6275.0 - Locations of Work, Nov 2008 Quality Declaration 
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 08/05/2009  Final
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EXPLANATORY NOTES


INTRODUCTION

1 The statistics in this publication were compiled from data collected in the Locations of Work survey that was conducted throughout Australia in November 2008 as a supplement to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) monthly Labour Force Survey (LFS). Respondents to the LFS who fell within the scope of the supplementary survey were asked further questions.

2 The publication Labour Force, Australia (cat. no. 6202.0) contains information about survey design, sample redesign, scope, coverage and population benchmarks relevant to the monthly LFS, which also apply to supplementary surveys. It also contains definitions of demographic and labour force characteristics, and information about telephone interviewing which are relevant to both the monthly LFS and supplementary surveys.


CONCEPTS, SOURCES AND METHODS

3 The conceptual framework used in Australia's LFS aligns closely with the standards and guidelines set out in Resolutions of the International Conference of Labour Statisticians. Descriptions of the underlying concepts and structure of Australia's labour force statistics, and the sources and methods used in compiling these estimates, are presented in Labour Statistics: Concepts, Sources and Methods (cat. no. 6102.0.55.001).


SCOPE

4 The scope of the LFS is restricted to people aged 15 years and over and excludes the following people:

  • members of the permanent defence forces
  • certain diplomatic personnel of overseas governments, customarily excluded from the census and estimated populations
  • overseas residents in Australia
  • members of non-Australian defence forces (and their dependants).

5 Students at boarding schools, patients in hospitals, residents of homes (e.g. retirement homes, homes for people with disabilities), and inmates of prisons are excluded from all supplementary surveys.

6 This supplementary survey was conducted in both urban and rural areas in all states and territories, but excluded people living in Indigenous communities in very remote parts of Australia.

7 The survey was restricted to employed people aged 15 years and over who were at work in either their main or second job in the reference week in November 2008.


COVERAGE

8 The estimates in this publication relate to people covered by the survey in November 2008. In the LFS, coverage rules are applied which aim to ensure that each person is associated with only one dwelling, and hence has only one chance of selection in the survey. See Labour Force, Australia (cat. no. 6202.0) for more details.


SAMPLE SIZE

9 Supplementary surveys are not always conducted on the full LFS sample. Since August 1994 the sample for supplementary surveys has been restricted to no more than seven-eighths of the LFS sample.

10 The LFS sample size in November 2008 was approximately one-third smaller than the sample size in November 2005. This is due to an 11% sample reduction that was implemented from November 2007 to June 2008 based on the 2006 sample design, and an additional 24% sample reduction implemented in July 2008. Detailed information about the sample reduction is provided in Information Paper: Labour Force Survey Sample Design, Nov 2007 (Second edition) (cat.no.6269.0).

11 The reduced sample will still be representative, with selections made across all parts of Australia.

12 The initial sample for the November 2008 LFS consisted of 27,480 private dwelling households and special dwelling units. Of the 22,165 private dwelling households and special dwelling units that remained in the survey after sample loss (e.g. households selected in the survey which had no residents in scope for the LFS, vacant or derelict dwellings and dwellings under construction), approximately 21,005 or 94.8% were fully responding to the Locations of Work survey. The number of completed interviews obtained from these private dwellings and special dwelling units (after taking into account scope, coverage and subsampling exclusions) was 20,885.


RELIABILITY OF THE ESTIMATES

13 Estimates in this publication are subject to sampling and non-sampling errors:
  • Sampling error is the difference between the published estimate and the value that would have been produced if all dwellings had been included in the survey. For further information refer to the Technical Note.
  • Non-sampling errors are inaccuracies that occur because of imperfections in reporting by respondents and interviewers, and errors made in coding and processing data. These inaccuracies may occur in any enumeration, whether it be a full count or a sample. Every effort is made to reduce the non-sampling error to a minimum by careful design of questionnaires, intensive training and supervision of interviewers and efficient processing procedures.


SEASONAL FACTORS

14 The estimates are based on information collected in the survey month and, due to seasonal factors, may not be representative of other months of the year.


