 13.9 7.9 10.2 11.2 7.9 Professionals 20.1 13.6 31.9 23.0 14.5 36 16 12.6 24.3 Technicians and associate professionals 7.3 6.8 8.1 9.9 8.9 11.3 3.7 4.3 2.1 Clerical support workers 5.2 5.1 5.4 6.5 7.1 5.6 3.3 2.6 5.0 Service and sales workers 11.5 9.5 14.9 13.2 10.8 16.7 9.0 8.0 11.5 Skilled agricultural, forestry and fishery workers 10.8 10.1 12.1 2.8 1.8 4.2 22.2 20.1 27.1 Craft and related trades workers 8.5 9.2 7.2 9.3 11.1 6.5 7.4 7.0 8.4 Plant and machine operators, and assemblers 7.7 11.0 1.5 7.5 11.9 0.8 7.9 10.0 2.9 Elementary occupations 10.3 11.1 8.9 9.5 9.8 8.9 11.4 12.6 8.7 Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Table 54. Percentage distribution of persons with excessive hours of work per week, by industry, sex and geographic area

Lao PDR Urban Rural Industry Total Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female Agriculture, forestry and fishing 9.0 8.9 9.0 3.9 3.9 3.8 16.2 15.1 18.9 Mining and quarrying 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.2 1.2 1.2 Manufacturing 7.9 7.0 9.5 6.9 6.3 7.7 9.3 7.8 13.1 Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply 2.3 3.2 0.5 2.5 3.7 0.8 1.9 2.6 - Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities 1.1 1.3 0.7 1.6 2.1 0.8 0.4 0.4 0.6 Construction 5.4 7.8 0.9 3.8 5.7 0.8 7.7 10.3 1.1 Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles 11.1 11 11.4 11.4 12.2 10.2 10.7 9.5 13.7 Transportation and storage 3.1 4.3 0.9 4.0 5.7 1.3 1.8 2.6 0.1 Accommodation and food service activities 4.0 2.5 6.8 4.4 2.4 7.6 3.4 2.6 5.3 Information and communication 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.6 1.8 1.4 0.1 - 0.4 Financial and insurance activities 1.8 0.9 3.3 2.9 1.7 4.8 0.1 - 0.4 Real estate activities 0.2 0.2 - - - - 0.4 0.6 - Professional, scientific and technical activities 0.7 0.4 1.2 0.9 0.2 1.9 0.5 0.7 - Administrative and support service activities 1.8 1.3 2.6 1.2 0.5 2.1 2.7 2.3 3.6 Public administration and defense; compulsory social security 28.7 34.3 18.3 33.3 39.2 24 22.1 28.2 7.2 Education 13.5 11.6 17.1 12 9.2 16.3 15.7 14.4 18.6 Human health and social work activities 4.3 1.2 9.9 4.4 1.1 9.5 4.1 1.3 10.8 Arts, entertainment and recreation 1.0 0.3 2.3 1.3 0.6 2.3 0.6 - 2.1 Other service activities 1.8 1.1 3.1 2.3 1.7 3.2 1.2 0.4 3.1 Activities of households as employers, and activities for own use 0.1 0.1 - 0.1 0.2 - - - - production Activities of extraterritorial organizations and bodies 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.3 0.4 0.1 - - - Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Reason for excessive hours of works

The main reasons provided by employees who worked more than 48 hours per week were ‘variable working time or nature of work (e.g. shift work, flexible hours)’ (26.6 per cent), ‘personal or family reasons or responsibilities’ (20.7 per cent) and ‘to have higher income’ (15.4 per cent). Both male and female employees were equally likely to provide personal- or family-related reasons for working more than 48 hours per week (around 21 per cent). Reasons related to nature of work were more likely to affect female employees’ long hours of work (30.9 per cent) than male employees (24.7 per cent). In contrast, male employees were more likely to work longer hours for income related reasons than women: 18.7 per cent for men against 8.1 per cent for women. Personal- or family-related reasons, as well as income-related reasons, were more often cited by the rural employees for working more than 48 hours per week than the urban employees. The urban employees worked long hours due to reasons related to the nature of work (32.5 per cent). Table 55. Percentage of distribution of reasons for working 48+ hours for paid employees, by sex and geographic area

Total Urban Rural Reason Total Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female Variable working time/ nature of work (shift work, 26.6 24.7 30.9 32.5 28.7 38.7 20.9 21.3 19.7 flexible hours) Contractual hours (part-time 2.7 2.3 3.6 0.6 0.3 1.3 4.7 3.9 7.0 job, government job) Increase in workload, high workload during the last 11.9 11.0 13.7 7.2 8.5 5.1 16.4 13.1 26.1 days To have a higher income 15.4 18.7 8.1 14.0 17.3 8.4 16.7 19.8 7.7 Days off, holidays, annual 5.0 5.4 4.2 5.4 4.3 7.2 4.7 6.3 0.0 leave, special leave Personal, family reasons, 20.7 20.5 21.1 17.9 18.1 17.7 23.4 22.4 26.1 family responsibilities Illness, injuries, etc. 0.8 1.0 0.5 1.4 2.2 0.0 0.3 0.0 1.2 Reduction in clients or orders, lack of raw material/ 0.2 0.0 0.7 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.4 0.0 1.7 energy, etc. Schooling or training 0.9 1.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.8 2.4 0.0 Strike or labor dispute 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 Start/End/Change of jobs 0.4 0.0 1.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.8 0.0 3.2 Seasonal work, low season 2.0 2.2 1.6 2.2 2.2 2.1 1.9 2.2 0.9 Bad weather, natural 7.8 6.7 10.1 11.8 10.3 14.3 3.8 3.7 4.0 disaster Other (specify): 5.6 6.3 4.1 7.1 8.2 5.2 4.1 4.7 2.4 Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Chapter VII: Labor underutilization

Chapter VII looks at labor underutilization and its components, namely labor force underutilization (sector 7.1), Youth labor force underutilization (Sector 7.2), time-related underemployment (sector 7.3), Potential labor force (sector 7.4). Time-related underemployment are those who want to work more hours, are currently available to work more but worked less than 35 hours a week in all jobs. Unemployed are those who were without work during the last 7 days and were available and actively seeking for work. Potential labor force comprises those who were outside the labor force, but reported being either available but not actively seeking work or actively seeking work but not available. Measures of labor underutilization capture the unmet need for employment due to mismatches between labor supply and demand. Labor underutilization rate is based on the extended labor force, which is the sum of the labor force and the potential labor force. Thus, labor underutilization rate is estimated as the sum of those in time-related underemployment and in unemployment (in the labor force) and the potential labor force (outside the labor force) as a proportion of the extended labor force.

Labor underutilization

A total of 604 thousand persons did not fully meet their need for employment. Potential labor force (401 thousand) accounted for almost two-third of the underutilized labor and another 30 per cent (182 thousand) due to unemployment. Time-related underemployment constituted a very small proportion of underutilized labor (21 thousand or 13 per cent).

There was little difference in the composition of underutilized labor between men and women. The potential labor force was 324 thousand and constituted the bulk of the underutilized labor in the rural areas. The situation was similar in the urban areas, but unemployment and time-related underemployment were somewhat more important component of labor utilization than in the rural areas.

Table 56. Labor underutilization by sex and geographic location (1,000)

Total Urban Rural Component Both Both Both Male Female Male Female Male Female sex sex sex Time-related 21 13 8 8 4 4 13 9 4 underemployment Unemployment 182 113 69 44 28 16 139 85 54 Potential labour force 401 240 161 76 42 35 324 198 126 Labour 604 366 238 128 74 54 476 292 184 underutilization

The total labor underutilization rate was estimated to be 25.8 per cent. This can be broken down into 0.9 per cent due to time-related underemployment, 7.8 per cent due to unemployment and 17.1 per cent due to the potential labor force. The potential labor force accounted for the bulk of labor underutilization. 71

Men experienced higher underutilization rate than women. It stood at 28.3 per cent for men against 22.7 per cent for women.

There was a large urban-rural difference in the underutilization rate. Labor underutilization rate in the rural areas (33.0 per cent) was more than twice that in the urban areas (14.2 per cent). Much of the difference is due to the big size of the potential labor force in the rural areas, but also to some extent due to unemployment.

Table 57. Labor underutilization by sex and geographic area

Total Urban Rural Composite Both Both Both Male Female Male Female Male Female sex sex sex In time-related 0.9 1.0 0.7 0.8 0.8 0.9 0.9 1.1 0.6 underemployment Unemployed 7.8 8.8 6.6 4.9 6.0 3.7 9.6 10.4 8.6 In potential labor force 17.1 18.6 15.3 8.5 8.8 8.2 22.5 24.3 20.2 Labour 25.8 28.3 22.7 14.2 15.6 12.7 33.0 35.8 29.4 underutilization rate

Table 58. Distribution labor underutilization rate by province, region, sex and geographic area

Lao PDR Urban Rural Code Provinces Total Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female Lao PDR 25.8 28.3 22.7 14.2 15.6 12.7 33.0 35.8 29.4 1 Vientiane Capital 9.1 10.0 8.0 9.5 10.7 8.2 8.1 8.5 7.6 2 Phongsaly 21.8 23.1 20.1 12.3 12.2 12.5 26 27.9 23.6 3 Luangnamtha 18.7 20.6 16.1 17.1 19.6 14.3 20.2 21.3 18.2 4 Oudomxay 34.7 35.0 34.4 22.7 23.0 22.3 41.0 41.0 40.9 5 Bokeo 38.9 41.9 32.7 11.8 14.1 8.5 51.4 52.6 48.6 6 Luangprabang 16.2 16.7 15.6 14.3 11.9 16.9 17.3 19.1 14.6 7 Huaphanh 36.7 39.3 33.6 26.7 29.2 23.9 39.7 42.3 36.6 8 Xayabury 6.3 6.4 6.2 7.6 6.3 9.1 5.8 6.5 5.0 9 Xiengkhuang 18.4 18.2 18.7 6.0 5.9 6.2 24.3 23.9 24.6 10 Vientiane 27.9 29.6 26.0 10.4 10.7 10.0 35.3 36.9 33.2 11 Borikhamxay 15.8 19.8 11.1 8.4 10.0 6.6 22.8 28.3 15.8 12 Khammuane 31.5 37.2 24.4 22.2 23.6 21.0 36.7 43.4 26.9 13 Savannakhet 70.3 71.1 68.9 57.3 61.2 50.5 72.7 73.1 72.1 14 Saravane 14.9 19.0 10.1 4.2 4.7 3.7 18.9 23.5 12.9 15 Sekong 27.4 27.5 27.3 16.5 12.7 20.6 33.0 34.1 31.4 16 Champasack 25.3 29.5 20.5 11.0 12.9 9.0 32.9 37.5 27.1 17 Attapeu 31.2 32.7 29.1 23.8 31.1 16.7 35.3 33.4 38.5 18 Xaysomboon 40.4 40.7 40.0 38.4 33.3 43.9 41.5 44.0 37.5

Table 59. Distribution labor underutilization rate by occupation and educational level

Lao PDR Urban Rural

Both Both Both Male Female Male Female Male Female sex sex sex Lao PDR 25.8 28.3 22.7 14.2 15.6 12.7 33 35.8 29.4 Occupations Managers 0.5 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.2 0.7 0.7 0.7 Professionals 0.2 0.4 - 0.3 0.7 - - - Technicians and associate 0.5 0.7 -- - - - 2.3 - 2.9- - Clericalprofessionals support workers 0.5 0.9 - 0.7 - 1.1- - - - - Service and sales workers 1.5 1.7 1.4- 1.6 1.7 1.5- 1.4- 1.6- 1.2- Skilled agricultural, forestry and 1.5 1.7 1.1 1.7 2.2 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.1 fishery workers Craft and related trades workers 1.6 2.1 0.9 0.8 0.5 1.3 2.4 3.9 0.5 Plant and machine operators, 0.8 1.0 - 0.6 0.6 - 1.1 1.5 - and assemblers Elementary occupations 2.0 1.7 2.4 1.9 0.8 3.5 2.0 2.7 0.3 Educational attained Not enrolled 36.4 42.9 32.0 23.5 31.9 18.6 39.0 44.9 34.8 Less than primary 30.6 35.6 24.6 16.4 20.2 12.9 35.7 40.3 29.7 Primary completed 27.1 28.9 24.5 16.8 18.5 15.0 33.5 34.5 31.9 Lower secondary 19.0 21.7 15.1 12.7 14 10.9 25.3 28.5 19.9 Upper Secondary 35.4 36.7 33.5 27.7 27.5 28.0 41.9 44.3 38.3 Vocational first 5.9 5.6 6.4 7.1 6.4 8.3 4.1 4.6 3.1 Vocational middle 8.0 9.5 5.9 5.2 7.6 2.1 11.8 11.7 12.0 Vocational high 13.8 13.6 14.1 11.3 11.3 11.3 18.6 17.5 20.1 University and upper 10.2 9.0 11.9 6.7 4.6 9.6 23.0 23.7 21.7

Youth labor underutilization

Of the estimated 604 thousand underutilized labor, 222 thousand youth experienced unmet needs for employment (37 per cent of all underutilized labor). Thus, young people faced more difficulties in fully taking part in employment. The composition of labor underutilization was very similar to the total (table 56). A large bulk of youth labor underutilization was due to the large size of the potential labor force (150 thousand).

