Labour Force Survey Two-Quarter Longitudinal Dataset, April - September, 2011

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.Background The Labour Force Survey (LFS) is a unique source of 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. It is used to inform social, economic and employment policy. The LFS was first conducted biennially from 1973-1983. Between 1984 and 1991 the survey was carried out annually and consisted of a quarterly survey conducted throughout the year and a 'boost' survey in the spring quarter (data were then collected seasonally). From 1992 quarterly data were made available, with a quarterly sample size approximately equivalent to that of the previous annual data. The survey then became known as the Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS). From December 1994, data gathering for Northern Ireland moved to a full quarterly cycle to match the rest of the country, so the QLFS then covered the whole of the UK (though some additional annual Northern Ireland LFS datasets are also held at the UK Data Archive). Further information on the background to the QLFS may be found in the documentation. Longitudinal data The LFS retains each sample household for five consecutive quarters, with a fifth of the sample replaced each quarter. The main survey was designed to produce cross-sectional data, but the data on each individual have now been linked together to provide longitudinal information. The longitudinal data comprise two types of linked datasets, created using the weighting method to adjust for non-response bias. The two-quarter datasets link data from two consecutive waves, while the five-quarter datasets link across a whole year (for example January 2010 to March 2011 inclusive) and contain data from all five waves. A full series of longitudinal data has been produced, going back to winter 1992. Linking together records to create a longitudinal dimension can, for example, provide information on gross flows over time between different labour force categories (employed, unemployed and economically inactive). This will provide detail about people who have moved between the categories. Also, longitudinal information is useful in monitoring the effects of government policies and can be used to follow the subsequent activities and circumstances of people affected by specific policy initiatives, and to compare them with other groups in the population. There are however methodological problems which could distort the data resulting from this longitudinal linking. The ONS continues to research these issues and advises that the presentation of results should be carefully considered, and warnings should be included with outputs where necessary.New reweighting policyFollowing the&nbsp;new reweighting policy&nbsp;ONS has reviewed the latest population estimates made available during 2019 and have decided not to carry out a 2019 LFS and APS reweighting exercise. Therefore, the next reweighting exercise will take place in 2020. These will incorporate the 2019 Sub-National Population Projection data (published in May 2020) and 2019 Mid-Year Estimates (published in June 2020). It is expected that reweighted Labour Market aggregates and microdata will be published towards the end of 2020/early 2021. LFS Documentation The documentation available from the Archive to accompany LFS datasets largely consists of the latest version of each user guide volume alongside the appropriate questionnaire for the year concerned. However, volumes are updated periodically by ONS, so users are advised to check the latest documents on the ONS Labour Force Survey - User Guidance pages before commencing analysis. This is especially important for users of older QLFS studies, where information and guidance in the user guide documents may have changed over time. Additional data derived from the QLFS The Archive also holds further QLFS series: End User Licence (EUL) quarterly data; Secure Access datasets; household datasets; quarterly, annual and ad hoc module datasets compiled for Eurostat; and some additional annual Northern Ireland datasets. Variables DISEA and LNGLST Dataset A08 (Labour market status of disabled people) which ONS suspended due to an apparent discontinuity between April to June 2017 and July to September 2017 is now available. As a result of this apparent discontinuity and the inconclusive investigations at this stage, comparisons should be made with caution between April to June 2017 and subsequent time periods. However users should note that the estimates are not seasonally adjusted, so some of the change between quarters could be due to seasonality. Further recommendations on historical comparisons of the estimates will be given in November 2018 when ONS are due to publish estimates for July to September 2018. An article explaining the quality assurance investigations that have been conducted so far is available on the ONS Methodology webpage. For any queries about Dataset A08 please email [email protected]. Occupation data for 2021 and 2022 data filesThe ONS has identified an issue with the collection of some occupational data in 2021 and 2022 data files in a number of their surveys. While they estimate any impacts will be small overall, this will affect the accuracy of the breakdowns of some detailed (four-digit Standard Occupational Classification (SOC)) occupations, and data derived from them. Further information can be found in the ONS article published on 11 July 2023:&nbsp;Revision of miscoded occupational data in the ONS Labour Force Survey, UK: January 2021 to September 2022.2022 WeightingThe population totals used for the latest LFS estimates use projected growth rates from Real Time Information (RTI) data for UK, EU and non-EU populations based on 2021 patterns. The total population used for the LFS therefore does not take into account any changes in migration, birth rates, death rates, and so on since June 2021, and hence levels estimates may be under- or over-estimating the true values and should be used with caution. Estimates of rates will, however, be robust.For the second edition (July 2015) an updated version of the data file was deposited, weighted to 2014 population figures (based on Census 2011).Main Topics:The two-quarter longitudinal datasets include a subset of the most commonly used variables from the Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS), covering the main areas of the survey.<br

