Economic activity of the population on the labour market is defined based on the situation in the reference week by three statuses: employment, unemployment and economic inactivity. They are disjointed, which means that at a given moment each person may be exclusively included in only one of them. The criterion in this case comprises performing/having work or seeking a job and availability to take work. Employed (aged 15 years or more) and unemployed persons (aged 15-74 years) jointly constitute a group of economically active persons (labour force), while economically inactive persons (aged 15 years or more) are those staying outside the labour market.

In case of the Census 2021 economic activity is assessed on the basis of a situation in the reference week, i.e. from 25 to 31 March 2021.

• Regulation (EC) No 763/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 July 2008 on population and housing censuses
  Place of publication: (Dz. Urz. UE L 218 z 13.08.2008, str. 14)
• Act of 9 August 2019 on the National Census of Population and Housing 2021
  Place of publication: (Dz. U. z 2021 r. poz. 1143, z późn. zm.)