Underutilization affected young men more than young women, and in the rural areas than in the urban areas.

The youth labor utilization rate was 43.2 per cent, which is much higher than the 25.8 per cent for the total extended labor force. This rate breaks down into 1.2 per cent due to time- related underemployment, 12.9 per cent due to unemployment and 29.1 per cent due to the potential labor force. They indicate that large proportion of youth was marginally attached to the labor force, and when youth were in the labor force, they had difficulties finding employment.

Young men were more likely to have unmet employment needs than young women: 46.2 per cent for young men against 39.9 per cent for young women. Youth in the rural areas 73

were also much more likely to be underutilized (48.5 per cent) than youth in the urban areas (29.1 per cent).

Table 60. Youth labor underutilization (15-24) by, sex and geographic area (1,000)

Total Urban Rural Component Both Male Male Female Total Males Female Total Female sex Time-related underemployment 6 3 3 1 0 1 5 2 2 Unemployment 66 38 28 17 9 7 50 29 20 Potential labour force 150 82 68 23 11 12 127 70 56 Labour underutilization 222 123 99 41 21 20 181 102 79 Percent (%) Time-related underemployment rate 1.2 1.1 1.3 1.0 0.7 1.3 1.2 1.2 1.3 Unemployment rate 12.9 14.4 11.2 11.7 13.3 10.2 13.3 14.8 11.7 Potential labour force rate 29.1 30.7 27.4 16.4 16.3 16.5 34.0 35.87 31.9 labour underutilization rate 43.2 46.2 39.9 29.1 30.2 28.0 48.5 51.8 44.9

Time-related underemployment

Table 33, table 34, table 35 and table 36 present the percentage distribution of persons in time related underemployment by province, sex, geographic area, education attained, age group, occupation and industry

Table 61. Percentage distribution of persons in time related underemployment by province, sex and geographic area

Lao PDR Urban Rural Code Provinces Both Both Both Male Female Male Female Male Female sex sex sex 1 Vientiane Capital 12.4 12.9 11.5 20.8 18 23.8 7.5 10.8 - 2 Phongsaly 3.6 4.3 2.4 2.4 3.3 1.5 4.3 4.7 3.3 3 Luangnamtha 4.9 5.8 3.3 6.9 7.0 6.7 3.8 5.4 - 4 Oudomxay 23 24.4 20.5 1.2 2.3 - 35.4 33.5 39.8 5 Bokeo 2.9 4.0 1.2 1.8 2.5 1.1 3.6 4.5 1.4 6 Luangprabang 7.6 7.2 8.3 9.9 11.9 7.9 6.2 5.2 8.6 7 Huaphanh 2.9 1.9 4.6 7.9 6.4 9.5 - - - 8 Xayabury 2.0 1.1 3.5 5.5 3.8 7.3 - - - 9 Xiengkhuang 2.1 2.5 1.5 2.6 2.1 3.1 1.9 2.7 - 10 Vientiane 0.7 - 1.8 - - - 1.1 - 3.6 11 Borikhamxay 6.0 7.0 4.2 3.1 3.4 2.7 7.7 8.5 5.6 12 Khammuane 8.4 8.0 9.0 15.9 13.3 18.6 4.1 5.9 - 13 Savannakhet 6.8 2.8 13.7 4.8 9.5 - 8.0 - 26.7 14 Saravane 3.4 5.3 - 1.8 3.5 - 4.3 6.1 - 15 Sekong 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.9 1.1 0.7 - - - 16 Champasack 8.2 6.7 10.7 6.8 - 13.7 9.0 9.5 8.0 17 Attapeu 2.9 3.1 2.6 2.8 3.6 2.0 3.0 2.9 3.1 18 Xaysomboon 1.9 2.6 0.7 4.9 8.3 1.4 0.2 0.3 - Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Table 62. Percentage distribution of persons in time related underemployment by complete educational level and age group

Lao PDR Urban Rural Educational attained Both sex Male Female Both sex Male Female Both sex Male Female Not enrolled 5.5 4.5 7.1 1.4 2.7 - 7.8 5.3 13.8 Less than primary 44.4 47.6 38.8 27.4 13.7 41.5 54.0 61.7 36.2 Primary completed 24.7 24.4 25.3 34.8 36.1 33.5 19.0 19.6 17.6 Lower secondary 13.0 14.0 11.3 13.7 22.5 4.7 12.6 10.5 17.5 Upper Secondary 5.9 1.2 13.8 8.4 4.1 12.7 4.5 - 14.9 Vocational first 0.5 0.9 - 0.8 1.6 - 0.4 0.5 - Vocational middle 1.0 1.6 - 1.2 2.3 - 0.9 1.3 - Vocational high 2.5 2.4 2.6 5.5 5.7 5.3 0.8 1.1 - University and 2.5 3.3 1.1 6.8 11.3 2.2 - - - upper Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Potential labor force

Table 63 presents percentage distribution of potential labor force by province, sex and geographic area, educational attained and age group

Table 63. Percentage distribution of potential labor force by province, sex and geographic area

Lao PDR Urban Rural Code Province Both Both Both Male Female Male Female Male Female sex sex sex 1 Vientiane Capital 6.3 5.8 7.1 25.8 27 24.3 1.7 1.3 2.4 2 Phongsaly 3.5 3.1 4.0 3.1 2.7 3.5 3.6 3.2 4.1 3 Luangnamtha 1.9 1.9 2.0 4.2 4.6 3.7 1.4 1.3 1.5 4 Oudomxay 6.3 5.2 8.0 7.6 6.2 9.3 6.1 5.0 7.7 5 Bokeo 1.4 1.6 1.2 0.4 0.6 0.3 1.7 1.8 1.5 6 Luangprabang 2.8 2.9 2.7 3.5 2.9 4.2 2.7 2.9 2.3 7 Huaphanh 7.3 7.1 7.7 5.0 4.5 5.8 7.9 7.7 8.2 8 Xayabury 1.9 1.9 2.0 2.6 2.2 3.2 1.8 1.8 1.7 9 Xiengkhuang 4.9 3.8 6.7 1.8 1.5 2.2 5.7 4.3 7.9 10 Vientiane 9.2 9.1 9.3 4.4 4.4 4.4 10.3 10.1 10.7 11 Borikhamxay 2.3 2.4 2.1 2.8 2.4 3.3 2.2 2.4 1.8 12 Khammuane 5.5 6.2 4.6 5.8 4.9 6.8 5.5 6.4 4.0 13 Savannakhet 36 38.3 32.7 24.8 28.9 20 38.7 40.2 36.2 14 Saravane 1.4 1.5 1.4 0.5 0.2 0.9 1.7 1.7 1.5 15 Sekong 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.8 0.6 1.1 0.9 1.0 0.8 16 Champasack 4.7 5.1 4.1 1.8 2.0 1.5 5.4 5.7 4.9 17 Attapeu 1.8 1.7 1.9 2.8 3.1 2.4 1.5 1.4 1.8 18 Xaysomboon 1.6 1.6 1.6 2.3 1.4 3.3 1.5 1.7 1.1 Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Chapter VIII: Social protection: coverage and benefits

Chapter VIII looks at the current levels of social protection coverage and existing schemes, characteristics of main contributors (Section 8.1), working age population by social protection scheme (Section 8.2), social protection benefits and current beneficiaries (Section 8.3), and Population not covered by and not benefitting from social protection (Section 8.4).

Total population covered by social protection

Table 64 shows the highest population covered by social protection in Vientiane capital (212 thousand) and follows by Savannakhet province (140 thousand), and the lowest in Phongsaly and Sekong at 16 thousand

Table 64. Total population covered by social protection by province, sex and geographic area

Lao PDR Urban Rural Code Provinces Both Both Both Male Female Male Female Male Female sex sex sex Lao PDR 996 510 485 523 268 254 473 242 231

1 Vientiane Capital 212 104 108 150 76 75 62 28 34 2 Phongsaly 16 8 8 13 6 6 3 2 2 3 Luangnamtha 20 11 10 17 9 8 3 2 1 4 Oudomxay 38 21 17 24 13 11 14 8 6 5 Bokeo 17 9 7 13 7 6 4 2 2 6 Luangprabang 65 34 31 35 18 18 30 16 14 7 Huaphanh 20 12 9 14 8 6 6 4 2 8 Xayabury 60 33 27 38 20 19 21 13 8 9 Xiengkhuang 40 20 19 25 13 12 15 7 7 10 Vientiane 60 31 30 24 12 12 36 18 18 11 Borikhamxay 27 16 12 17 10 7 10 5 5 12 Khammuane 68 35 33 36 18 18 32 17 15 13 Savannakhet 140 70 71 34 18 15 107 51 55 14 Saravane 82 41 41 10 4 5 72 37 36 15 Sekong 16 8 8 6 3 3 10 5 5 16 Champasack 72 37 35 49 25 25 22 12 10 17 Attapeu 22 12 10 10 5 4 12 7 5 18 Xaysomboon 21 11 10 7 4 3 14 7 7 Percent of population covered by social protection to total population in each province Lao PDR 14.4 15.0 13.8 25.6 27.0 24.3 9.7 10.0 9.4 1 Vientiane Capital 24.1 24.8 23.4 25.4 26.4 24.3 21.5 21.3 21.6 2 Phongsaly 8.6 8.6 8.5 25 24.5 25.5 2.5 2.6 2.3 3 Luangnamtha 11.0 11.7 10.2 28.9 30.8 27.1 2.4 2.7 2.1 4 Oudomxay 11.5 12.8 10.3 28.6 30.5 26.6 5.7 6.7 4.7

5 Bokeo 8.6 9.2 8.0 27.2 30.6 23.9 2.8 3.1 2.4 6 Luangprabang 14.1 14.3 13.9 28.9 28.4 29.5 8.8 9.2 8.3 7 Huaphanh 6.6 7.5 5.7 27.2 28.5 25.6 2.3 2.9 1.8 8 Xayabury 14.5 15.8 13.2 30.7 31.3 30.1 7.5 9.1 5.8 9 Xiengkhuang 15.1 15.6 14.6 37 38.9 35.2 7.6 7.6 7.6 10 Vientiane 13.5 14.0 13.1 23.5 26.1 21.4 10.5 10.7 10.4 11 Borikhamxay 9.1 10.7 7.6 10.7 13.2 8.4 7.3 8.0 6.6 12 Khammuane 16.5 17.5 15.6 33.5 34.6 32.4 10.5 11.4 9.6 13 Savannakhet 13.8 13.8 13.7 29.6 32.5 26.8 11.8 11.5 12.1 14 Saravane 19.6 19.4 19.9 25.9 22.9 28.9 19.0 19.0 19.0 15 Sekong 13.2 13.4 13.1 34.2 35.0 33.6 9.4 9.5 9.3 16 Champasack 9.8 10.5 9.2 20.8 21.9 19.9 4.5 5.1 4.0 17 Attapeu 14.3 16.4 12.3 25.5 28.6 22.6 10.6 12.5 8.9 18 Xaysomboon 21.0 21.2 20.8 30.2 31.8 28.6 18.2 18.1 18.4

Table 65. Total population receiving benefits from social protection, by main social protection schemes, sex and geographic area (1,000)

Lao PDR Urban Rural Social protection schemes Both Both Both Male Female Male Female Male Female sex sex sex Lao PDR 323 164 158 183 92 90 140 72 68 Health insurance 274 146 128 152 81 71 121 65 56 Maternity benefits 16 4 12 11 3 7 5 0 4 Employment injury and occupational disease 5 3 2 3 2 2 1 1 0 benefits sickness benefits 0 0 - - - - 0 0 - Old age/ retirement 4 2 2 3 1 2 1 1 - benefits Death benefits 2 1 2 1 1 0 1 - 1 Survivors’ pension/benefits 18 6 13 11 4 7 7 2 5 Unemployment benefit 0 0 0 0 - 0 0 0 - Other (Specify) 4 3 1 2 1 1 3 2 0 Percent (%) Lao PDR 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 Health insurance 84.8 88.7 80.8 83.5 87.5 79.3 86.6 90.2 82.8 Maternity benefits 4.8 2.3 7.4 5.9 3.7 8.1 3.5 0.6 6.5 Employment injury and occupational disease 1.4 1.7 1.2 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.0 1.6 0.5 benefits sickness benefits 0.0 0.1 - - - - 0.1 0.1 - Old age/ retirement 1.2 1.4 1.0 1.7 1.5 1.8 0.7 1.3 - benefits Death benefits 0.7 0.3 1.0 0.4 0.6 0.2 1.0 - 2.0 Survivors’ pension/benefits 5.7 3.5 7.9 6.0 4.0 8.0 5.2 2.8 7.9 Unemployment benefit 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 - 0.1 0.0 0.1 - Other (Specify) 1.3 2.0 0.6 0.9 0.9 0.9 1.9 3.4 0.3 78

Working age population covered by social protection schemes

Of the 4.8 million working age persons, .75 million were covered by a social protection scheme. The national social protection scheme covered 388 thousand men and 364 thousand women. 410 thousand and 342 thousand persons in the urban and the rural areas, respectively, were covered by the national social protection scheme.

