OVERVIEW OF THE CORE LABOUR FORCE VARIABLES

INTRODUCTION

It is important for an economic and social understanding of a society to be able to measure the labour force characteristics of the population and the changes which occur to those characteristics over time.

In the ABS the labour force characteristics of the population are measured and described through a group of variables referred to as the core labour force variables. These are:

• Labour Force Status;
• Status in Employment;
• Hours Worked;
• Full-time/Part-time Status; and
• Duration of Job Search.

These core labour force variables, when cross-classified with other social, economic and demographic variables, can provide comprehensive data on a particular topic, issue or population group. The resulting information can be used for a range of purposes, including:

• informed decision making and planning;
• policy formulation and monitoring;
• social and economic research and analysis; and
• program provision and evaluation.

The core variables form a coherent set which jointly provide a detailed description of the labour force.

Labour force questions are most commonly collected via household-based surveys. These surveys have strict time limits to minimise burden on householders and the cost of collecting the information, therefore the amount of content available for any one topic is limited. The majority of Labour Force Survey (LFS) information is obtained by specially trained interviewers, using face-to-face and telephone interview collection methods. The ABS has more recently introduced the option of on-line self-enumeration of the survey in place of a face-to-face or telephone interview.

In order to accommodate the different levels of detail required, and the constraints of different collections, three conceptually comparable standard questionnaire modules have been developed.

• The Labour Force Survey Questionnaire Module, which is used in the ABS LFS.
• The Household Survey Questionnaire Module, a shorter version used in all other relevant ABS Household Surveys.
• The Census of Population and Housing Questionnaire Module, which is best suited where labour force status is used as an explanatory variable (e.g. Census) or for use in administrative data collections.

A single question to establish labour force status can be used in administrative data collection, but is not considered a standard. For certain enumeration situations (e.g. remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities) a modified questionnaire format may also be used.

In all household-based surveys the variable Labour Force Status is the first of the core variables to be established when processing data on labour force activity. A derivation process is used to identify the Labour Force Status of each respondent. The derivation combines the responses to several questions according to a specified set of rules in order to correctly assign a classification code. Within the questionnaire module to establish Labour Force Status, the questions to determine Status in Employment and Hours Worked are asked. Full-time/Part-time status is derived from Hours Worked. Additional questions have to be asked to determine Duration of Job Search.

The following Table shows what variables are contained in each of the three standard questionnaire modules, and the single question.

	Labour Force Status	Full-time/Part-time Status	Hours Worked	Status in Employment	Duration of Job Search
Labour Force Survey Questionnaire Module	Yes	Yes	Both Actual and Usual Hours	Yes	Yes
Household Survey Questionnaire Module	Yes	Yes	Usual Hours	Yes	Yes
Census of Population and Housing Questionnaire Module	Yes	Yes	Actual Hours	Yes	No
Single Question	Yes	Yes	No	No	No

The five core labour force variables have interdependencies and cannot be measured separately, for example:

• Status in Employment and Hours Worked only apply to a person whose Labour Force Status is Employed;
• Full-time/part-time Status only applies to a person whose Labour Force Status is Employed or Unemployed (in respect of what type of work they are looking for); and
• Duration of Job Search only applies to a person whose Labour Force Status is Unemployed.

The development of standards for the individual core labour force variables and labour force questionnaire modules ensures comparable labour force data across a variety of ABS collections. This publication outlines the concept(s), definition(s), classifications, coding structure, questionnaire modules and output categories for each of he core labour force variables used in household-based collections conducted by the ABS.

The ABS plans to expand the suite of variables for which standards are developed and endorsed.