A correct understanding of the employment and unemployment situation and the structure of the labour force requires having sufficient, accurate and up-to-date statistics, using the latest resolutions and guidelines prescribed by the International Labour Organization (ILO). These standards and definitions, which are stipulated in the resolutions of the International Conferences of Labour Statisticians (ICLS), play a fundamental role in the processes of producing basic data with international comparability in each country. Recent changes in statistical standards at the international level have had a major impact on the ability to compare data over time and among countries. The purpose of this research is to investigate these changes. Although the standard of one hour of work has been established as a job in international standards, there are several key differences between the standards introduced by the 19th ICLS and those adopted in 1982 by the 13th ICLS. The most obvious impact arises from the change in the employment definition. With the introduction of new standards in the 19th ICLS, persons producing goods mainly for their own use, do voluntary work or unpaid internships, are not considered employed. In the case of unemployment, some people who were previously considered employed under the old standards (subsistence food producers without employment) are considered unemployed if they are seeking for and available for work. As such, the application of the latest standards typically results in substantially lower employment statistics in countries with high levels of subsistence farming and causes an increase in the level of unemployment staistics. In regard to the terminology changes, it is recommended to replace the term "labour force" instead of "economically /currently active population" and the term “Outside labour force" instead of "economically inactive population".