Table 66. Working age population covered by social protection, by province, sex and geographic area (1,000)

Total Urban Rural Code Province Both Both Both Male Female Male Female Male Female sex sex sex Lao PDR 752 388 364 410 209 201 342 179 164 1 Vientiane Capital 176 86 90 123 61 62 53 25 28 2 Phongsaly 11 6 5 9 5 4 2 1 1 3 Luangnamtha 16 8 7 14 7 6 2 1 1 4 Oudomxay 26 14 12 17 9 8 9 5 4 5 Bokeo 12 7 5 9 5 4 3 2 1 6 Luangprabang 49 24 24 28 13 15 21 12 9 7 Huaphanh 16 10 7 12 7 5 5 3 2 8 Xayabury 45 25 20 28 15 13 17 10 7 9 Xiengkhuang 29 15 14 19 10 9 11 5 5 10 Vientiane 50 25 25 21 10 11 29 15 14 11 Borikhamxay 25 14 10 16 10 6 9 5 4 12 Khammuane 50 26 24 28 14 13 22 11 11 13 Savannakhet 105 56 50 27 15 12 78 41 38 14 Saravane 48 23 25 6 3 3 42 20 22 15 Sekong 10 5 5 5 2 2 5 3 3 16 Champasack 55 28 27 38 19 19 18 10 8 17 Attapeu 15 9 7 7 4 3 8 5 4 18 Xaysomboon 14 7 7 5 2 2 9 5 4 Percent (%) Lao PDR 15.8 16.7 15.0 29.4 33.5 25.6 0.3 0.4 0.3 1 Vientiane Capital 26.4 27.2 25.6 29.8 31.9 27.8 0.4 0.2 0.5 2 Phongsaly 9.0 9.5 8.5 22.7 24.1 21.2 0.1 - 0.2 3 Luangnamtha 12.2 13.2 11.3 24.6 28.2 21.3 - - - 4 Oudomxay 12.2 13.4 11.1 28.2 34.7 22.2 0.5 0.4 0.5 5 Bokeo 9.5 10.3 8.6 24.2 31.3 17.4 0.1 0.1 - 6 Luangprabang 16.4 16.5 16.3 23.5 27.6 19.6 0.6 0.5 0.6 7 Huaphanh 8.4 9.9 6.9 27.9 32.5 23.3 0.2 0.3 0.1 8 Xayabury 14.8 16.4 13.2 38.2 44.8 31.6 0.3 0.1 0.4 9 Xiengkhuang 16.8 17.8 15.8 50.6 56.6 44.8 0.1 0 0.2 10 Vientiane 15.5 15.9 15.1 42.7 48.2 38 0.4 0.6 0.1 11 Borikhamxay 11.4 13.8 9.1 11.8 15.1 9.0 - - - 12 Khammuane 17.0 18.3 15.8 28.3 33.3 23.6 0.4 0.8 - 13 Savannakhet 15.2 16.0 14.3 44.7 52.4 37.0 0.5 0.5 0.5 79

14 Saravane 19.8 19.1 20.5 51.6 47.9 55.4 0.1 0.1 0.1 15 Sekong 14.4 15.1 13.8 39.3 52.3 28.1 0.4 0.2 0.6 16 Champasack 10.4 11.0 9.8 19.8 22.7 17.2 0.4 0.4 0.4 17 Attapeu 15.9 18.6 13.4 35.4 44.8 27.0 0.2 0.4 - 18 Xaysomboon 22.2 23.3 21.2 37.2 48.4 26.5 1.8 1.7 1.9

259 thousand persons reported to be currently receiving benefits from social protection coverage or a health scheme. The bulk of the beneficiaries were currently mainly benefitting from health insurance coverage (220 thousand), followed by maternity benefits (14 thousand) and survivors’ pension or benefits (11 thousand).

Among the current beneficiaries, there were more men (132 thousand) than women (126 thousand) and in the urban areas (148 thousand) than in the rural areas (111 thousand).

Table 67. Working age population currently receiving benefits from social protection, by main social protection schemes, sex and geographic area (1,000)

Lao PDR Urban Rural Social protection schemes Both Both Both sex Male Female sex Male Female sex Male Female Health insurance 220 119 101 124 66 59 96 53 43 Maternity benefits 14 3 11 9 2 7 5 0 4 Employment injury and occupational disease 4 2 2 3 2 2 1 1 0 benefits sickness benefits 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Old age/ retirement 4 2 2 3 1 2 1 1 0 benefits Death benefits 2 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 Survivors’ 11 2 8 6 1 4 5 1 4 pension/benefits Unemployment benefit 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Other (Specify) 4 3 1 2 1 1 2 2 0 Lao PDR 259 132 126 148 74 74 111 59 52 Percent (%) Health insurance 85.1 89.8 80.0 84.1 89.3 79.0 86.3 90.6 81.5 Maternity benefits 5.4 1.9 9.0 6.1 2.9 9.4 4.4 0.7 8.5 Employment injury and occupational disease 1.5 1.7 1.2 2.1 2.2 2.0 0.6 1.2 0.0 benefits sickness benefits 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.2 0.0 Old age/ retirement 1.5 1.8 1.3 2.0 1.9 2.2 0.8 1.6 0.0 benefits Death benefits 0.7 0.4 1.1 0.5 0.7 0.3 1.1 0.0 2.2 Survivors’ 4.2 1.9 6.6 3.9 1.8 6.0 4.5 2.0 7.3 pension/benefits Unemployment benefit 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.0 Other (Specify) 1.6 2.3 0.8 1.1 1.2 1.1 2.2 3.8 0.4 Lao PDR 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Social protection benefits and current beneficiaries

The current beneficiaries from social protection schemes were concentrated in Vientiane Capital (85 thousand), Champasack (24 thousand) and Xayabury (24 thousand). Even though there were more male current beneficiaries than women in total, more women (45 thousand) were currently receiving social protection benefits than men (39 thousand) in Vientiane Capital.

Table 68. Working age population receiving social protection benefits, by province, sex and geographic area (1,000)

Total Urban Rural Code Province Both Both Both Male Female Male Female Male Female sex sex sex 1 Vientiane Capital 85 39 45 48 22 26 36 17 19 2 Phongsaly 4 2 2 3 1 1 1 1 0 3 Luangnamtha 7 3 4 6 3 3 1 1 1 4 Oudomxay 7 4 3 4 2 2 3 2 1 5 Bokeo 7 4 3 5 3 2 2 1 1 6 Luangprabang 15 8 7 7 3 4 8 5 3 7 Huaphanh 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 8 Xayabury 24 13 11 14 7 7 10 6 4 9 Xiengkhuang 8 4 4 6 3 3 3 1 1 10 Vientiane 16 8 8 8 3 4 8 5 3 11 Borikhamxay 15 9 7 10 6 4 5 3 2 12 Khammuane 8 5 3 5 3 2 3 2 1 13 Savannakhet 18 9 9 3 2 2 15 8 7 14 Saravane 3 1 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 15 Sekong 3 2 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 16 Champasack 24 13 11 18 10 8 6 3 3 17 Attapeu 7 4 4 4 2 2 3 2 2 18 Xaysomboon 6 3 3 2 1 1 4 2 2 Lao PDR 259 132 126 148 74 74 111 59 52

Among the 1 million persons who were covered by a social protection scheme, a large majority was covered by the National Social Security Fund (721 thousand or 72.4 per cent of the covered population). This was followed by National Health Insurance Fund (210 thousand or 21.1 per cent). A very small proportion of the coverage was due to private schemes (6.5 per cent).

In the urban l areas, coverage by the National Health Insurance Fund was relatively more important institution (90.4 per cent of the covered urban population) than in the rural areas (60 per cent).

Table 69. Total population receiving social protection, by main categories of benefits, sex and geographic area (1,000)

Total Urban Rural Social protection benefits Both Both Both Male Female Males Female Males Female sex sex sex National Social Security Fund 274 146 128 152 81 71 121 65 56 National Health Insurance 16 4 12 11 3 7 5 0 4 Fund (Health Equity Fund) Private social security, health 5 3 2 3 2 2 1 1 0 insurance Private health care 0 0 - - - - 0 0 - Private company/institution 4 2 2 3 1 2 1 1 - Others 2 1 2 1 1 0 1 - 1 Lao PDR 323 164 158 183 92 90 140 72 68

Population not covered by and not benefited from social protection

5.9 million Persons out of the total 6.9 million populations (0+) were not covered or was not currently benefitting from social protection. Extending coverage to the rural population was a notable challenge, where 4.4 million persons were not covered or was not currently benefiting from social protection, compared to 1.5 million persons in the urban areas.

Table 70. Total population not covered by and not benefited from social protection, by province, sex and geographic area (1,000)

Total Urban Rural Code Province Total Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female 1 Vientiane Capital 670 316 354 443 211 232 227 105 122 2 Phongsaly 174 87 87 39 20 19 136 67 68 3 Luangnamtha 166 81 86 43 20 23 123 60 63 4 Oudomxay 292 142 150 60 29 31 232 113 119 5 Bokeo 176 92 84 34 16 18 142 76 66 6 Luangprabang 395 202 193 86 44 42 308 157 151 7 Huaphanh 289 144 145 38 20 18 251 124 126 8 Xayabury 352 173 179 86 43 44 266 130 136 9 Xiengkhuang 223 111 112 42 20 22 181 90 91 10 Vientiane 386 188 198 79 35 44 307 153 154 11 Borikhamxay 270 129 141 143 66 76 128 63 65 12 Khammuane 344 167 178 72 34 37 272 132 140 13 Savannakhet 878 434 444 80 38 42 798 396 402 14 Saravane 335 170 165 28 14 13 307 156 151 15 Sekong 106 51 55 12 6 7 93 45 48 16 Champasack 658 313 345 187 88 99 471 225 246 17 Attapeu 129 60 68 28 13 15 101 48 53 18 Xaysomboon 78 39 38 16 8 8 62 32 30 Lao PDR 5,921 2,899 3,021 1,515 725 790 4,405 2,174 2,231

Chapter IX. Migration

Moving from birth place

There were 539 thousand persons in the total population who currently lived in a place that was in a different province or a country of birthplace. Those that currently lived in Vientiane Capital and Vientiane province accounted for more than half of these 539 thousand persons.

Women were much more likely to live in a place other than their birthplace for family- or marriage-related reasons than men. Less than 10 per cent of these women reported job- related reasons. In contrast, almost 25 per cent of men stated that they currently lived in place other than their birthplace for job-related reasons.

Table 71. Population moved from birth place by sex and provinces (1,000)

Total Code Province Total Male Female 1 Vientiane Capital 223 104 119 2 Phongsaly 5 3 2 3 Luangnamtha 15 7 8 4 Oudomxay 24 12 11 5 Bokeo 13 7 6 6 Luangprabang 11 6 5 7 Huaphanh 2 1 1 8 Xayabury 42 24 18 9 Xiengkhuang 6 3 3 10 Vientiane 60 34 26 11 Borikhamxay 22 12 10 12 Khammuane 18 12 7 13 Savannakhet 16 8 8 14 Saravane 8 4 4 15 Sekong 4 2 2 16 Champasack 37 21 16 17 Attapeu 12 7 5 18 Xaysomboon 20 10 9 Lao PDR 539 279 260

Family-related reasons accounted for around half of the persons who currently lived elsewhere than the province or the country of birth (50.6 per cent). Reasons related to marriage accounted for another one-fifth (24.5 per cent), followed by job-related reasons (8.6 per cent).

Table 72. The reason for those who moved from birth place by sex (Percent)

Reason Total Male Female In search of job for pay 5.4 6.7 4.1 Conflict 0.7 0.6 0.7 Others 3.1 3.3 2.8 In search of establishing a business 0.8 1.1 0.5 To take up a new job 2.1 2.9 1.3 Job transfer 8.6 13.5 3.3 Study/Training 3.7 4.1 3.2 Marriage 24.5 21.3 27.9 Family moved/ to live with a relative/dependent 50.6 45.7 55.8 Health reasons 0.1 0.0 0.2 Natural disaster/ environment 0.5 0.7 0.2 Lao PDR 100.0 100.0 100.0

Household member living abroad

There were 127 thousand persons in the total population who were at present living in another country for more than 6 months, and almost 60 per cent of them were women. A large majority of them were reported to be living abroad for job-related reasons (87 per cent). Unlike internal mobility, there was little gender difference in terms of the motivation for migration. Job-related reasons were almost equally important for going abroad for both men and women.

