Available now - Technical paper: Traditional Occupations of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples in Labour Statistics

ILO

The objective of this technical paper is to facilitate reflection on possibilities for capturing the practice of the traditional occupations of indigenous and tribal peoples in labour statistics as a means to understand and monitor related trends and build evidence for public policymaking.

The International Labour Organization (ILO), together with the Indigenous Navigator consortium and with support from the European Union, has published this technical paper on how to measure the traditional occupations of Indigenous and tribal peoples in labour statistics. The paper aims to facilitate reflection and discussion on the concepts, definitions, indicators, and data sources for capturing the practice of these occupations, which are important for their cultures, livelihoods, identities, and environmental protection.

This paper aims to take this work forward by providing an overview of how traditional occupations are or could possibly be covered better in labour statistics, including options for a statistical definition and statistical indicators. An earlier draft of the paper was discussed in a consultation with indigenous experts in late 2021. The current version has benefited greatly from the insights and observations of these experts. It has been prepared to facilitate further consultations among indigenous peoples’ representatives and experts and among statistical experts from relevant national institutions and UN system entities. It seeks to provide a basis for further discussion and development of definitive and comprehensive guidance and supporting materials on the collection and compilation of statistics on traditional occupations and the preparation of future reports presenting data on indigenous peoples for use in particular by:

Staff in national statistical offices and other research agencies who wish to compile statistics on indigenous populations and their occupations;
Researchers preparing reports and studies on traditional occupations; and
Representatives of indigenous and tribal peoples who want to understand the information available and help shape the development of information on traditional occupations.

The paper provides an overview of the challenges and opportunities for identifying indigenous and tribal peoples and their traditional occupations in official statistics, and proposes some options for a statistical definition and indicators based on existing classification systems. The paper further acknowledges the limitations of measuring the practice of traditional occupations based on classification systems alone, and suggests that additional information on the use of indigenous knowledge at work would be desirable. It also identifies potential future work and next steps to develop comprehensive guidance and indicators on the collection and compilation of statistics on traditional occupations.

The paper is available for download from the ILO website here. It is expected to stimulate further consultations among indigenous peoples’ representatives and experts, as well as among statistical experts from relevant national institutions and UN system entities.

Technical paper: Traditional Occupations of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples in Labour Statistics

International Labour Organisation; Indigenous Navigator

Udgivet

August 2023

Technical paper: Traditional Occupations of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples in Labour Statistics

This discussion paper was prepared for the International Labour Office by David Hunter, StatClass Consulting Services, with contributions from Joji Cariño, Senior Policy Advisor at the Forest Peoples programme, Martin Oelz and Gabriela Balvedi from the ILO Gender, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Branch, as well as Sandra Mora Caballero, who undertook the data analysis for the experimental estimates presented in Chapter 8.

The paper benefited from feedback provided by Kieran Walsh and Lara Badre from the ILO Department of Statistics. Mansour Omeira contributed to its finalization. An earlier version was the subject of consultations with Indigenous experts in late 2021.

Views expressed do not necessarily represent the position of the International Labour Organization or the European Union.

First published 2023

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