Labour Force Survey Two-Quarter Longitudinal Dataset, April - September, 2014

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.Background The Labour Force Survey (LFS) is a unique source of 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. It is used to inform social, economic and employment policy. The LFS was first conducted biennially from 1973-1983. Between 1984 and 1991 the survey was carried out annually and consisted of a quarterly survey conducted throughout the year and a 'boost' survey in the spring quarter (data were then collected seasonally). From 1992 quarterly data were made available, with a quarterly sample size approximately equivalent to that of the previous annual data. The survey then became known as the Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS). From December 1994, data gathering for Northern Ireland moved to a full quarterly cycle to match the rest of the country, so the QLFS then covered the whole of the UK (though some additional annual Northern Ireland LFS datasets are also held at the UK Data Archive). Further information on the background to the QLFS may be found in the documentation. Longitudinal data The LFS retains each sample household for five consecutive quarters, with a fifth of the sample replaced each quarter. The main survey was designed to produce cross-sectional data, but the data on each individual have now been linked together to provide longitudinal information. The longitudinal data comprise two types of linked datasets, created using the weighting method to adjust for non-response bias. The two-quarter datasets link data from two consecutive waves, while the five-quarter datasets link across a whole year (for example January 2010 to March 2011 inclusive) and contain data from all five waves. A full series of longitudinal data has been produced, going back to winter 1992. Linking together records to create a longitudinal dimension can, for example, provide information on gross flows over time between different labour force categories (employed, unemployed and economically inactive). This will provide detail about people who have moved between the categories. Also, longitudinal information is useful in monitoring the effects of government policies and can be used to follow the subsequent activities and circumstances of people affected by specific policy initiatives, and to compare them with other groups in the population. There are however methodological problems which could distort the data resulting from this longitudinal linking. The ONS continues to research these issues and advises that the presentation of results should be carefully considered, and warnings should be included with outputs where necessary.New reweighting policyFollowing the&nbsp;new reweighting policy&nbsp;ONS has reviewed the latest population estimates made available during 2019 and have decided not to carry out a 2019 LFS and APS reweighting exercise. Therefore, the next reweighting exercise will take place in 2020. These will incorporate the 2019 Sub-National Population Projection data (published in May 2020) and 2019 Mid-Year Estimates (published in June 2020). It is expected that reweighted Labour Market aggregates and microdata will be published towards the end of 2020/early 2021. LFS Documentation The documentation available from the Archive to accompany LFS datasets largely consists of the latest version of each user guide volume alongside the appropriate questionnaire for the year concerned. However, volumes are updated periodically by ONS, so users are advised to check the latest documents on the ONS Labour Force Survey - User Guidance pages before commencing analysis. This is especially important for users of older QLFS studies, where information and guidance in the user guide documents may have changed over time. Additional data derived from the QLFS The Archive also holds further QLFS series: End User Licence (EUL) quarterly data; Secure Access datasets; household datasets; quarterly, annual and ad hoc module datasets compiled for Eurostat; and some additional annual Northern Ireland datasets. Variables DISEA and LNGLST Dataset A08 (Labour market status of disabled people) which ONS suspended due to an apparent discontinuity between April to June 2017 and July to September 2017 is now available. As a result of this apparent discontinuity and the inconclusive investigations at this stage, comparisons should be made with caution between April to June 2017 and subsequent time periods. However users should note that the estimates are not seasonally adjusted, so some of the change between quarters could be due to seasonality. Further recommendations on historical comparisons of the estimates will be given in November 2018 when ONS are due to publish estimates for July to September 2018. An article explaining the quality assurance investigations that have been conducted so far is available on the ONS Methodology webpage. For any queries about Dataset A08 please email [email protected]. Occupation data for 2021 and 2022 data filesThe ONS has identified an issue with the collection of some occupational data in 2021 and 2022 data files in a number of their surveys. While they estimate any impacts will be small overall, this will affect the accuracy of the breakdowns of some detailed (four-digit Standard Occupational Classification (SOC)) occupations, and data derived from them. Further information can be found in the ONS article published on 11 July 2023:&nbsp;Revision of miscoded occupational data in the ONS Labour Force Survey, UK: January 2021 to September 2022.2022 WeightingThe population totals used for the latest LFS estimates use projected growth rates from Real Time Information (RTI) data for UK, EU and non-EU populations based on 2021 patterns. The total population used for the LFS therefore does not take into account any changes in migration, birth rates, death rates, and so on since June 2021, and hence levels estimates may be under- or over-estimating the true values and should be used with caution. Estimates of rates will, however, be robust.Latest Edition InformationFor the sixth edition (October 2020), the data file has been updated due to revisions made to the weighting methodology. Further information is available in the Improvements to the Weighting Methodology Used in the Labour Force Survey Longitudinal Datasets document which has also been added.Main Topics:The two-quarter longitudinal datasets include a subset of the most commonly used variables from the Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS), covering the main areas of the survey.<br

