SN 5703 -Quarterly Labour Force Survey, January - March, 2007: Special Licence Access

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Title:
Quarterly Labour Force Survey, January - March, 2007: Special Licence Access

Series: (Labour Force Survey Series)

Subject Categories:
Labour Force Survey - Major studies
General - Employment and labour

Depositor(s):
Office for National Statistics. Social and Vital Statistics Division

Principal Investigator(s):
Office for National Statistics. Social and Vital Statistics Division
Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. Central Survey Unit

Sponsor(s):
Office for National Statistics
Northern Ireland. Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment

Other Acknowledgements:
Until 5 July 1995, the Labour Force Survey (LFS) was the responsibility of the Employment Department. On that date, the Employment Department was abolished and responsibility for the survey was passed to the Central Statistical Office (CSO). In April 1996, the Central Statistical Office and the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys amalgamated to become the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Abstract:
The Labour Force Survey (LFS) is a unique source of articulated information using international definitions of employment and unemployment and economic inactivity, together with a wide range of related topics such as occupation, training, hours of work and personal characteristics of household members aged 16 years and over. The first LFS was conducted in 1973, under the terms of a regulation derived from the Treaty of Rome, and the provision of information for the Statistical Office of the European Communities (SOEC), now known as Eurostat, continues to be one of the reasons for carrying out the survey. Eurostat co-ordinates information from labour force surveys in the European Union (EU) member states in order to assist the EU in such matters as the allocation of the Social Fund. The LFS was carried out biennially from 1973 to 1983, and was increasingly used during this time by British government departments to obtain information which would assist in the framing of social and economic policy. By 1983, the LFS was being used by the Employment Department to obtain information which was not available from other sources or was only available for Census years. Between 1984 and 1991 the survey was carried out annually and consisted of two elements:

a quarterly survey conducted in Great Britain throughout the year, in which each sampled address was called on five times at quarterly intervals, and which yields about 15,000 responding households in every quarter
a 'boost' survey in the spring quarter (March to May), which produced interviews at over 44,000 households in Great Britain and over 4,000 households in Northern Ireland

During 1991, the LFS was further developed, so that from March 1992, quarterly data were made available, with a quarterly sample size approximately equivalent to that of the previous annual data, that is 60,000 responding households every quarter. Thus, the survey became known as the Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS). Between March 1992 and November 1994, interviewing in Northern Ireland was only conducted in the spring, with no quarterly element. However, from December 1994 (for the December 1994 - February 1995 quarter), data gathering for Northern Ireland moved to the full quarterly cycle to match the rest of the country. From that date, the QLFS covered the whole of the United Kingdom, though some additional annual Northern Ireland LFS datasets are also held at the UK Data Archive (UKDA).

Special Licence Access QLFS data:
From the January-March 2003 quarter, a Special Licence (SL) version of the QLFS data is also available in addition to the version made available under the standard End User Licence (EUL). The SL version contains extra variables, and therefore is subject to more restrictive access conditions. Prospective users of the SL edition will need to complete an extra application form and demonstrate to the data owners exactly why they need access to the extra variables, in order to get permission to use that version (see 'Access' section below). Therefore, most users should order the standard version of the data. In order to help users choose the correct dataset, 'Special Licence Access' has been added to the dataset titles for the SL versions of the data. Typically, variables that can be found in the SL data, and that are not available in the standard EUL version, are: month and year of birth; Nomenclature of Units for Territorial Statistics Level 2 (NUTS2) (county-level); 4-digit Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) for occupation in apprenticeship, last job, second job and job made redundant from; unitary authority/local authority for place of residence and place of work; urban/rural indicator. Data for households of size 10 or above, which are excluded from the standard EUL data, can also be found in the SL data.

Additional QLFS data:
Additional datasets are also produced by ONS using LFS data, and many of these are also deposited at UKDA. Full details of all LFS data held by UKDA, comprising the main quarterly datasets (including Special Licence and standard End User Licence versions), Household, Two-Quarter and Five-Quarter Longitudinal, Local Area, annual LFS and annual Northern Ireland LFS data, are available from the Labour Force Survey datasets page.