68.8 per cent of those who were presently living abroad sent cash and/or goods back home in the last 12 months. Among the 110 thousand persons who were abroad for job-related reasons, 76.3 per cent were reported to have sent back cash and/or goods.

Table 73. The reason for household member living abroad more than 6 months by sex, and sent money back home (1,000)

sent cash and/or Reason Total Male Female goods back home In search of job for pay 102 43 59 78 Conflict 0 0 0 0 Others 2 1 1 0 In search of establishing a business 1 1 0 0 To take up a new job 7 2 5 6 Job transfer 0 0 0 0 Study/Training 8 4 4 0 Marriage 4 0 4 2 Family moved/ to live with a 2 1 2 1 relative/dependent Health reasons 0 0 0 0 Natural disaster/ environment 0 0 0 0 Total 127 52 75 87

Annex A: Survey organization

National Steering committee 1. Dr. Samaychan Boupha, Deputy Minister, Head of Lao Statistics Bureau; 2. Mr. Bounkhong Lasoukanh, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare; 3. Mrs. Phonesaly Souksavath , Deputy Head of Lao Statistics Bureau; 4. Mr. Phongsaysack Inthalath, Director General of Department; 5. Mr. Yavang Vachoima; 6. Ms Thirakha Chanthalanouvong, Director General of Department Social Statistics; 7. Mr. Viengkhong Inthalangsy, Deputy Director General of Department; 8. Mr. Thay Sengaloun, Deputy Director General of Department;

Data analysis and report writing 1. Mr. Phongsaysack Inthalath, Director General of Department; 2. Mr. Viengkhong Inthalangsy, Deputy Director General of Department; 3. Mr. Vilaysook Sisoulath, Deputy Director General of Department Social Statistics; 4. Mr. Thay Sengaloun Deputy Director General of Department; 5. Mr. Somchit Aminthalath, Director of Division 6. Ms. Phuangmala Rasasy, Deputy Director of Division 7. Mr. Suthanu boulom, Director of Division 8. Habiyakare Tite, International Labour Organization; 9. Makiko Matsumoto, International Labour Organization; 10. Zhong, Kuangjie, International Labour Organization; 11. Mr. Somsamay Norasane, Senior Tecnical Staff, 12. Mr. Phinthong Phoommalath, Senior Tecnical Staff, 13. Ms. Khamkhounheuan Phimphan, Tecnical Staff 14. Ms. Alounphone Mangnormek, Tecnical Staff, 15. Mr. Leokham Douangphachan ,Senior Tecnical Staff, 16. Mr. Salanyu Saiyasan, Tecnical Staff. Report Editor 1. Mrs. Phonesaly Souksavath , Deputy Head of Lao Statistics Bureau; 2. Ms Thirakha Chanthalanouvong, Director General of Department Social Statistics; 3. Mr. Vilaysook Sisoulath, Deputy Director General of Department Social Statistics; 4. Mr. Somsamay Norasane, Senior Tecnical Staff; 5. Mr. Leokham Douangphachan, Senior Tecnical Staff; 6. Mr. Thongxay Noravong , Tecnical Staff.

Technical task force group

1. Mr. Soulysack Phommasack, Director of Division; 2. Mr. Phoutavong Phommasak, Director of Division; 3. Mr. Somchit Aminthalath, Director of Division; 4. Ms. Phuangmala Rasasy, Deputy Director of Division; 5. Mr. Pangkham Thikeo, Deputy Director of Division; 6. Mr. Naymy Heuangkanthan, Tecnical Staff; 7. Mr. Vannasinh Soukmonty, Tecnical Staff; 8. Mr. Thongxay Noravong ,Tecnical Staff; 9. Ms. Manilath Chanthabounxa, Tecnical Staff; 10. Mr. Bee Yang ,Tecnical Staff; 11. Ms. Khamkhounheuan Phimphan, Tecnical Staff; 12. Mr. Soulisack Phomkhanxay ,Tecnical Staff; 13. Ms Anong Thomhongkham, Tecnical Staff; 14. Ms. Alounphone Mangnormek, Tecnical Staff; 15. Ms. Thipphachan Inthalungsy, Tecnical Staff; 16. Mr. Baybie Chanthavongsy, Tecnical Staff; 17. Mr. Phoudthasone Chounlasa, Tecnical Staff; 18. Mr. Khanxay Youchanthay, Tecnical Staff.

Field supervisors and enumerators  Vientiane Capital : 1. Mr. Khampasong vanthongthip, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Vientiane Capital; 2. Mr. Phouxay Xayyalinkham, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Vientiane Capital; 3. Mr. Phouphet keovongvichith , Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Vientiane Capital; 4. Ms. Souksavanh Sethavnxay, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Vientiane Capital; 5. Ms. Chanthy Souvanyotha Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Vientiane Capital; 6. Mr. Aekkasith Phommalath, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Vientiane Capital; 7. Mr. Yeuvang Sorchay, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Vientiane Capital;  Phongsaly Province: 1. Mr. Duangsavanh Lavongmany, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Phongsaly Province; 2. Mr. Phetphim Phamavong, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Phongsaly Province;

3. Mr. Thongdy Souvanphone, Provincial Department of Labour and Social Welfare, Phongsaly Province; 4. Mr. Singnavong Phompitham, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Phongsaly Province; 5. Mr. Say Mahachith, Provincial Department of Labour and Social Welfare, Phongsaly Province; 6. Mr. Touykham Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Phongsaly Province; 7. Mr. Khamphou Thavichanh Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Phongsaly Province;

 Luangnamtha Province : 1. Mr. Bounchan, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Luangnamtha Province; 2. Mr. Syvone Xaymetnga Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Luangnamtha Province 3. Mr. Chanthone keovongphet, Provincial Department of Labour and Social Welfare, Luangnamtha Province 4. Mr. Birdthongxay Porthavongxay, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Luangnamtha Province 5. Mr. Yoy Youanjeusien, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Luangnamtha Province 6. Mr. Chanthaly Norlokham Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Luangnamtha Province 7. Mr. Mick Khoaungvanghan, Provincial Department of Labour and Social Welfare, Luangnamtha Province  Oudomxay Province : 1. Mr. Pankeo Angnikhoun, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Oudomxay Province; 2. Mr. Ando Luangamath Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Oudomxay Province 3. Mr. Bounthan Bounthongphet, Provincial Department of Labour and Social Welfare, Luangnamtha Province 4. Mr. Thongchay Xayyaseng, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Oudomxay Province 5. Mr. Sanmik Chorpitak, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Oudomxay Province 6. Mr. Somxay Inthavixay, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Oudomxay Province 7. Mr. Vilath Inthavong, Provincial Department of Labour and Social Welfare, Luangnamtha Province

 Bokeo Province : 1. Mr. Khamsouk Incheuang, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Bokeo Province 2. Mr. Phouvong Thoneheuangxay, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Bokeo Province

3. Mr. Xayphone Dalavanh, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Bokeo Province 4. Mr. Thonglien Keosysome, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Bokeo Province 5. Mr. Somsy Phommany, Provincial Department of Labour and Social Welfare, Bokeo Province 6. Mr. Bounxay Xaythana, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Bokeo Province; 7. Mr. Somboun Luangleuxay, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Bokeo Province;  Luangprabang Province : 1. Mr. Khamsouk Phanthuvong, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Luangprabang Province; 2. Mr. Bounsy Many, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Luangprabang Province; 3. Mr. Khamdy Duangdaboud, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Luangprabang Province; 4. Mr. Bounsavanh Souksavath, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Luangprabang Province 5. Mr. Anouphab Sanaphon, Provincial Department of Labour and Social Welfare, Luangprabang Province 6. Mr. Sithong Pamaxong, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Luangprabang Province 7. Mr. Chayva Jiaporva, Provincial Department of Labour and Social Welfare, Luangprabang Province

 Huaphanh Province : 1. Mr. Somphone Sukavong, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Huaphanh Province 2. Mr. Khamyord Lorphonxay, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Huaphanh Province 3. Mr. Maymon VongKhamsy, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Huaphanh Province 4. Mr. Somsouk Phommixay, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Huaphanh Province 5. Mr. Sinnavong Thongphachanh, Provincial Department of Labour and Social Welfare, huaphanh Province 6. Mr. Noyvilay Xaysaenban, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Huaphanh Province 7. Mr. Souk Duangvixay, Provincial Department of Labour and Social Welfare, Huaphanh Province

 Xayabury Province : 1. Mr. Phonsavanh Xaythong, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Xayabury Province 2. Mr. Vilaxay Phetsalath, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Xayabury Province

3. Ms. Khemphone Khampha, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Xayabury Province 4. Mr. Sertsay Phongsavanh Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Xayabury Province 5. Mr. Somlith Vongvichith, Provincial Department of Labour and Social Welfare, Xayabury Province 6. Mr. Pasith pathilath, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Xayabury Province 7. Ms. Laddavanh Saophila, Provincial Department of Labour and Social Welfare, Xayabury Province

 XiengKhuang Province : 1. Mr. Sivong Loryiaphao, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, XiengKhuang Province 2. Mr. Saoyasith Xayyasith, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, XiengKhuang Province 3. Mr. Thongphet Thammavong, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, XiengKhuang Province 4. Mr. Beelao, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, XiengKhuang Province 5. Mr. Phouthong Duangpakanh, Provincial Department of Labour and Social Welfare, XiengKhuang Province 6. Mr. Phetsamone Sayphachanh, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, XiengKhuang Province 7. Mr. Phonekham Xayyavong, Provincial Department of Labour and Social Welfare, XiengKhuang Province

 Vientiane Province : 1. Mr. Khamvanh Phanmaha, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Vientiane Province 2. Ms. Noymany Phengphaxay, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Vientiane Province 3. Mr. Sounthone Sybounhom, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Vientiane Province 4. Mr. Touy Keosikhai, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Vientiane Province 5. Mr. Onchanh Xaythong, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Vientiane Province 6. Mr. Phonphaserth Vongpakdy, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Vientiane Province 7. Mr. Southin Sibounlerth, Provincial Department of Labour and Social Welfare, Vientiane Province

 Borikhamxay Province : 1. Ms. Khankeo Phiakeo, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Borikhamxay Province 2. Mr. Ngernthong Xayyaphet, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Borikhamxay Province 3. Mr. Phonethip Ouchanh, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Borikhamxay Province 91

4. Mr. Saiysavang xayyavong, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Borikhamxay Province 5. Mr. Souksavanh Vongkhamthong, Provincial Department of Labour and Social Welfare, Borikhamxay Province 6. Ms. Anoulath Xayyavong, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Borikhamxay Province 7. Ms. Sithsaba Labtipha, Provincial Department of Labour and Social Welfare, Borikhamxay Province  Khammuane Province : 1. Mr. Bounmy Manisy, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Khammuane Province 2. Mr. Sam Bouthalath, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Khammuane Province 3. Mr. Bounthanom Sengdala, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Khammuane Province 4. Mr. Bounyong Chanthilath, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Khammuane Province 5. Mr. Syda Inthalath, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Khammuane Province 6. Mr. Thavisinh Vorakoun, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Khammuane Province 7. Mr. Khamphone Inthalangsy, Provincial Department of Labour and Social Welfare, Khammuane Province

 Savannakhet Province : 1. Ms. Xayyana Xayyalath, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Savannakhet Province 2. Mr. Dalavanh Xayyahak, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Savannakhet Province 3. Mr. Keooudone Thoumany, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Savannakhet Province 4. Mr. Vongtha Sipaserth, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Savannakhet Province 5. Mr. Xaysoukkho Inthvong, Provincial Department of Labour and Social Welfare, Savannakhet Province 6. Mr. Kichome Somvilay, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Savannakhet Province, Savannakhet Province 7. Mr. Saisamone Chithamath, Provincial Department of Labour and Social Welfare, Savannakhet Province  Saravan Province: 1. Ms. Olakanh Duangboudda, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Saravan Province 2. Ms. Farsavanh Songsanasida, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Saravan Province 3. Mr. Soukhy Sibounmak, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Saravan Province 4. Mr. Tham Phommathep, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Saravan Province

5. Mr. Bounphanom Malaythong, Provincial Department of Labour and Social Welfare, Saravan Province 6. Mr. Bounlerth sengvilaysan, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Saravan Province 7. Mr. Somboun Khamanhak, Provincial Department of Labour and Social Welfare, Saravan Province

 Sekong Province: 1. Mr. Visayphone Khemmalay, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Sekong Province 2. Mr. Phonesavanh Phimmasene, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Sekong Province 3. Mr. Bo Thisavathdy, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Sekong Province 4. Mr. Langsan Khodsakmeuang, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Sekong Province 5. Mr. Khamlar Mathmanivong, Provincial Department of Labour and Social Welfare, Sekong Province 6. Mr. Phousavaeng Silaphet, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Sekong Province 7. Mr. Thongxay Xayyasouk, Provincial Department of Labour and Social Welfare, Sekong Province

 Champasak Province : 1. Mr. Bounlonh Phonxiengsa, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Champasak Province 2. Mr. Somphou Keoboualapha, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Champasak Province 3. Mr. Bounphanh Singkhamluang, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Champasak Province 4. Mr. Sivanxay keobouapha, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Champasak Province 5. Mr. Sounthone Phiengvorravong, Provincial Department of Labour and Social Welfare, Champasak Province 6. Mr. Chanpheng Hemmatha, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Champasak Province 7. Mr. SomChay Sanavong, Provincial Department of Labour and Social Welfare, Champasak Province

 Attapeu Province : 1. Mr. Vongvilay Sisoulath, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Attapeu Province 2. Mr. Vongvilay Xaysongkham, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Attapeu Province 3. Mr. Vilavong Samanochak, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Attapeu Province 4. Mr. Souvannasone Phaengmavong, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Attapeu Province 5. Mr. Kithvongxay Phouthavong, Provincial Department of Labour and Social Welfare, Attapeu Province. 93

6. Mr. Phatsady Sihalath, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Attapeu Province 7. Mr. Sipaserth Xayyasene, Provincial Department of Labour and Social Welfare, Attapeu Province.