Labour Force Survey Two-Quarter Longitudinal Dataset, July - December, 2000

<p>Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.</p><br> <b>Background</b><br> The <i>Labour Force Survey</i> (LFS) is a unique source of 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. It is used to inform social, economic and employment policy. The LFS was first conducted biennially from 1973-1983. Between 1984 and 1991 the survey was carried out annually and consisted of a quarterly survey conducted throughout the year and a 'boost' survey in the spring quarter (data were then collected seasonally). From 1992 quarterly data were made available, with a quarterly sample size approximately equivalent to that of the previous annual data. The survey then became known as the <i>Quarterly Labour Force Survey</i> (QLFS). From December 1994, data gathering for Northern Ireland moved to a full quarterly cycle to match the rest of the country, so the QLFS then covered the whole of the UK (though some additional annual Northern Ireland LFS datasets are also held at the UK Data Archive). Further information on the background to the QLFS may be found in the documentation.<br> <br> <b>Longitudinal data</b><br> The LFS retains each sample household for five consecutive quarters, with a fifth of the sample replaced each quarter. The main survey was designed to produce cross-sectional data, but the data on each individual have now been linked together to provide longitudinal information. The longitudinal data comprise two types of linked datasets, created using the weighting method to adjust for non-response bias. The two-quarter datasets link data from two consecutive waves, while the five-quarter datasets link across a whole year (for example January 2010 to March 2011 inclusive) and contain data from all five waves. A full series of longitudinal data has been produced, going back to winter 1992. Linking together records to create a longitudinal dimension can, for example, provide information on gross flows over time between different labour force categories (employed, unemployed and economically inactive). This will provide detail about people who have moved between the categories. Also, longitudinal information is useful in monitoring the effects of government policies and can be used to follow the subsequent activities and circumstances of people affected by specific policy initiatives, and to compare them with other groups in the population. There are however methodological problems which could distort the data resulting from this longitudinal linking. The ONS continues to research these issues and advises that the presentation of results should be carefully considered, and warnings should be included with outputs where necessary.<br> <br> <b>LFS Documentation</b><br> The documentation available from the Archive to accompany LFS datasets largely consists of the latest version of each user guide volume alongside the appropriate questionnaire for the year concerned. However, volumes are updated periodically by ONS, so users are advised to check the latest documents on the ONS <a href="https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/methodologies/labourforcesurveyuserguidance" title="Labour Force Survey - User Guidance">Labour Force Survey - User Guidance</a> pages before commencing analysis. <b>This is especially important for users of older QLFS studies, where information and guidance in the user guide documents may have changed over time.</b><br> <br> <b> Additional data derived from the QLFS</b><br> The Archive also holds further QLFS series: End User Licence (EUL) quarterly data; Special Licence (SL) access and Secure Data Service access datasets (see below); household datasets (produced twice a year); quarterly, annual and ad hoc module datasets compiled for Eurostat; and some additional annual Northern Ireland datasets. <br> <br> <b>LFS move from seasonal to calendar quarters</b><br> In accordance with European Union regulations, the QLFS moved from seasonal (spring, summer, autumn, winter) quarters to calendar quarters (January-March, April-June, July-September, October-December) in 2006. Subsequently, calendar versions of all datasets in the EUL and SL QLFS series were deposited and the previous seasonal datasets were removed from the Archive's catalogue at the request of ONS. However, some seasonal datasets still exist for the longitudinal series for 2008 and earlier, and 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. <br> <br>This study was deposited in 2008, as a result of the move from seasonal to calendar quarters for the QLFS, and the reweighting process to 2007-2008 population figures. It combines data from previously-available QLFS seasonal two-quarter longitudinal datasets. The depositor has advised that small revisions to the data may have been made during this process, but they should not be significant.<br> <br><B>Main Topics</B>:<br>The two-quarter longitudinal datasets include a subset of the most commonly used variables from the <i>Quarterly Labour Force Survey</i> (QLFS), covering the main areas of the survey.<br