LFS Reweighting Project 2009:
In 2009, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) undertook a reweighting project, whereby LFS data were reweighted using population estimates for 2009. As a result, reweighted editions of QLFS Special Licence datasets from the July-September 2006 quarter onwards have been deposited at the UKDA. Users should note that quarters prior to July-September 2006 will remain weighted to the 2007-2008 population figures used for the previous LFS reweighting project conducted in 2007. Further information about the 2009 reweighting project is included in the documentation for the updated datasets.

LFS move from seasonal to calendar quarters
In accordance with EU regulations, the LFS moved from seasonal (spring, summer, autumn, winter) quarters to calendar quarters (January-March, April-June, July-September, October-December) in 2006. The first calendar quarter dataset issued was the Quarterly Labour Force Survey, April - June, 1992 (SN 5887). ONS advise that, because of the method of construction and the weighting factors used in the datasets, comparison cannot be made between datasets of a calendar and seasonal nature. Time series and longitudinal analysis should only be conducted on datasets of the same type. ONS have produced a limited series of historical LFS datasets on a calendar-quarterly basis. This will allow users to make meaningful comparisons of labour market statistics from the LFS microdata over time. Further information on the seasonal to calendar quarter change and its impact on LFS data may be found in the following online article:
Madouros, V. (2006) Impact of the switch from seasonal to calendar quarters in the Labour Force Survey, London: ONS. Retrieved December 14, 2007 from: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/articles/labour_market_trends/CQ_article.pdf

LFS Documentation
The documentation available from the UKDA to accompany LFS datasets largely consists of the latest version of each volume alongside the appropriate questionnaire for the year concerned. However, LFS volumes are updated periodically by ONS, so users are advised to check the ONS LFS User Guide pages before commencing analysis.

The standard End User Licence version of the QLFS January - March, 2007 is held under SN 5657.

For the fourth edition (April 2010), data have been reweighted using the latest population estimates (2009), and the file contains new weighting variables, pwt09 and piwt09, accordingly. Further details about the 2009 reweighting may be found in the documentation.

Main Topics:
The QLFS questionnaire comprises a 'core' of questions which are included in every survey, together with some 'non-core' questions which vary from quarter to quarter.

The questionnaire can be split into two main parts. The first part contains questions on the respondent's household, family structure, basic housing information and demographic details of household members. The second part contains questions covering economic activity, education and health, and also may include a few questions asked on behalf of other government departments (for example the Department for Work and Pensions and the Home Office). Until 1997, the questions on health covered mainly problems which affected the respondent's work. From that quarter onwards, the questions cover all health problems. Detailed questions on income have also been included in each quarter since 1993. The basic questionnaire is revised each year, and a new version published, along with a transitional version that details changes from the previous year's questionnaire.

Coverage:
Dates of Fieldwork: January 2007-March 2007
Country: United Kingdom; United Kingdom
Spatial Units: Government Office Regions (GORs); Unitary Authorities (England);Unitary Authorities (Wales); Standard Regions; NUTS Level 2 areas.
Observation Units: Individuals; Families/households

Universe Sampled:
Location of Units of Observation:National
National
Population:All persons normally resident in private households in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. From winter 1994-1995, Northern Ireland is included in each quarter. Prior to this, data were only collected there in the March-May quarter each year. When the LFS moved to a quarterly cycle, two new groups of people were included in the survey to improve the coverage of young people: residents in National Health Service (NHS) hospital accommodation (formerly called nurses' homes), and students living in halls of residence or boarding schools.
Northern Ireland is not included in the Local Area Data files before 1997.