CLASSIFICATIONS USED

15 Country of birth data are classified according to the Standard Australian Classification of Countries (SACC), 1998 (cat. no. 1269.0).

16 From 2006, occupation data are classified according to ANZSCO - Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations, First Edition, 2006 (cat. no.1220.0). This new classification replaces ASCO - Australian Standard Classification of Occupations, Second Edition, 1997 (cat. no. 1220.0). Data classified according to ASCO can be obtained on request.

17 Also from 2006, industry data are classified according to the Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC), 2006 (cat. no. 1292.0). This new classification replaces the Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC), 1993 (cat. no. 1292.0). Data classified according to ANZSIC 1993 can be obtained on request.


COMPARABILITY OF TIME SERIES

18 The data item 'Whether had children under 15 years' presented in the 2005 publication has been renamed 'Number of children in family aged under 15 years' to more accurately describe the data item.

19 From 2008, changes have been made to the data items 'All locations of work' and 'Main location of work': The categories 'Employer's or client's workplace', 'Own workplace' and 'Other workplace' presented in the 2005 publication have been removed as this information was not collected. The category 'Employer's or client's home' has been split into 'Employer's home' and 'Client's home'. The category 'Business premises' presented in the 2005 publication has been renamed 'Workplace'.

20 The November 2008 Locations of Work survey included changes to the way in which hours usually worked at home in main or second job were collected. From 2008, people did not have to work in their main job, however had to work in a job in the reference week to have their usual hours worked at home in their main job collected. In 2005, only people who actually worked at home in the reference week had their usual hours worked at home in their main job collected. For multiple jobholders in 2008, people had to work in their second job in the reference week to have their usual hours worked at home in second job collected. In 2005, only people who actually worked at home in their second job in the reference week had their usual hours worked at home in their second job collected. Users should exercise care when comparing hours usually worked at home in main and/or second job in this publication with previous releases.

21 Revisions are made to population benchmarks for the LFS after each five-yearly Census of Population and Housing. The last such revision was made in February 2004 to take account of the results of the 2001 Census of Population and Housing. Estimates from supplementary surveys conducted from and including February 2004 are therefore based on revised population benchmarks.


COMPARABILITY WITH MONTHLY LFS STATISTICS

22 Due to differences in the scope and sample size of this supplementary survey and that of the LFS, the estimation procedure may lead to some small variations between labour force estimates from this survey and those from the LFS.

23 The LFS measures all employed persons, including people who were away from their job during the reference week. In November 2008 there were approximately 10.8 million employed people aged 15 years and over. The Locations of Work Survey specifically measures employed people who were at work during the reference week. In November 2008 there were approximately 10.1 million employed people which represents a 6% decrease on the LFS measure.


PREVIOUS SURVEYS

24 Results of similar surveys, conducted in April 1989, March 1992 and September 1995 were published in Persons Employed at Home, Australia (cat. no. 6275.0).

25 This survey was redesigned and renamed Locations of Work for June 2000. Conceptual changes were made to better align the survey with the guidelines and recommendations of the International Labour Organisation Home Work Convention, 1996. The June 2000 survey defined people who were 'employed at home in their main or second job in the reference week', as those who worked:
  • all or most hours at their own home;
  • all or most hours at the home of another person (excluding the home of their employer or client); or
  • less hours at their own home than elsewhere but had an arrangement with their employer to work at home.


NEXT SURVEY

26 The ABS plans to conduct this survey again in November 2014.


ACKNOWLEDGMENT

27 ABS publications draw extensively on information provided freely by individuals, businesses, governments and other organisations. Their continued cooperation is very much appreciated: without it, the wide range of statistics published by the ABS would not be available. Information received by the ABS is treated in strict confidence as required by the Census and Statistics Act 1905.


RELATED PUBLICATIONS

28 ABS publications which may also be of interest include:
29 Current publications and other products released by the ABS are available from the Statistics Page on the ABS web site. The ABS also issues a daily Release Advice on the web site which details products to be released in the week ahead.