Quarterly Labour Force Survey, October - December, 2008

<p>Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.</p><br> <b>Background</b><br> The <i>Labour Force Survey</i> (LFS) is a unique source of 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. It is used to inform social, economic and employment policy. The LFS was first conducted biennially from 1973-1983. Between 1984 and 1991 the survey was carried out annually and consisted of a quarterly survey conducted throughout the year and a 'boost' survey in the spring quarter (data were then collected seasonally). From 1992 quarterly data were made available, with a quarterly sample size approximately equivalent to that of the previous annual data. The survey then became known as the <i>Quarterly Labour Force Survey</i> (QLFS). From December 1994, data gathering for Northern Ireland moved to a full quarterly cycle to match the rest of the country, so the QLFS then covered the whole of the UK (though some additional annual Northern Ireland LFS datasets are also held at the UK Data Archive). Further information on the background to the QLFS may be found in the documentation.<br> <br> <b>LFS Documentation</b><br> The documentation available from the Archive to accompany LFS datasets largely consists of the latest version of each user guide volume alongside the appropriate questionnaire for the year concerned. However, volumes are updated periodically by ONS, so users are advised to check the latest documents on the ONS <a href="https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/methodologies/labourforcesurveyuserguidance" title="Labour Force Survey - User Guidance">Labour Force Survey - User Guidance</a> pages before commencing analysis. <b>This is especially important for users of older QLFS studies, where information and guidance in the user guide documents may have changed over time.</b><br> <br> <b> Additional data derived from the QLFS</b><br> The Archive also holds further QLFS series: Special Licence access and Secure Data Service access datasets (see below); household datasets (produced twice a year); two-quarter and five-quarter longitudinal datasets; quarterly, annual and ad hoc module datasets compiled for Eurostat; and some additional annual Northern Ireland datasets. <br> <br> <b>LFS move from seasonal to calendar quarters</b><br> In accordance with European Union regulations, the QLFS moved from seasonal (spring, summer, autumn, winter) quarters to calendar quarters (January-March, April-June, July-September, October-December) in 2006. Subsequently, calendar versions of all datasets in the main QLFS series were deposited and the previous seasonal datasets were removed from the Archive's catalogue at the request of ONS. However, some seasonal datasets may still exist for other LFS series, and 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. <br> <br> <b>Disability variables from 2013 onwards - LFS and APS</b><br> ONS have provided some information on changes since 2013 to the disability variables available on the LFS and APS. The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) disabled (current disability) category within the historic DISCURR variable no longer corresponds with the advised legal definition of 'current disability'. DISCURR should only be available on LFS microdata from Spring 1998 to January-March 2013 (JM13); beyond that point users should ignore or delete it. In addition, the same 'DDA disabled (current disability)' category within variable DISCURR13 is also not the most appropriate variable to use because a) it is not comparable to the corresponding category in variable DISCURR due to question changes, and b) it no longer measures either the DDA definition of disability or the latest Equality Act definition of disability. However, DISCURR13 is available from the April-March 2013 quarter (AJ13) onwards and was introduced to demonstrate that the variables used to compile DISCURR had also changed from that quarter. Therefore, users are advised to use the disability variable DISEA from AJ13 onwards, which reflects the Equality Act 2010 legal definition of 'disabled', measured according to the <a href="http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/harmonisation/primary-set-of-harmonised-concepts-and-questions/long-lasting-health-conditions-and-illnesses--impairments-and-disability.pdf" title="GSS Harmonised Standard">GSS Harmonised Standard</a> on health conditions and illnesses. The harmonised disability variables DISEA and DISCURR13 should both be present on the APS person microdata from April 2013-March 2014 (A13M14) onwards. This ensures that APS users have a complete 12 months' data on which to base analysis of the variables. DISCURR should only be present on APS microdata up to and including April 2012-March 2013 (A12M13).<br> <br> <b>Reducing disclosure risk in the QLFS</b><br> <br> <i>1. Special Licence QLFS data</i>:<br> From July-September 2001, 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 version 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, the extra non-EUL variables that can be found in the SL data, are: month and year of birth (variables dobm and doby); 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 (soc2kap, soc2kl, soc2kr and soc2ks); unitary authority/local authority for place of residence and place of work (ua/la); urban/rural indicator (urind). Data for households of size 10 or above, which are excluded from the standard EUL data, can also be found in the SL data. With the introduction of SL data, some variables were correspondingly removed from the EUL datasets for 2001 onwards, including dobm, doby, nuts2, soc2kap, soc2kl, soc2kr and soc2ks. Users should note that these variables may still be referenced in the user guides without reference to restricted availability.<br> <br> <I>2. Secure Access QLFS data</i><br> More detailed QLFS datasets than the SL versions are also available, via the UK Data Service Secure Access system. These datasets include further additional, detailed variables not included in either the EUL or SL versions. They are subject to further access restrictions (see the <a href="https://www.ukdataservice.ac.uk/get-data/how-to-access/accesssecurelab" title="Secure Lab">Secure Lab</a> webpages for details).<br> <br> <I>3. Changes to QLFS identifier variables:</i><br> Changes designed to improve confidentiality have been made to the identifier variables supplied with the main QLFS datasets from January-March 2011 onwards. Pseudonymised variables Casenop, Hserialp and Quotap are now included.<br> <br> <I>4. Further changes made to EUL data:</I><br> Disclosure control decisions made at the ONS requires consideration of the sample being less than 1% of the population). Accordingly, the following changes were introduced for EUL datasets in 2014/15 (and may affect back-series datasets from 2001 onwards):<br> <li>Occupation (SOC10M) and industry (INDC07M) of main job remain available at 4-digit level, but Industry of second job (INDC07S) and last job (INDC07L) have been reduced to 3-digit level.</li><br> <li>The variable GOVTOR (Government Office Region, with 20 response options) has been dropped, and GOVTOF2 (12-region level) has been retained. Region of last job (GORWKR and GORWKR2, covering 12 regions plus 'outside UK') has been retained.</li><br> <li>The variable ADD has been dropped (this also affects datasets from 2001 onwards).</li><br> Users whose research is affected by these changes may need to use other variables or consider making an application for Special Licence data, where the more detailed variables have been retained.<br> <br>The Special Licence Access version of the QLFS October - December, 2008 is held under SN 6120.<br> <br> For the fourth edition (November 2014) an updated version of the data file was deposited, weighted to 2014 population figures (based on Census 2011). The new weighting variables are PIWT14 (income weight) and PWT14 (person weight). Also, non-responders are no longer included in the data due to a change in ONS database systems, so the number of cases is now reduced.<br> <br><B>Main Topics</B>:<br>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.<br> <br> 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