Methodology:
Time Dimensions: Repeated cross-sectional study
Data are collected quarterly
Sampling Procedures: Simple random sample
Four sampling frames are used. For Great Britain, south of the Caledonian Canal, the Post Office Address File is used, whilst north of the Caledonian Canal, a random sample is drawn from the published telephone directory. The sample of residents in NHS accommodation is also drawn, unclustered, for the whole of Great Britain using a specially-prepared frame. In Northern Ireland, the source of the sample is the Valuation List used for rating purposes, excluding commercial units and known institutions. Households are interviewed on five occasions at quarterly intervals, thereby introducing a panel element to the survey. For further details see documentation.
Method of Data Collection: Face-to-face interview; Telephone interview; the first interview is conducted face-to-face, and subsequent interviews by telephone where possible.
Weighting: Weighting used. See documentation for details

Language(s) of Written Materials:
Study Description: English
Study Documentation: English

Access:
Access Conditions: The depositor has specified that registration is required and standard conditions of use apply. The depositor may be informed about usage.
Additional special conditions of use also apply. See terms and conditions for further information.

In addition, ESDS is required to request permission from the depositor prior to supplying the data.
Available to UK applicants only.

Please note:
Since these data pose a higher risk of disclosure than data made available under the standard End User Licence they have additional special conditions attached to them. Any registered user requiring access to these data will have to be accredited by the UK Statistics Authority as an Approved Researcher.

To apply for accreditation a user will need to complete forms that will require: (i) evidence that he/she is a fit and proper person and details about the purpose of the research; (ii) an online order for the data; (iii) a signed declaration that he/she understands the confidentiality obligations owed to those data including its physical security.

The evidence to be adduced will include previous research projects and publications. New users may need to provide the contact details of a senior member of staff who can vouch for them. The research purpose form will ask for information about the intended use of the data, a justification for access and planned outputs.

Users who obtain access to these data are required to read and follow the ESDS Guide to good practice: micro data handling and security.

To apply for access, users should use the Download/order link on this page and will be directed to the relevant forms as part of the ordering process.
Availability: ESDS Government, UK Data Archive
Contact: Help desk: govsurveys@esds.ac.uk

Date of Release:
First Edition: 15 August 2007
Latest Edition: 27 April 2010 ( 4th Edition )

Copyright:
Crown copyright material is reproduced with the permission of the Controller of HMSO and the Queen’s Printer for Scotland

Documentation:

Format	Name	Size in Kilobytes	Description
EXCEL	sic2007_to_sic92_map_final.xls	230	Mapping of SIC 2007 to SIC 92
PDF	5703_UKDA_Data_Dictionary.pdf	1700	UKDA Data Dictionary
PDF	background.pdf	3246	LFS User Guide Vol.1 Background and Methodology
PDF	classifications.pdf	1351	LFS User Guide Vol.5 - Classifications
PDF	derivedvariables2007.pdf	4329	LFS User Guide Vol.4 - Derived Variables
PDF	eurostat.pdf	987	LFS User Guide Vol.9 - Eurostat and Eurostat Derived Variables
PDF	household.pdf	345	LFS User Guide Vol.8 - Household and Family Data
PDF	lfs_reweighting_2009.pdf	146	LFS Reweighting Project 2009 Information
PDF	localarea.pdf	514	LFS User Guide Vol.6 - Local Area Data
PDF	questionnaire2007.pdf	2020	LFS User Guide Vol.2/2A - Questionnaire
PDF	sic_2007_user_guidance_and_explanatory_notes.pdf	1621	SIC 2007 User Guidance and Explanatory Notes
PDF	variabledetails1992-2002.pdf	2243	LFS User Guide Vol.3 - Details of LFS Variables 1992-2002
PDF	variabledetails2007.pdf	1241	LFS User Guide Vol.3 - Details of LFS Variables 2007
PDF	variables1979_1991.pdf	726	LFS User Guide Vol.7 - LFS Variables 1979-1991
HTML	UKDA_Study_5703_Information.htm	37	Study information and citation

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Catalogue record last updated:
27 April 2010

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Users are advised to visit the Labour Force Survey web pages for support in using these data, additional resources, and news and events.

Accessing these data
The coming into force of the Statistics and Registration Service Act in April 2008 brought an end to the Special Licence arrangements that had been in operation since September 2005. Access to these data continues but under a new legal framework set out in the Act. From April 2008, any registered user requiring Special Licence data has to be accredited by the UK Statistics Authority as an Approved Researcher. UK users can order the data from UK Data Archive/ESDS in the usual way and will be directed to new Approved Researcher forms for completion. The older Special Licence forms can no longer be accepted.

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