 Xaysomboun Province: 1. Mr. Xaengsouk Vilaisouk, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Xaysomboun Province 2. Mr. Livone Thouxong, Mr. Xaengsouk Vilaisouk, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Xaysomboun Province 3. Mr. Thoulor vaxeng, Mr. Xaengsouk Vilaisouk, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Xaysomboun Province 4. Mr. Phengthao Cherchou, Mr. Xaengsouk Vilaisouk, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Xaysomboun Province 5. Mr. Bounthong Bounphengsouk, Provincial Department of Labour and Social Welfare, Xaysomboun Province 8. Mr. Mailor Yiathou, Mr. Xaengsouk Vilaisouk, Provincial Department of Planning and Investment, Xaysomboun Province 6. Mr. Bounthuang Senavong, Provincial Department of Labour and Social Welfare, Xaysomboun Province.

Annex B: Questionnaire

Labor force survey in Lao PDR- 2017 Province:………………………………………………………………. District:………………………………………………………………. Village:………………………………………………………………..

Village type (1.Urban, 2.Rural with road, 3.Rural without road)

HOUSEHOLD INFORMATION HH

HH1. No. of household: ______No. of sample household: ______

HH2. NAME OF HEAD OF HOUSEHOLD : ______HH3 . NAME AND LINE NO. OF PERSON INTERVIEWED: ______LINE NUMBER( HL1): __ __

HH4. INTERVIEWER’S NAME:______HH5. SUPERVISOR’S NAME: ______

INTERVIEWER VISITS Competed ……………………………………………...1 Not at House…………………………………………...2 Entire Household absent for extended period of RESULT OF HH INTERVIEW: HH6. time……………………………………………………..3 Refuse …………………………………………………4 Party competed………………………………………..5 Other (specify): ______6 Visit 1 Visit 2 Final Visit DATE: ______/ ______/ ______DATE: ______/______/______DATE: ______/______/______DAY MONTH YEAR DAY MONTH YEAR DAY MONTH YEAR

RESULT ...... ____ RESULT ...... ____ RESULT ...... ____

After all questionnaires for the household have been completed, fill in the following information

HH7. TOTAL NUMBER OF HOUSEHOLD MEMBERS: __ __

HH8 Starting time:__:__ Ending time:____:____ HH9 If additional questionnaires used indicate number: ______HH10 Supervisor on cental level:______HH11. Data entry:______

Module I. Housing and Household characteristics:

HC1. Type of dwelling in Brick house...... 1 which household lives? Wood/Brick house...... 2 wood house...... 3 Did endure house...... 4 Other ______5

HC2. Ownership/ Rental status Owner/purchaser ...... 1 of dwelling in which Rent-Pay rent ………...... 2 household lives? Rent-No pay rent ...... 3

Rent-employer provide free...... 4 Other ______5

HC3. Number of rooms in dwelling in which household lives? (including: bedrooms, Number:______Room living room, dining room)

(Do not count Toilet and bathroom, Balcony)

HC4 Size by area in square meters of dwelling in which Number -:______(m2) household lives? HC5 Main material of the dwelling floor ? Ceramic tiles ...... ………………..1 Concrete ...... 2 Wood planks ...... 3 Palm/bamboo ...... 4 Record observation.

Other (specify)______..... 5

HC6. Main material of the roof Tiles/Sipax/Concrete ...... 1 Zinc ...... 2 Wood ...... 3 Bamboo ...... 4 Grass ...... 5 Record observation. Other (specify) ... ______6

HC7. Main material of the wall Brick/cement ...... 1 Wood ...... 2 bamboo ...... 3

Other (specify) ...... ______4

Record observation

HC8.Your household have Kitchen facilities for cooking? Yes...... 1 No...... 2 H9. Bathroom facilities to household within dwelling Yes...... 1 unit? No...... 2 HC10 What type of toilet Flush/pour flush...... 1 facilities used by household Pit Latrine ventilated...... 2 within dwelling? Pit Latrine other...... 3 Compositing toilet ...... 4 Bucket...... 5 Hanging toilet...... 6 No toilet...... 7 HC11. Dose this dwelling have Yes (own meter)...... 1 electricity? Yes (share meter) ...... 2 Yes (own generator)...... 3 Yes, (use batteries)...... 4 No...... 5

HC12. What is the household's main source of energy for Electricity...... 1 cooking? Paraffin...... 2 Wood...... 3 Coal ...... 4 Charcoal ...... 5 Sawdust...... 6 Gas...... 7 Other______8

HC13. What is the main source Piped water ...... 1 of drinking water for members Well/borehole protected...... 2 of your household? Well/borehole unprotected...... 3 River/Stream/Dam...... 4 Mountain source ...... 5 Rain water...... 6 Bottle/can water...... 7 Tank ...... 8 Other______9

HC14. What is the main source Piped water ...... 1 of water used for members of Well/borehole protected...... 2 your household? Well/borehole unprotected...... 3 River/Stream/Dam...... 4 Mountain source ...... 5 Rain water...... 6 Bottle/can water...... 7 Tank ...... 8 Other ______9

HC15. What assets does this household own in working Yes No order? Tractor……………………………………….....1 2 Car/Van………...…………………………..…..1 2

Motor-bike…,…………………………………..1 2 Bicycle……,,……….…………………………...1 2 (Multiple answers) Boat…………………………………………..…1 2

Radio…………………………………………....1 2

Television…………….…………………….…...1 2

Telephone fixed………………………………...1 2

Cell phone……………………………………....1 2

Computer…………………………………….….1 2

Washing machine ………………………………1 2

Air conditioner.……………..………………..….1 2

Fan…………………………………………….…1 2

Fridge/Freezer …………………………………..1 2

Others (please specify)………………………

1. Buffaloes______Number HC16. Ownership of livestock 2. Cattle ______Number by household (by type and 3. Horse ______Number number of each type owned)? 4. Elephants ______Number 5. Goats/ Sheep ______Number 6. Pigs______Number 7. Duck ______Number 8. chicken______Number 9. other livestock

1.House land______( HECTARE) HC17. Ownership of land by 2 Ricefield land______( HECTARE) household (by type and area of 3. Upland rice field______( HECTARE) each type)? 4. garden land______( HECTARE) 5.Other______( HECTARE) 2 1 HECTARE = 10 000 m HC18. What is an average income of your household per ...... Kips month?

HC19. Is your household Increase Answer income increase or decrease? Decreased 1 ,3 Same HC22 flood...... 1 HC20. What are the reasons of drought...... 2 your household’s fall in the Enemy crop...... 3 past 12 months? Epidemics...... 4 Business closing due to economic recession...... 5 (Multiple answers) Price oil increased ...... 6 Price inflation (increased consumption price)...... 7 forest fires...... 8 storms...... 9 landslides...... 10 no agriculture production...... 11 unemployed...... 12

Other______13

No assistance from any organization...... 1 HC21 How was/were Recieved assistance from the Government ...... 2 problems caused overcome by Recieved assistance from NGO...... 3 your household? From local community organizations...... 4 Assistance from relatives/friends...... 5 Increased working hours of household members………..6

(Multiple answers) Sold property, livestock/ ……………………….……….7

Reduced household expenditures…...... 8 Other...... 9 HC22. Has any household member have an outstanding Yes...... 1 loan, or has obtained new loan No...... 2 2 Next in past 12 months? HC27

To meet essential household expenditures ……………….1 HC23. Main reason for most indebted household member To buy vehicle for household member……………………2 having a loan? To purchase/remodel/repair/construct a house…….……....3

For health related expenditures for household member…...4

(Multiple answers) For ritual expenditures……………………………………..5

To operate /expand business…………………….………...6 To pay previous loan …………….……………….……….7

For agriculture production...... 8 Other ______9

Government bank...... 1 HC24. Where was the major Private bank...... 2 amount of loan obtained from? Individual money lender...... 3 friends………………………………...... 4 relatives…………………...... 5 Village development fund………………...... 6

Other ______7

HC25. Has debt been paid Yes, paid back all...... 1 back? Yes, paid back some...... 2 3 Next No, not at all ...... 3 HC 27

Cash, by borrowing money from someone else…………….…...1 HC26. How was debt paid (or, Cash, by selling some assets…………………………………….2 will be paid) back? Cash, by getting income from work...... 3 Provide direct labor to creditor………………………………...... 4 (Multiple answers) Other(specify) ______5

HC27 What is household average monthly expenditure? Number______Kip

HL0 How many person are there in your household ?

MODULE II: HOUSEHOLD COMPOSITION AND CHARACTERISTICS OF HOUSEHOLD MEMBERS HL

HL0. How many people are usual member of this household? ______

ID Name and Relationship to Sex Age Marital status Citizenship Ethnic Religion Do you have any difficulty with the following Cause of surname functions? perso the head of 1. Male 1. Lao Origin 1. Buddhist main n of household 2. Christian household 2. Female Enter Age 1.Never- 2. Other (Enter 3. Bahai difficulty members 1. Head of in married the 4. Islam 1. No difficulty (Enter the 5. Other 2. Yes, some difficulty (for the Household Complete code 6. No- 3. Yes, a lot of difficulty answer 2-4 2. d years Country from religion 4. Cannot do at all in the HL10 Husband/wife – HL15) List names of 2. Married 3. Son Code the all 1. Since For enumer /Daughter and birth persons who are children ator 4:Son in law/ 3. Divorced / 2. War

Daughter in law less go to HL9) manual 3. Accident

usual members 5. Parent head ) 4. UXO Separated of the of household than 12 (Country 5. Disease

months code in the 6. Other HH. Start from 6. Grandchild enumerator (specify) the enter manual) (if no 7. Relative Seeing

4. Widowed Hearing 8. Non –relative "000" ethnic head of Communicating origin Washing/ Dressing household

Remember/ Concentrate

record Walking/ Climbing stairs 5. Stay ‘50’) together

HL1 HL2 HL3 HL4 HL5 HL6 HL7 HL8 HL9 HL10 HL11 HL12 HL13 HL14 HL15 HL16

Question E D3: What grade are you * Question ED7: Main Question ED8: Your highest level of attending now? reasons for not attending or technical skills left school Question ED6: What is your highest 00: no technical skills education level? 14: Teacher training and education science 1. Competed schooling

2. Disabled / illness 21: Arts 00: No grade 3. Too old for school 4. No school/school too far 22: Humanities 11: Grade 1 5. Teacher was absent 6. Cannot afford schooling 31: Social sciences 12: Grade 2 7. Family did not allow schooling 32: Journalism and information 13: Grade 3 8. Not interested in school 9. To work for no pay in 34: Business and administration

14: Grade 4 household 10. Other 38: Law 15: Grade 5 42: Life science 16: Grade 6 44: Physical science 21: Lower secondary 1 46: Mathematics and statistics 22: Lower secondary 2 48: Computer 23: Lower secondary 3 52: Engineering and trade 24: Lower secondary 4 54: Manufacturing and processing 31: Upper secondary 1 58: Architecture and building 32: Upper secondary 2 62: Agriculture, forestry and fishing 33: Upper secondary 3

Module III: Educational attainment for all household members aged 5 and above (ED)

ID Can you read & Have you which level Next year, are you what age What is your highest level What is main reason why What is main subject of study? code and grade is studying or finding a did you start of education achieved? you are not now in school/ write with ever (name) job? school? college?

understanding attended attending? the Lao (Enter the code above )

language or school? (in case no technical area of study other languages? (counting obtained, please write 00 and skip to ED

(Enter the code1. Continue study from first 10) above 2. Not studying (Enter the code above ) 1. Never ) grade of 3. Find the job primary (Go to 4. Studing while working (if answer ED2 “2=attending school) (Enter the code above ) ED10) school” has no answer here) Yes

1. Lao (for children attending 2. Other 2. Yes, language studying kindergarten, the questions next model) Now No

3. Not at all 3. Yes, left (Go to ED 4)

ED1 ED2 ED3 ED4 ED5 ED6 ED7 ED8

1 2 1 2 1 2

Question ED 10: Main reasons why not in Question ED 12: did you receive any training? school now Question ED 14: what is the Main field of Vocational

Training?