Labour Force Survey Two-Quarter Longitudinal Dataset, April - September, 2008

<p>Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.</p><br> <b>Background</b><br> The <i>Labour Force Survey</i> (LFS) is a unique source of 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. It is used to inform social, economic and employment policy. The LFS was first conducted biennially from 1973-1983. Between 1984 and 1991 the survey was carried out annually and consisted of a quarterly survey conducted throughout the year and a 'boost' survey in the spring quarter (data were then collected seasonally). From 1992 quarterly data were made available, with a quarterly sample size approximately equivalent to that of the previous annual data. The survey then became known as the <i>Quarterly Labour Force Survey</i> (QLFS). From December 1994, data gathering for Northern Ireland moved to a full quarterly cycle to match the rest of the country, so the QLFS then covered the whole of the UK (though some additional annual Northern Ireland LFS datasets are also held at the UK Data Archive). Further information on the background to the QLFS may be found in the documentation.<br> <br> <b>Longitudinal data</b><br> The LFS retains each sample household for five consecutive quarters, with a fifth of the sample replaced each quarter. The main survey was designed to produce cross-sectional data, but the data on each individual have now been linked together to provide longitudinal information. The longitudinal data comprise two types of linked datasets, created using the weighting method to adjust for non-response bias. The two-quarter datasets link data from two consecutive waves, while the five-quarter datasets link across a whole year (for example January 2010 to March 2011 inclusive) and contain data from all five waves. A full series of longitudinal data has been produced, going back to winter 1992. Linking together records to create a longitudinal dimension can, for example, provide information on gross flows over time between different labour force categories (employed, unemployed and economically inactive). This will provide detail about people who have moved between the categories. Also, longitudinal information is useful in monitoring the effects of government policies and can be used to follow the subsequent activities and circumstances of people affected by specific policy initiatives, and to compare them with other groups in the population. There are however methodological problems which could distort the data resulting from this longitudinal linking. The ONS continues to research these issues and advises that the presentation of results should be carefully considered, and warnings should be included with outputs where necessary.<br> <br> <b>LFS Documentation</b><br> The documentation available from the Archive to accompany LFS datasets largely consists of the latest version of each user guide volume alongside the appropriate questionnaire for the year concerned. However, volumes are updated periodically by ONS, so users are advised to check the latest documents on the ONS <a href="https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/methodologies/labourforcesurveyuserguidance" title="Labour Force Survey - User Guidance">Labour Force Survey - User Guidance</a> pages before commencing analysis. <b>This is especially important for users of older QLFS studies, where information and guidance in the user guide documents may have changed over time.</b><br> <br> <b> Additional data derived from the QLFS</b><br> The Archive also holds further QLFS series: End User Licence (EUL) quarterly data; Special Licence (SL) access and Secure Data Service access datasets (see below); household datasets (produced twice a year); quarterly, annual and ad hoc module datasets compiled for Eurostat; and some additional annual Northern Ireland datasets. <br> <br> <b>LFS move from seasonal to calendar quarters</b><br> In accordance with European Union regulations, the QLFS moved from seasonal (spring, summer, autumn, winter) quarters to calendar quarters (January-March, April-June, July-September, October-December) in 2006. Subsequently, calendar versions of all datasets in the EUL and SL QLFS series were deposited and the previous seasonal datasets were removed from the Archive's catalogue at the request of ONS. However, some seasonal datasets still exist for the longitudinal series for 2008 and earlier, and 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. <br> <br>For the third edition (July 2015) an updated version of the data file was deposited, weighted to 2014 population figures (based on Census 2011).<br> <br><B>Main Topics</B>:<br>The two-quarter longitudinal datasets include a subset of the most commonly used variables from the <i>Quarterly Labour Force Survey</i> (QLFS), covering the main areas of the survey.<br

Labour Force Survey Five-Quarter Longitudinal Dataset, July 1999 - September 2000

