The total employed number does not count payroll data, but people who claim to have worked in the last week.
Concepts and Definitions (CPS)
www.bls.gov
Employed
In the Current Population Survey (CPS), people are classified as employed if, during the survey
reference week, they meet
any of the following criteria:
- worked at least 1 hour as a paid employee (see wage and salary workers)
- worked at least 1 hour in their own business, profession, trade, or farm (see self-employed)
- were temporarily absent from their job, business, or farm, whether or not they were paid for the time off (see with a job, not at work)
- worked without pay for a minimum of 15 hours in a business or farm owned by a member of their family (see unpaid family workers)
For criteria 1 and 2, the work must be for pay or profit; that is, the individual receives a wage or salary, profits or fees, or payment in kind (such as housing, meals, or supplies received in place of cash wages). For the self-employed, this includes those who intended to earn a profit but whose business or farm produced a loss. See the definition of
self-employed for further details.
Each employed person is counted only once in aggregate employment statistics from the CPS, even if they hold more than one job.
The following are
not considered employment in the CPS.
- volunteer work
- unpaid internships
- unpaid training programs
- training programs not sponsored by an employer, even if the trainee receives a public assistance payment for attending
- National Guard or Reserve duty (weekend or summer training)
- ownership in a business or farm solely for investment purposes, with no participation in its management or operation
- jury duty
- work around one's home such as cleaning, painting, repairing, or other housework or home improvement project