1. Too young Question ED 16: If you received assistance from an

2. Disabled / illness organization, what technical skill would you like to be 3. No school/school too far trained? 4. Teacher was absent 5. Cannot afford schooling 6. Family did not allow schooling 7. Not interested in school 1. Foreign language 8. No value in education 2. Traditional massage 9. Work to earn for household (wage earning) 3. Driving 10. Help unpaid family works 4. Sewing and cutting 11. Other 5. Computer, software 6. Automotive fixing 7. Construction

8. A cook, pastry-cook 9. Electronic fixing

10. Radio, TV fixing 11. Air con fixing 12. Welding 13. Business administration/trade 14. Wood scaft 15. Hairdresser, beautician 16. Agricutlure 17. Agricultural/livestock 18. Mobile phone fixing 19. other (specify)______

Module III: Educational attainment for all household members aged 5 and above ED

ID what What main reason Is she/he Did you receive Offices or organization Main field Duration of main If you receive person for not attending receiving or has any training in provided training offered an of training (course) assistance from Age she/he school ? ever received the past? official certificate of Vocational in? an organization last left Vocational achievements? Training for school? (Enter the code above ) Training (formal vocational/skill

? or informal)? (Enter the code above ) training, what skip to ED would you like 1. below 1

11 to study? 1. yes (if answer ED2=2) (record week Mutipul choice 2. no code) 2. During 1 or 2 1. yes 2. no week next to 3. one month ED 16 4. more one

1: month ED9 ED10 ED11 ED12 ED13 ED14 ED15 ED16

MODULE IV: IDENTIFICATION OF EMPLOYED PERSONS (MAIN PAID JOB OR BUSINESS ACTIVITY)- EP (For all household members of age 14 years and above) Now I would like to ask you questions about activities done in the last 7 days.

ID During the last 7 days, did you do During the last 7 days, did you run or do any kind of During the last 7 days, did you Was this work in Are the products obtained from this activity any work for a wage, salary, business, farming or other activity to generate income, help unpaid in a business agriculture? for sale or for family use? commission, tips or any other pay, even if only for one hour? owned by a household even if only for one hour? member, even if only for one 1. Yes 1. Only for sale/barter………….. AC1 Code (e.g. growing produce for sale, making things for sale, hour? 1. Yes…………… AC1 buying and reselling things, providing services for 2. No…………AC1 2. Mainly for sale/barter...... AC1 pay) 1. Yes 2. No 3. Mainly for family use 2. No…… …….EP6 4. Only for family use 1. Yes……….….EP4 EP1 EP2 EP3 EP4 EP5 2. No

(For all household members of age 14 years and above)

ID During the last 7 days, did you have a Why were you absent from work during the last 7 days? Including the time that you have been Do you continue receiving an income or other returns Code paid job or a business from which you absent, will you return to that same from a job or business during this absence? were temporary absent and to which you 1. Vacation, holidays ……………………………… AC1 job/business…….? expect to return? 1. Yes………….. AC1 2. Maternity, paternity leave………………..……... AC1 1. Yes …………... 2. No ………….. UE1 3. Sickness, illness, accident ……………………… AC1 1. Within 3 months or less…AC1 2. No…UE1 4. Shift work, flexi time, variable timetable ……… AC1 2. After 3 months

5. Education leave, training 3. Not sure to return

6. Other personal leave (care for family, civic duties, etc.)

7. Temporary reduction in clients, work break…

8. Laid off

9. Long-term disability

10. Bad weather condition, natural disaster

11. Strike, labour dispute

12. Seasonal work ……………………………….. UE1

13. Other (Please specify)………………

EP6 EP7 EP8 EP09

MODULE V: CHARACTERISTICS OF MAIN PAID JOB OR BUSINESS ACTIVITY) in the last 7 days

(For all household members of age 14 years and above); include secondary job/business

Now I would like to ask you questions about activities done in the last 7 days. In the main job/ business that you had What are your main tasks or duties? In this job are you? during the last 7 days, what kind of work Are you employed on Is your contract / the basis of… agreement? ID do you usually do? Working for someone else for pay Why is your contract / 1. Employee agreement temporary? 1. Permanent (without 2. Paid apprentice / intern 1. Written contract Person (e.g.: Policeman, primary school teacher, registered nurse, domestic worker, truck 2. Oral agreement Working as an duration limit) … AC8 driver) 3. No contract 3. Employer (with regular …AC8 1. Chain contract (renewable) employees)………….……AC11 2. Temporary 4. Own-account worker (without regular employees) ….…...AC11 2. Probation period 5. Contributing family worker (helping without pay in a household / family 3. Apprenticeship, internship business)……………..…..AC11 6. Other specify..….…….…...AC11 4. Specific service or task

Occupation title Description LSCO 5. Seasonal work Code* 6. Occasional/daily work AC1 AC2 AC3 AC4 AC5 AC6 01 7. Work as a 02 replacement/substitute

03 8. Public employment

04 Programmed

05 9. For chance to negotiated or change new job 06

07 10. Other 08 (Please specify):…….. 09

10 11 12 13 * Lao PDR Standard Classification of Occupations (at office or by supervisor)

ID What is the duration of your Does your employer pay Do you get paid annual Do you get paid sick leave or What is the name and location What are the main goods or services produced contributions for social security leave or payment for leave compensation in case of at your place of work or its main function? on his/her behalf? illness or injury? of your place of work? Person contract/agreement? not taken? (e.g.: Selling fish, teaching children to read and write, caring for the sick, livestock farming)

(Should refer to any nationally 1. Yes 1. If Name & location exist, 1. Daily contracts/agreements available social security scheme; 1. Yes please write name & location paid by the employer) 2. No 2. Less than 1 month 2. No 3. Don't know 2. Domestic worker in 3. 1 mo. to less than 3 months 3. Don't know 1. Yes private household….AC19

4. 3 mo. to less than 6 months 2. No Pleasae specify LSIC 5. 6 mo. to less than 12 months 3. Don't know 3. Without name Code* 6. 12 months and above

AC7 AC8 AC9 AC10 AC11 AC12 01

02 03

04 05 06

07 08 09 10 11

12 13 14

ID Was your main activity carried out in? What type of enterprise/business where Is the business registered Does the business keep a How many persons, In what type of place do you usually you work? with (relevant authority)? book of accounts (assets and including the owner, work work? expenditures)? Person at your place of work?

1. Government ……………………… AC18 1. An incorporated company 1. At home .…………………..AC18 1. Yes 1. Yes 2. State-owned enterprise…………… AC18 1. Less than 4 2. Structure attached to the home 2. An independent, personal/ 2. In the process of being 2. No 3. Private business or farm 2. 5-9 3. At the client/employer's home family business registered 3. Don't know 4. International org./ foreign embassy. AC18 3. 10-49 4. At an office, shop factory, or other 3. Don’t know 3. No fixed place of work 5.Non-profit institutions...... AC18 4. 50-99 5. Fixed stall in market / street 4. Don’t Know 6. Individual household …………….. AC18 5. 100 and above 6. Land, forest, river, ... 7.Other (specify) 7. Without fixed location / mobile

8. Construction site

9. Other (specify):………..

AC13 AC14 AC15 AC16 AC17 AC18 01

02 03 04 05 06 07

08 09 10 11

CHARACTERISTICS OF SECONDARY PAID JOB/BUSINESS ACTIVITY

ID How long have you (In current varied living In the second job/business that What are your main tasks or duties? In your second job, are you? What is the name and What are the main goods or worked for this conditions, people tend to you had during the last 7 days, location of your place of services produced at your Person employer/in this carry out a secondary activity what kind of work do you Working for someone else for work? place of work or its main in addition to the main one). pay function? business? usually do?

Did you have any secondary 1. Employee (e.g: Interviewer, tuition business or performed any 1. If Name & location exist, second (permanent, teacher, food deliverer, salesman 2. Paid apprentice / intern please write name & (e.g.: Selling fish, teaching 1. Less than 6 months occasional/exceptional) etc) location children to read and write, 2. Domestic worker in caring for the sick, activity for at least 1 hour 2. 6 months to less than 1 private livestock farming…) during the last 7 days, even year Working as an for non-essential income in household.…..WT1 cash or in kind? 3. 1 year to less than 3 3. Employer (with regular

years 3. Without name employees

4. 3 years to less than 5 years 4. Own-account worker 1. Yes

5. 5 years to less than 10 (without regular 2. No………WT1 years employees)

6. 10 years or more 5. Contributing family LSCO worker (helping without LSIC Occupation title Description pay in a Description Code Code household / family business)

6. Other ( specify):………. AC19 AC20 AC21 AC22 AC23 AC24 AC25 01

03 04 05 06 07 08 09

MODULE VI: WORKING TIME (WT) (For all household members of age 14 years* and above, who are in employment)

ID Interviewer: at the end, add totals and Interviewer: at the end, add totals and Interviewer: During the last 7 days, why did you actually work more or less than During the confirm with respondent confirm with respondent your usual hours of work per week? last 30 days, The total hours actually did you look for additional worked in the last 7 days is or other paid Person EQUAL to the total hours 1. Variable working time/ nature of work (shift work, flexible hours) work or How many hours do you usually work per Thinking about all the last 7 days, how many usually worked per week? business for week in your... hours did you actually worked in your … 2. Contractual hours (part-time job, government job) profit?

3. Increase in workload, high workload during the last days 1. Yes ……………..WT05 1. Yes 4. To have a higher income 2. No, worked more than 2. No 5. Days off, holidays, annual leave, special leave usual hours 6. Personal, family reasons, family responsibilities

3. No, worked less than 7. Illness, injuries, etc.

usual hours 8. Reduction in clients or orders, lack of raw material/ energy, etc.

9. Schooling or training 10. Strike or labour dispute a. b. b. c. c. a. Second Total Total 11. Start/End/Change of jobs Second Other Main job job Main job Other job job(s) 12. Seasonal work, low season job(s) 13. Bad weather, natural disaster

14. Other (specify): ______Hours Hours Hours Hours Hours Hours Hours Hours

WT01 WT02 WT03 WT04 WT05 01

02 03 04

06 07 08

Would you want to If an opportunity for additional work became How many additional Do you want to change your current What is the main reason why you want to change work more hours per available, could you start working more hours hours could you work employment situation? current employment situation? ID week than usually within the next 2 weeks? per week? worked, provided the extra hours are paid? Person 1. Yes 1. Present job(s) is/are temporary 1. Yes (Write total number of additional hours in all 2. No… ERI01 (NEXT SECTION) 2. To have better paid job 1. Yes 2. No…………. WT09 jobs) 3. To have more clients/business 2. No………… WT09 4. To work more hours

5. To work fewer hours

6. To better match skills

7. To work closer to home

8. To improve other working conditions 9. Other (specify):……….

WT06 WT07 WT08 WT09 WT10 01 02

03 04 05

06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13

MO DULE VII: EMPLOYMENT RELATED INCOME (ERI) A. For employers and own-account workers, and others who are not paid employees/interns (i.e. if AC3 = 3, 4, or 6) (For all household members of age 14 years* and above, who are in employment)

Last month, how much did you make in Last month, did you take any products If one had to purchase those products, how much Last month, how much did you receive in additional net profit, from your main from your main business or activity for the would they have cost? income or earnings from any secondary activity ID household’s own use? (regular, occasional/ exceptional, etc.)? business or activity?