<p>Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.</p><br> <b>Background</b><br> The <i>Labour Force Survey</i> (LFS) is a unique source of 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. It is used to inform social, economic and employment policy. The LFS was first conducted biennially from 1973-1983. Between 1984 and 1991 the survey was carried out annually and consisted of a quarterly survey conducted throughout the year and a 'boost' survey in the spring quarter (data were then collected seasonally). From 1992 quarterly data were made available, with a quarterly sample size approximately equivalent to that of the previous annual data. The survey then became known as the <i>Quarterly Labour Force Survey</i> (QLFS). From December 1994, data gathering for Northern Ireland moved to a full quarterly cycle to match the rest of the country, so the QLFS then covered the whole of the UK (though some additional annual Northern Ireland LFS datasets are also held at the UK Data Archive). Further information on the background to the QLFS may be found in the documentation.<br> <br> <b>Longitudinal data</b><br> The LFS retains each sample household for five consecutive quarters, with a fifth of the sample replaced each quarter. The main survey was designed to produce cross-sectional data, but the data on each individual have now been linked together to provide longitudinal information. The longitudinal data comprise two types of linked datasets, created using the weighting method to adjust for non-response bias. The two-quarter datasets link data from two consecutive waves, while the five-quarter datasets link across a whole year (for example January 2010 to March 2011 inclusive) and contain data from all five waves. A full series of longitudinal data has been produced, going back to winter 1992. Linking together records to create a longitudinal dimension can, for example, provide information on gross flows over time between different labour force categories (employed, unemployed and economically inactive). This will provide detail about people who have moved between the categories. Also, longitudinal information is useful in monitoring the effects of government policies and can be used to follow the subsequent activities and circumstances of people affected by specific policy initiatives, and to compare them with other groups in the population. There are however methodological problems which could distort the data resulting from this longitudinal linking. The ONS continues to research these issues and advises that the presentation of results should be carefully considered, and warnings should be included with outputs where necessary.<br> <br> <b>LFS Documentation</b><br> The documentation available from the Archive to accompany LFS datasets largely consists of the latest version of each user guide volume alongside the appropriate questionnaire for the year concerned. However, volumes are updated periodically by ONS, so users are advised to check the latest documents on the ONS <a href="http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/method-quality/specific/labour-market/labour-market-statistics/index.html" title="Labour Force Survey - User Guidance">Labour Force Survey - User Guidance</a> pages before commencing analysis. <b>This is especially important for users of older QLFS studies, where information and guidance in the user guide documents may have changed over time.</b><br> <br> <b> Additional data derived from the QLFS</b><br> The Archive also holds further QLFS series: End User Licence (EUL) quarterly data; Special Licence (SL) access and Secure Data Service access datasets (see below); household datasets (produced twice a year); quarterly, annual and ad hoc module datasets compiled for Eurostat; and some additional annual Northern Ireland datasets. <br> <br> <b>LFS move from seasonal to calendar quarters</b><br> In accordance with European Union regulations, the QLFS moved from seasonal (spring, summer, autumn, winter) quarters to calendar quarters (January-March, April-June, July-September, October-December) in 2006. Subsequently, calendar versions of all datasets in the EUL and SL QLFS series were deposited and the previous seasonal datasets were removed from the Archive's catalogue at the request of ONS. However, some seasonal datasets still exist for the longitudinal series for 2008 and earlier, and 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. <br> <br>This study was deposited in 2008, as a result of the move from seasonal to calendar quarters for the QLFS, and the reweighting process to 2007-2008 population figures. It combines data from previously-available QLFS seasonal five-quarter longitudinal datasets. The depositor has advised that small revisions to the data may have been made during this process, but they should not be significant.<br> <br><B>Main Topics</B>:<br>The five-quarter longitudinal datasets include a subset of the most commonly used variables from the <i>Quarterly Labour Force Survey</i> (QLFS), covering the main areas of the survey

Labour Force Survey Annual Eurostat Dataset, 1999

<p>Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.</p>The <i>Labour Force Survey Annual Eurostat Datasets</i> form the UK component of the <i>European Union Labour Force Survey</i> (EU LFS), and consist of a subset of core variables from the UK Quarterly Labour Force Survey (held at the UK Data Archive under GN 33246), alongside primary and secondary derived variables computed by Eurostat from the core variables supplied. The data comprise seasonal or calendar quarters, depending on the date, and are not directly comparable with the UK QLFS quarters. Although all datasets in this series are called 'annual', from 1999-2008 they only include data for quarter two of the survey year, as the questions were only asked in this quarter. From 2009, the questions were asked all year. Quarterly EU LFS datasets from 1999 onwards are also available (see under GN 33366) and 'ad hoc' modules (run each year to supplement the information from the core EU LFS questionnaire) are available from 2002 onwards (see under GN 33400). <br> <br> Users should note that the LFS Eurostat datasets available from the UK Data Archive comprise UK data only, and no data from other EU countries are included here. Further information about the EU LFS can be found on the Eurostat <a href="http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/EU_labour_force_survey" title="EU Labour Force Survey">EU Labour Force Survey</a> webpage.<br> <br> The UK 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 and 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. Between 1984 and 1991 the survey was carried out annually, and moved to a quarterly cycle (the QLFS) from May 1992. Further information may be found in the main LFS documentation (see link below).<br> <br> <b>LFS Documentation (main LFS)</b><br> Besides the EU LFS documentation (see below), documentation is also available to accompany the main UK LFS datasets available from the Archive. This largely consists of the latest version of each document alongside the appropriate questionnaire for the year concerned. However, LFS documentation volumes are updated periodically by ONS, so users are advised to check the ONS <a href="http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/method-quality/specific/labour-market/labour-market-statistics/index.html" title="LFS User Guidance">LFS User Guidance</a> pages before commencing analysis.<br> <br><B>Main Topics</B>:<br>Topics covered include household and demographic characteristics, country and region of work, employment and self-employment, employment history, working time, occupations and occupational status, job hunting, job changing, education and training, unemployment and economic activity

