Labour Force Survey 2nd Quarter 2006, Persons with Disabilities

Labour Force Survey 2nd quarter 2006, Persons with Disabilities.

The purpose of the supplementary surveys to the AKU is to survey the situation for people with reduced functional abilities on the labor market and see how it develops over time. Such surveys have been carried out annually since 2002.

Statistics Norway has carried out official quarterly labor force surveys (AKU) from the 1st quarter of 1972. The purpose is to give the labor authorities and other interested parties knowledge of the occupational structure in the population and the development over time. The surveys will provide a basis and statistical material for occupational forecasts and labor market research. From 1992, the selections in the AKU are representative at county level, for 1972 - 1991 they were representative at county-pair level.

With effect from 2006, a major restructuring of the AKUwas made, mostly to bring it into line with changes that have also been made in the EU countries in line with new ILO recommendations. The changes consisted of some minor definition changes, adjustments and extensions to the questionnaire, as well as a changed age definition (age at the reference time instead of at the end of the year). At the same time, the lower age limit for participating in the LFS was lowered from 16 to 15 years, in line with the system in other countries. This led to a break in the time series for the mentioned areas.

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In the AKU, respondents were originally interviewed in two consecutive quarters, then there was a break for two quarters and then the respondent was interviewed again in two consecutive quarters. The sample was around 10-11,000 respondents every quarter until 1988. Originally, the AKU was intended to be an analytical supplement to the monthly employment statistics which were based on the social security funds' member registers. However, the social security fund-based statistics fell away when sickness insurance was incorporated into the National Insurance Scheme from 1 January 1971, and the AKU has gradually developed into the most important source of knowledge about the state and development of the labor market.

In 1975, Statistics Norway changed the selection plan for interview surveys, see respectively Art.37: On the use of random samples at the office for interview surveys, Statistics Norway (Steinar Tamsfoss), and SØS 33: Principles and methods for Statistics Norway's selection surveys (Ib Thomsen). At the same time, the estimation method for inflation to national figures was changed, so that there are reliable figures for regions from 1975. The change in 1975 meant that interviews were conducted differently in pools than before and after. This led, among other things, to a break in the panel system in the AKU.

In the 1976 Labor Force Survey, a slightly changed questionnaire was used and the original 6-quarter rotation plan was also returned to. The new questionnaire meant that people in the group of family workers and those temporarily absent from income-generating work were identified in a better way. This led to approximately 30-35,000 more people being counted as employed. The group of jobseekers without earned income was also expanded to include involuntarily made redundant. The questions about under- and over-employment in the original form were deleted.

From the first quarter of 1987, the estimation method (inflating to national figures) was somewhat changed, and there was also a minor adjustment to the definition of employed. In order to obtain comparability backwards in time, new versions of the AKU files back to 1980 were therefore prepared. For the period 1980-1987 there are therefore two versions of the files, respectively with the "old" and "new" estimation method. "Old" means that data are comparable to originally published figures for the period 1972-1987, "new" means that data for the period 1980-1987 that uses this estimation factor (weight) is comparable to figures published after 1987.

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Between the 1st and 2nd quarters of 1988, the file description for the AKU was somewhat changed. The variable "Status on the labor market" had its coding changed. Adjustments were also made to the data collection. They switched from interviewing a specific week every quarter to interviewing continuously on a weekly basis. In addition, an escalation plan was initiated to increase the sample size. This was reflected, among other things, in the weights, which from the second quarter of 1988 were calculated on a monthly basis. In order to weigh up quarterly or annual files to national totals, the monthly weights must therefore be divided by 3 or possibly by 12 to give correct totals.

In 1996, the AKU was substantially revised, in the questionnaire, file description and standard for coding industry and occupation. The data collection also eventually switched to CATI - Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing. A new occupational grouping was adopted. (NOS C 182, based on the EU standard NACE, Rev.1) This standard was updated in 2002 and in 2007. Also a new occupational classification (STYRK) based on ISCO 88 was adopted from 1996. The previous variable on socio-economic status is omitted, as no such classification has been developed on the basis of the new occupational classification.

A new method for seasonal adjustment of the main series in the Labor Force Surveys (LFS) was introduced from 2004 onwards.