Person That is, after considering all the sales and (Please round up) (Please estimate the total for all secondary activities, deducting all expenses? 1. Yes and round up)

2. No……………….…… ERI04 Interviewer please go to next section (Module 9 OPW1)

3. Don’t know/ refused … ERI04

ERI01 ERI02 ERI03 ERI04 01 02 03 04 05

06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15

MODULE VII: EMPLOYMENT RELATED INCOME (ERI)

B. For employees and paid Apprenticeship/ interns (i.e. if AC3 = 1 or 2) (For all household members of age 14 years* and above, who are in employment)

The last time you were paid How much did you What period did this How many days On average, Does your employer If one had to Did you How much did Last month, how in your main job, were you receive the last time payment cover? did you work in how many provide you with …? purchase those have to pay you pay? much did you ID paid in cash such as salaries, you were paid? your main job hours did you products, how any amount receive in wages, commissions, during that work per day much would to receive additional bonuses or tips? period? in your main they have cost? these goods? income or Person 1. Piece rate or one-time job during (Please write all that (Please round earnings from (Please round up) that period? apply) up) any secondary payment …...... ERI10 activity (regular, 1. Yes (Please round 1. Yes occasional/ 2. One day …….. ERI10 up) exceptional, 2. No, paid in kind only 1. Housing 2. No.ERI14 etc.)? 3. One week ……………. ERI10 2. Food and/or 4. Two weeks 3. Not paid at all drinks (Please estimate 5. One month for all secondary ……….….... ERI10 3. Transport activities, and 6. Others round up) (vehicle, fuel, bus

ticket) Interviewer 4. Clothing (other please go to next section (Module 9, SPW1) than uniforms)

5. Others

6. None … ERI14

ERI05 ERI06 ERI07 ERI08 ERI09 ERI10 ERI11 ERI12 ERI13 ERI14

01 02 03

04 05 06 07

MODULE VIII: JOB SEARCH AND AVAILABILITY (Unemployment – UE) (For all household members of age 14 years* and above, who are not in employment)

During the last 30 days, did you Have you already found What did you do in the last 30 days to find a job What kind of job were you What kind of working For how long have you been without look for any kind of paid job or try a job or arranged to start or start a business? looking? time arrangement were work and trying to find a paid job or ID to start any kind of business? a business in the future? you looking for? start a business? (multiple choose)

Person 1. Applied to prospective employers 1. Wage employment 1. Yes…….…..UE4 1. Only full-time 1. Less than 1 month …….…UE9 1. Yes……………..UE3 2. Placed/answered job advertisements 2. Self-employment…UE6 2. Only part-time 2. 1 month to less than 3 2. No 3. Registered with Employment Centre 3. Any job…………...UE6 2. No…………UE7 3. Any working time Months…………………….UE9 4. Registered with private recruitment offices arrangement 3. 3 months to less than 6 5. Took a test or interview Months…………………….UE9 6. Sought help from relatives, friends, others 4. 6 months to less than 12 7. Checked at factories, work sites Months…………………….UE9 8. Waited on the street to be recruited 5. 12 months to less than 24 9. Sought financial help to start a business Months……………….……UE9 10. Looked for land, building, equipment, 6. 24 months or more……….UE9 materials to start a business

11. Applied for permit or license to start a

Business

12. Social media, reading in newspapers employment vacancy announcements

13. Other (specify):…………… 14. No method………………UE7

UE1 UE2 UE3 UE4 UE5 UE6 01 02 Would you want to work What is the main reason why you did not try to find If (a/the) job or business What is the main reason why you What were Main work you did What were the main (economic) activity,, or if a job or business a paid job or start a business in the last 30 days? opportunity became are not available to start working your main before you were what were the goods or services produced at ID opportunity became available.., in the next two weeks? occupation unemployed? your last work place? available? before unemployed ? Person 1. Waiting for results of a previous search 1. You could have started 1. In studies, training, attend 1. Yes 2. Waiting for season to work working during the last 7 educational or upgrading courses days ………………UE11 (LSCO for field (LSIC for field supervisor use; 2. No………...UE10 3. Waiting to be recalled to former job 2. Family responsibilities supervisor use; 2. You could have started (including maternity leave) (Do you have 4. Tired of looking for work, no jobs in area within the next 15 work before days. …………..….UE11 3. Ilness injury your Use 00000 for never employed) 5. No jobs matching skills, lacks experience unmeployed Use 000000 for never 3. Not available 4. Pensioner employed) 6. Considered too young/old by employers 5. Voluntary inactive 7. Look for work oversees employment Yes 6. Family member(s) consider that 8. In studies, training s/he should stay at home No

9. Family / household responsibilities 7. Other (specify)………………………… 10. Family member(s) consider that you should stay at home

11. Engaged in a subsidiary agri - production for family use

12. Other sources of income

13. Disability, injury, illness

14. Other(specify)…………………………

UE7 UE8 UE9 UE10 UE11a UE11b LSCO UE12 LSIC 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09

MODULE IX: OWN-USE PRODUCTION WORK, OF GOODS AND SERVICES (OPW)

(For ALL household members of age 14 years* and above)

In the last 7 days, did you do any of the following activities to In general, do you sell About how much do Which type of animals or products mainly for use or consumption by In the last 7 days, did you produce foodstuff intended mainly for consumption by the any part of the products you usually or intend the household were you working on? prepare foodstuff for ID household or family? If so how many hours did you spend on obtained from these to sell? storage, such as fish paste, activities? dried fish, dried mango, such activity during the last 7 days? wine, bamboo shoots, etc. intended mainly for (e.g.: fish, cows, chicken, corn, potatoes, taro, maize, cassava, broken consumption by the Person 1. No, never sell rice, vegetables and green plant material, rice, etc.) household or family? Interviewer: …OPW7 1. Less than half

If yes please fill in the total number of hours per week; 2. Yes, sell excess from 2. More than half time to time 1. Yes,

If all have 0 hours please go to OPW07 3. Yes, regularly sell Write the number of part of the products hours spent on these activities during the last 7 days Cultivate land or a Grow fodder, tend Catch or trap fish, kitchen garden for livestock, poultry or shellfish or other crops, vegetables or other animals for water or sea 2. No, meat, eggs, milk, fruits, including honey, hides or other products for food planting, tending, products? or as raw material? Write 0 hours harvesting, etc.? Please specify LSIC Code

(Hrs) (Hrs) (Hrs)

OPW01 OPW02 OPW03 OPW04 OPW05 OPW06a OPW06b OPW07 01 02 03 04

05 06

07 08 09

11 12 13

In the last 7 days, did you In the last 7 days, did In the last 7 days, did you In the last 7 days, did you do During the last 7 days, did you During the last 7 days, did you During the last 7 days, did you make any other goods or you fetch water from collect firewood, dung or any construction or major spend any time doing unpaid spend any time providing unpaid spend any time looking after your ID crafts exclusively for use natural or other public other goods to use as fuel repair work to the household housework, yard work or home care, help or assistance to family or your family children? by the household or maintenance for members of members because of a disability, sources, such as a well, exclusively for use by the premises; for example, build family, such as furniture, your household or family? illness, or problems related to old (E.g.: bathing or active playing pottery, clothing or other river, etc exclusively household or family? or expand a room, replace the age? with children, taking to school, Person textiles, baskets, mats, for use by the roof, put or fix a fence, etc? (E.g.: preparing meals, doing the sports or other activities, tutoring etc. (excluding household or family? dishes, cleaning the house, doing (E.g.: providing personal care to or helping children with foodstuff)? laundry, cutting the grass, home dependent adult members of the homework, advising or talking 1. Yes, maintenance and small repairs, family, administering medication, with teens about their problems, household shopping and finance helping them with shopping, etc.) 1. Yes, management, etc.) banking, visiting relatives, etc.) 1. Yes, Write the number of 1. Yes, hours spent on these Write the number of hours Write the number of activities during the last 7 spent on these activities Write the number of days during the last 7 days 1. Yes, hours spent on these hours spent on these 1. Yes, 1. Yes, activities during the activities during the last Write the number of hours last 7 days 7 days Write the number of hours Write the number of hours spent on these activities 2. No, spent on these activities spent on these activities during the last 7 days 2. No, during the last 7 days during the last 7 days Write 0 hours 2. No, 2. No, Write 0 hours 2. No, Write 0 hours Write 0 hours 2. No, 2. No, Write 0 hours Write 0 hours Write 0 hours

OPW08 OPW09 OPW10 OPW11 OPW12 OPW13 OPW14 01 02

03 04 05

06 07 08

09 10 11 12

MODULE X: OCCUPATIONAL INJURIES AND ILLNESSES WITHIN THE LAST 12 MONTHS (OSH) (For ALL household members of age 14 years* and above)

READ: Now I would like to ask you about any accidents you may have had while working in the last 12 months, i.e. since [DATE] to today.

In the last 12 months, Did any of the Did the injuries How many of these In your most serious work Causes of your injuries What kind of work were What were your main tasks or duties in this i.e. since [DATE] to injuries received in seriously restrict injuries or illnesses did accident, what type of injury or illness you doing when this job/activity? ID today, were you hurt the last 12 months, your work or you have in the last 12 or illness did you get? accident that resulted to i.e. since [DATE] to months, i.e. since 1. Fall from high injury/ illness happened? in any accident while activities even today result in you [DATE] to today? Select the most severe injury postion working that caused being absent from though you were 2. Machine operation you any injury or work or unable to able to work or 3. Hit by fallen things Perso illness? work, for at least not absent from 4. Electric shock 1= Main job in the last 7 n one day, apart from work? (Interviewer: 1= Superficial injury 5. Transport days …………. OSH11 (Include accidents the day of the 6. Slipery accident? 7. Burn, Corrosion, that took place while Record number of 2= Fracture accidents or illnesses Scald commuting to/from 8. Accident while below) 3= Dislocation, sprain, strain 2= Secondary job in the work) transport for work last 7 days .….. OSH11 4= Amputation 9. Other (specify) Name and short description LSCO Code of the activity 1. Yes … OSH04 5= Concussion, internal injury 3= Main job in the last 12 months 1. Yes 1. Yes 6= Acute poisoning or 2. No infection

7= Dizziness, headaches 9= Other job (specify) 2. No … NEXT 2. No 8= Other injury/illness SECTION (SP01) (specify)

OSH01 OSH02 OSH03 OSH04 OSH05 OSH6 OSH07 OSH08a OSH08b 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08

What is the name and/or What is the main activity carried out or main products or services produced at Where were you when the How many days were you In the last 12 months, i.e. since type of the the workplace where you had the accident? accident happened? away from work or unable to [DATE] to today, have you ID establishment / place work because of the injury? ever been or felt subjected to where you were Examples: any of the following at work or working? Hotel accommodation, serving cooked meals to clients, retail sell of by customers…?

groceries, custom tailoring of garments, domestic services cleaning and 1= In usual work area within cooking, growing rice, repair of electrical equipment workplace (Write the number of days. Please choose the MAIN one. Person Examples: 2= Another area within workplace Hotel… If never returned to work due 1= Constantly shouted at 3= In the mobile workplace to the injury, please write 999.) Restaurant, Mekong 2= Repeatedly insulted Grocery Shop, etc. 4= During work related Please specify the activity carried out at the workplace, or LSIC Code * travel (including commuting) 3= Beaten /physically hurt For Tailoring service the type of products or services of the workplace for domestic workers in 5 = Others (specify) 4= Touched or done things to private household, write you that you did not want “domestic service”; 5= Gender discrimination For household farming write “farm” 6= Ethnic or regional discrimination

7= Discriminated for being of foreign origin

8= Sexual harrassment

9= Others (Specify)

OSH09 OSH10a OSH10b OSH11 OSH12 OSH13 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09

10 11 12

MODULE XI: SOCIAL PROTECTION COVERAGE, BENEFITS, AND CONTRIBUTIONS (SP)

(For ALL household members of any age and sex)

Do you, or What MAIN form of social The last time you were How much did you What period did this Which institution does Do you, or does Why did not you or did does [NAME] protection scheme do you or does [NAME was] paid your [NAME] receive payment cover? provide the benefits you [NAME] contribute not [NAME] enroll ID currently get [NAME] get benefits from? main social security the last time you [NAME] get paid for? to, or are you [is in any social benefits from benefits, were you paid were paid your NAME] a member protection scheme any form of in kind or in cash? benefits? of any social programme or

social 1= One-time benefits protection, social provident fund? protection Please indicate only the main 1. In cash payment 1= National Social security, provident Person coverage or social protection scheme that pay 2. In kind Security Fund fund, or health health benefits directly to you of to any 3. In both cash and kind (Please round up) 2= One week coverage scheme? scheme? of your household member 2= National Health (Please write down the 3= Two weeks Insurance Fund (Health response received) 1. Yes Equity Fund) 2. No … SP07 4= One month 1. Yes …SP09 1= Health insurance 3= Private social security, 5= Three months pension, or provident 2. No … Go to MODULE XII 2= Maternity benefits fund 6= Six months 3= Employment injury and 4= Private company/ occupational disease benefits 7= One year institution, or individual 4= sicknessbenefits 8= Others (Specify) 5= Other (Specify) 5= Old age/ retirement benefits

6= Death benefits

7= Survivors’ pension/benefits

8= Unemployment benefit

9= Other (Specify)

SP01 SP02 SP03 SP04 SP05 SP06 SP07 SP08 01 02 03 04 05

Who or which institution does pay the social security or pension contributions for you Where/ which institution are your [are NAME’s] social security contributions paid to? [NAME]?