Quarterly Labour Force Survey, January - March, 2009

<p>Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.</p><br> <b>Background</b><br> The <i>Labour Force Survey</i> (LFS) is a unique source of 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. It is used to inform social, economic and employment policy. The LFS was first conducted biennially from 1973-1983. Between 1984 and 1991 the survey was carried out annually and consisted of a quarterly survey conducted throughout the year and a 'boost' survey in the spring quarter (data were then collected seasonally). From 1992 quarterly data were made available, with a quarterly sample size approximately equivalent to that of the previous annual data. The survey then became known as the <i>Quarterly Labour Force Survey</i> (QLFS). From December 1994, data gathering for Northern Ireland moved to a full quarterly cycle to match the rest of the country, so the QLFS then covered the whole of the UK (though some additional annual Northern Ireland LFS datasets are also held at the UK Data Archive). Further information on the background to the QLFS may be found in the documentation.<br> <br> <b>LFS Documentation</b><br> The documentation available from the Archive to accompany LFS datasets largely consists of the latest version of each user guide volume alongside the appropriate questionnaire for the year concerned. However, volumes are updated periodically by ONS, so users are advised to check the latest documents on the ONS <a href="https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/methodologies/labourforcesurveyuserguidance" title="Labour Force Survey - User Guidance">Labour Force Survey - User Guidance</a> pages before commencing analysis. <b>This is especially important for users of older QLFS studies, where information and guidance in the user guide documents may have changed over time.</b><br> <br> <b> Additional data derived from the QLFS</b><br> The Archive also holds further QLFS series: Special Licence access and Secure Data Service access datasets (see below); household datasets (produced twice a year); two-quarter and five-quarter longitudinal datasets; quarterly, annual and ad hoc module datasets compiled for Eurostat; and some additional annual Northern Ireland datasets. <br> <br> <b>LFS move from seasonal to calendar quarters</b><br> In accordance with European Union regulations, the QLFS moved from seasonal (spring, summer, autumn, winter) quarters to calendar quarters (January-March, April-June, July-September, October-December) in 2006. Subsequently, calendar versions of all datasets in the main QLFS series were deposited and the previous seasonal datasets were removed from the Archive's catalogue at the request of ONS. However, some seasonal datasets may still exist for other LFS series, and 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. <br> <br> <b>Disability variables from 2013 onwards - LFS and APS</b><br> ONS have provided some information on changes since 2013 to the disability variables available on the LFS and APS. The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) disabled (current disability) category within the historic DISCURR variable no longer corresponds with the advised legal definition of 'current disability'. DISCURR should only be available on LFS microdata from Spring 1998 to January-March 2013 (JM13); beyond that point users should ignore or delete it. In addition, the same 'DDA disabled (current disability)' category within variable DISCURR13 is also not the most appropriate variable to use because a) it is not comparable to the corresponding category in variable DISCURR due to question changes, and b) it no longer measures either the DDA definition of disability or the latest Equality Act definition of disability. However, DISCURR13 is available from the April-March 2013 quarter (AJ13) onwards and was introduced to demonstrate that the variables used to compile DISCURR had also changed from that quarter. Therefore, users are advised to use the disability variable DISEA from AJ13 onwards, which reflects the Equality Act 2010 legal definition of 'disabled', measured according to the <a href="http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/harmonisation/primary-set-of-harmonised-concepts-and-questions/long-lasting-health-conditions-and-illnesses--impairments-and-disability.pdf" title="GSS Harmonised Standard">GSS Harmonised Standard</a> on health conditions and illnesses. The harmonised disability variables DISEA and DISCURR13 should both be present on the APS person microdata from April 2013-March 2014 (A13M14) onwards. This ensures that APS users have a complete 12 months' data on which to base analysis of the variables. DISCURR should only be present on APS microdata up to and including April 2012-March 2013 (A12M13).<br> <br> <b>Reducing disclosure risk in the QLFS</b><br> <br> <i>1. Special Licence QLFS data</i>:<br> From July-September 2001, 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 version 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, the extra non-EUL variables that can be found in the SL data, are: month and year of birth (variables dobm and doby); 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 (soc2kap, soc2kl, soc2kr and soc2ks); unitary authority/local authority for place of residence and place of work (ua/la); urban/rural indicator (urind). Data for households of size 10 or above, which are excluded from the standard EUL data, can also be found in the SL data. With the introduction of SL data, some variables were correspondingly removed from the EUL datasets for 2001 onwards, including dobm, doby, nuts2, soc2kap, soc2kl, soc2kr and soc2ks. Users should note that these variables may still be referenced in the user guides without reference to restricted availability.<br> <br> <I>2. Secure Access QLFS data</i><br> More detailed QLFS datasets than the SL versions are also available, via the UK Data Service Secure Access system. These datasets include further additional, detailed variables not included in either the EUL or SL versions. They are subject to further access restrictions (see the <a href="https://www.ukdataservice.ac.uk/get-data/how-to-access/accesssecurelab" title="Secure Lab">Secure Lab</a> webpages for details).<br> <br> <I>3. Changes to QLFS identifier variables:</i><br> Changes designed to improve confidentiality have been made to the identifier variables supplied with the main QLFS datasets from January-March 2011 onwards. Pseudonymised variables Casenop, Hserialp and Quotap are now included.<br> <br> <I>4. Further changes made to EUL data:</I><br> Disclosure control decisions made at the ONS requires consideration of the sample being less than 1% of the population). Accordingly, the following changes were introduced for EUL datasets in 2014/15 (and may affect back-series datasets from 2001 onwards):<br> <li>Occupation (SOC10M) and industry (INDC07M) of main job remain available at 4-digit level, but Industry of second job (INDC07S) and last job (INDC07L) have been reduced to 3-digit level.</li><br> <li>The variable GOVTOR (Government Office Region, with 20 response options) has been dropped, and GOVTOF2 (12-region level) has been retained. Region of last job (GORWKR and GORWKR2, covering 12 regions plus 'outside UK') has been retained.</li><br> <li>The variable ADD has been dropped (this also affects datasets from 2001 onwards).</li><br> Users whose research is affected by these changes may need to use other variables or consider making an application for Special Licence data, where the more detailed variables have been retained.<br> <br>The Special Licence Access version of the QLFS January - March, 2009 is held under SN 6200.<br> <br> For the fourth edition (March 2015), previously unavailable variables LERND and LERNDB were added to the data.<br> <br><B>Main Topics</B>:<br>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.<br> <br> 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

