The article examines the legal foundation for employment statistics of the population of Russia in the second half of the XIX century. To analyze the legislative and other normative-methodical sources, the focus was made on the documents describing statistical account of employment. Thus, the research ignored the legislative documents regulating the parish reporting of the population. The development of the legal framework of employment was based on the first decrees, regulations, circulars, instructions and regulations that applied to the entire territory of the Russian Empire). The main attention was paid to the regulation of accounting activities during the preparation and holding of the first general population census of 1897. The study of the legislative sources led to the conclusion that the most fully the level of employment was reflected in the documents of the census. The census programs gradually start to include questions connected with the obligatory account of employment, nevertheless, most of them differed in the form and content. The only attempt to modify the situation was made during the development and implementation of the first national census when there were greatest progressive changes concerning the regulation of employment.