1= National Social Security Fund 1= My household 2= National Health Insurance Fund (Health Equity Fund) 2= Myself as employee 3= Private social security, health insurance 3= Myself as self-employed 4= Private company/institution 4= Employer 5= Other (Specify) 5= Government institution/ social assistance scheme

6= Other (Specify)

SP09 SP10

MODULE XII: LABOUR MIGRATION A- MIGRATION, MIGRANT WORKERS & RETURNS (Module LMA) (For ALL household members of any age)

Where were you What is the name of the What is the name When you What was the main Have you [has In which province or did In which country did you Was this What was the main [was NAME] born? village and province where country where you were were [was reason for you [for NAME] ever lived you [did NAME] live [did NAME] live before place where reason for you [for ID you were [NAME was] [NAME was] born? NAME] NAME] to leave the anywhere else in before moving to this moving to this you [NAME] NAME] to move born, was birth place? another province village/province? village/province? lived before, here? born? this place or country than urban or urban or this province rural? 1= In this rural? continuously for Person village … 1= In search of job for 12 months or 1= In search of job LMA05 pay more? for pay 1= Urban

2= In another 1= Urban 2= In search of 2= In search of Name of the Province/ name of Province/ Name of Province name of the Country village in this establishing a 2= Rural establishing a village and Country code country Country 2= Rural business 1 = Yes, in the village code country code business province … province code another and 3= Don’t LMA05 3= Don’t 3= To take up a new province province know/ don’t 3= To take up a know/ job remember new job don’t 2 = yes, in another remembe 4= Job transfer country 4= Job transfer 3= In another r LMA06C province 5= Study/Training 5= Study/Training 6= Marriage 3= No, except my 6= Marriage birth place … 7= Family moved/ to LMA09 7= Family moved/ 4= In another live with a to live with a country …… relative/dependant relative/ LMA02c dependant 8= Health reasons 4= No … LMA10 8= Health reasons 9= Natural disaster/ environment 9= Natural disaster/ environment 10= Conflict 10= Conflict 11= Others (specify) 11= Others (specify)

LMA01 LMA02a LMA02b LMA02c LMA02d LMA03 LMA04 LMA05 LMA06a LMA06b LMA06c LMA06d LMA07 LMA08 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12

In what month and year What is your [NAME's] current Have you When did you [did In which country were you [was What was the main reason for During this last Did you [NAME] did you [did NAME] nationality? [has NAME] NAME] last return NAME] last? you [NAME] going abroad in trip, did you make any other ID last move to live in this ever travelled from abroad (please that country? [NAME] also trip abroad in the current place of abroad, even provide month and work or look for last twelve months

residence? if only for a year)? work there? and worked or

short period? Interviewer: looked for work Interviewer: 1= In search of job for pay while abroad? Person Please check the code list …………... LMA18

Interviewer: Please check the countries code list Interviewer: provided, and write the name of 1= Yes provided, and write the name of the 1= Yes the country and the code 2= In search of establishing a ………… Use 2 digits for the country and the code indicated Use 2 digits for the indicated business ….... LMA18 1= Yes month and 4 digits for month and 4 digits ……….. the year; for the year; 3= To take up a new job LMA18 2= No …….…….. LMA18 Record 00 if the month Record 00 if the 2= No .… LMA32 is unknown ….. LMA32 month is unknown 4= Job transfer ….. LMA18 2= No 5= Study/Training

6= Marriage

Month Year Country name Country Month Year Country name Country code 7= Family moved/ to live with a relative/ dependant (MM) (YYYY) code (MM) (YYYY) 8= Health reasons

9= Natural disaster/ environment

10= Conflict

11= Others (specify)

LMA09a LMA09b LMA10a LMA10b LMA11 LMA12a LMA12b LMA13a LMA13b LMA14 LMA15 LMA16 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 To which country did you [did NAME] In the past 12 When travelling About how much did you [did What was your [NAME’s] main occupation, or main Referring to the last How much did it last travel where you [he/she] worked or months, how abroad, how long NAME] earn in a month on your tasks and activities abroad during your last trip or work abroad, how cost you [cost ID looked for work? many times did do you [does [his/her] last trip abroad? your last job abroad where you worked? did you [did NAME] NAME] to travel you [did NAME] NAME] usually obtain this work? to the country for travel stay there? the work, and to come back home Please assess earnings only for the at the end of the Person Interviewer: last trip where [NAME] worked 1= Job transfer job? 1= Every day 1= One week or abroad. Please check the countries code list less 2= Registered and provided, and write the name of the ...... LMA20 got the job from a Please include country and the code indicated 2= More than 1 government 2= Every week week but less agency costs for buses, than 1 month train, taxis, and other travel costs Country name Country 3= Few times a In cash, salary, In kind, please Occupation or main tasks/ activities LSCO* code 3= Registered and code month 3= 1 month to less bonuses, and estimate the got the job from a than 3 months other monthly value private 4= Once every commissions recruitment/ month 4= 3 months to employment less than 6 agency 5= Few times a months (Please round up; year 4= Through relatives write 0 if no 5= 6 months to travel costs paid) 6= Only travelled less than 12 5= Through friends once/ once a months year 6= Applied from 6= 12 months or newspapers or more websites

9= Other (Specify)

LMA17a LMA17b LMA18 LMA19 LMA20a LMA20b LMA21a LMA21b LMA22 LMA23 01 02 03 04 05 06 13 14

Did you [did How much did From where did you [did Did you [did How much did Were there If you [NAME] During the time Have you [has For the goods How much in NAME] pay you [did NAME] NAME] get the money NAME] spend these other other benefits had to pay you were NAME] you [NAME] total did you [did ID any fees to pay? you [he/she] paid to any other expenses cost in paid by the yourself [him- [NAME was] received any received, if one NAME] receive the obtain the job? expenses to total? recruiting /herself] these working abroad money or goods had to purchase in cash from recruitment prepare the agency, the other benefits, in your [his/her] from abroad in these goods, how abroad during the agency, trip, such as broker, or by approximately last job, did you the past 12 much would they last 12 months? relatives, passport, visa, the employer? how much all keep your months? have costed? Person friends, or 1= Personal savings insurance and these would have identity any other (Please round up) other medical cost you documents such broker to 2= Assistance from coverage? (Please round up) [NAME]? as the passport obtain the with you? family/ relatives E.g.: Food, 1= Yes, cash job? accommodation only 3= Assistance from during travel, ………….. (Please round up) government agency 1= Yes medicine/ LMA34 (Please round up) medical care, 1= Yes, with me 1= Yes 4= Assistance from travel expenses, (Please round up) private agency etc. 2= No, passport 2= No kept by the 2= Yes, goods Next person 5= Assistance from agency only (ED) 2= No caritative institutions/ … LMA29 NGOs 1= Yes 3= No, passport 3= Yes, both … LMA26 kept by the cash and 6= Contracted a personal employer goods loan 2= No 4= Other 7= Loan by the (Specify) recruitment agency ..… LMA31 4= No, .…...….

8= Other (Specify) …..Next person (ED)

LMA24 LMA25 LMA26 LMA27 LMA28 LMA29 LMA30 LMA31 LMA32 LMA33 LMA34

01 02 03 04 05

06 07 08 09 10 11 12

MODULE XII: LABOUR MIGRATION B- HOUSEHOLD MEMBERS LIVING ABROAD (ABSENTEES- Module LMB)

(For ALL household members of age any age) The following questions should be asked about members of the household who are living at present in another country, i.e. former members of this household who left and are living abroad for more than 6 months, or intend to live abroad for more than 6 months.

LMB0 Are there any members of this household who have left to live abroad for more than six months, or intend to live abroad for more than 6 months?

1= Yes 2= No ……….END OF THE INTERVIEW

Name and surname What is [NAME] What is How old is In which month and year What was [NAME] highest In which country is [NAME] What was the main reason for relationship with [NAME] [NAME] did [NAME] leave the educational level completed at the currently living? [NAME] to travel to live abroad? ID the head of this sex? currently country? time when (he/she) left the country? of household household?

members Interviewer: 1= In search of job for pay 1= Male Interviewer: Interviewer: 1= No grade ……………….. LMB11 Person 2= Husband/wife Please check the countries code Record the Use 2 digits for the 2= Primary list provided, and write the name 2= In search of establishing a 3= Son / Daughter age in month and 4 digits for the of the country and the code business ……….…. LMB11 2= Female completed year; 3= Lower secondary indicated 4= Son / Daughter years.Write 3= To take up a new job…. LMB11 in law 00 if less Record 00 if the month is 4= Upper secendary than one unknown 4= Job transfer …….… LMB11 year of age. 5= Parent/Parent in 5= Non-standard curriculum law 5= Study/Training

Interviewer: 6= Vocation education first level 6= Grandchild Month Year Country name Country 6= Marriage (MM) (YYYY) 7= Vocation education middle level code List all persons first, before 7= Other relative 7= Family moved/ to live with a starting interviews for each of 8 = Vocation education high level relative/dependant them separately 8= Non-relative 9 = Graduage-degree holder 8= Health reasons

10= post graduate-master’s degree 9= Natural disaster/ environment

11= Hiher than post graduate 10= Conflict

. 12 = Don’t know 11= Others (specify)

Since leaving, has Did [NAME] To which country [NAME] last travelled Did [NAME] send For the goods that How much did By which main Is [NAME] If yes, in which month [NAME] worked or make any other where [he/she] worked or looked for work? any money or [NAME] sent to [NAME] send in channel did likely to and which year is ID looked for work trip abroad in the goods to the the household, if cash from abroad [NAME] send return back [NAME] planned to abroad? last twelve months household during one had to to the household the money to the home to return home or back in and worked or the last 12 months, purchase these during the last 12 household? this this country?

looked for work Interviewer: i.e. since (DATE) goods, how much months, i.e. since household, while abroad? till today? would they have (DATE) till or return Person costed? today? back in this 1= Yes … LMB11 Please check the countries code list country? provided, and write the name of the country Please indicate Interviewer:

and the code indicated the commonly 1= Yes 1= Yes, cash only or the most used Use 2 digits for the 2= No ……………… channel in the month and 4 digits for .. LMB14 last 12 months. 1= Yes the year; (Please round up) (Please round up) 2= No .… LMB12 Record 00 if the month is unknown 2= Yes, goods 1= Bank 2= No …… only 3= Don’t know 2= Post ……. END …… ……LMB12 Country name Country 3= Yes, both cash (if answer 2 ‘yes, Month Year code and goods goods only’ in 3= Recruitment (MM) (YYYY) agency LMB12 record 3= Don’t ‘00’) 4= Relatives/ know ……. 4= No, .…...…….. friends ……. END …….. LMB16 5= Other (Specify)

LMB09 LMB10 LMB11a LMB11b LMB12 LMB13 LMB14 LMB15 LMB16 LMB17a LMB17b 01 02

03 04

05 06 07 08 09

I would like again About how much does [NAME] What is [NAME’s] current main occupation, or How did [NAME] How much did it How much did How much did Were there any to confirm with earns in a month on her/his current main tasks and activities abroad? obtain this work? cost to [NAME] [NAME] pay for [NAME] spend if benefits paid by ID you: is [NAME] work abroad? to travel to the fees if any, to the any, for other the recruiting currently working country where recruitment expenses to agency, the broker, abroad? he/she is agency, relatives, prepare the trip, or by the

1= Job transfer currently friends, or any such as passport, employer? working? other broker to visa, insurance Person 2= Registered and obtain the job? and other E.g.: Food, got the job from a medical accommodation government coverage? during travel, 1= Yes agency Please include medicine/ medical costs for buses, (Please round up; care, travel 3= Registered and train, taxis, and write 0 if no expenses, etc. got the job from a other travel costs recruitment (Please round up; 2= No private costs paid) write 0 if no recruitment/ other costs paid) ...... END employment If so, how much agency woul these have cost you? 3= Don’t know 4= Through relatives (Please round up;

...... END write 0 if no 5= Through friends travel costs In cash, salary, In kind, please Occupation or main tasks/ LSCO* paid) (Please round up;

bonuses, and estimate the activities code 6= Applied from write 0 if no other monthly value newspapers or benefits received commissions websites from the employer or recruitment 9= Other (Specify) agency)

LMB18 LMB19a LMB19b LMB20a LMB20b LMB21 LMB22 LMB23 LMB24 LMB25 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09

10 11 12

Ministry of Planning and Investment, Lao statistics Bureau, Dongnasokneua Village, Sikhottabong District, Vientiane Capital E_mail: [email protected] Tel: (+85621) 214740, Fax: (+86521) 242022