Quarterly Labour Force Survey, June - August, 2003 : Local Area Data

<p>Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.</p>The <i>Labour Force Survey</i> (LFS) has been carried out in the UK since 1973. From 1973 until 1983 the survey was carried out biennially, and from 1984 until 1991 it was conducted annually. In 1992 the quarterly LFS was introduced. For full background and methodological information users should refer to the main <i>Quarterly Labour Force Survey</i> (QLFS) series (held at the UK Data Archive (UKDA) under GN 33246).<br> <br> The <i>Local Area Data</i> series was produced quarterly alongside the main QLFS from 1992-2006, and included aggregated data on employment, economic activity and related subjects, covering Local Authority Districts (LADs), Training and Enterprise Councils (TECs), and their Scottish and Welsh equivalents. From 1992 until August 1997, the data covered Great Britain, and from September 1997 data from Northern Ireland were added. The <i>Local Area Data</i> were also available as an annual database between 1994-1995 and 1999-2000, for LADs at individual level, but these are no longer produced.<br> <br> <b>LFS move from seasonal to calendar quarters</b><br> 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 last seasonal <i>Local Area Data</i> dataset issued was the <i>Quarterly Labour Force Survey, December 2005 - February, 2006: Local Area Data</i> (SN 5392), and the first calendar quarter dataset was the <i>Quarterly Labour Force Survey, January - March, 2006: Local Area Data</i> (SN 5393). Users should note that there is some overlap between these two datasets. Further information on the seasonal to calendar quarter change and its impact on LFS data may be found in the following online article:<br> Madouros, V. (2006) <i>Impact of the switch from seasonal to calendar quarters in the Labour Force Survey</i>, London: ONS.<br> <br> <b>LFS Documentation</b><br> The User Guides available with the UK Data Archive's LFS studies are those available at the time of deposit. Users can access the updated guides online via the ONS <a href="http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/method-quality/specific/labour-market/labour-market-statistics/index.html" title="Labour Force Survey User Guide">LFS User Guide</a> pages.<br>The first deposit of this dataset was made after the regrossing project was completed, so the data are grossed according to the latest population estimates described above.<B>Main Topics</B>:<br>The <i>Local Area Data</i> files contain approximately 100 variables covering the following subjects: employment by age group; employees; self-employed; economic activity; employment by industrial sector; ethnic minority economic activity; persons in full-time education; qualifications; job-related training.<br>This dataset is grossed according to the latest population data used by ONS (see 'Abstract' section above for further details)