Switzerland

Title of the survey:

Swiss Economically Active Population Survey (Enquête suisse sur la population active).

Organization responsible for the survey:

Planning and conduct of the survey:

Federal Office of Statistics.

Analysis and publication of the results:

Federal Office of Statistics.

Topics covered:

Employment, unemployment, underemployment, hours of work, wages, income, duration of employment and unemployment, occasional workers, industry, occupation, status in employment, other jobs.

Coverage of the survey:

Geographical:

Whole country.

Population groups:

Persons aged 15 years and over. Excluded are persons not resident there throughout the year such as seasonal workers, cross-border commuters and asylum-seekers and also short-term residents.

Availability of estimates from other sources for the excluded areas/groups:

Not applicable.

Groups covered by the survey but excluded from the published results:

Not applicable.

Periodicity:

Conduct of the survey:

Annually.

Publication of results:

Annually.

Reference periods:

Employment:

One week during the second quarter.

Seeking work:

Four weeks during the second quarter.

Availability for work:

Two weeks during the second quarter.

Concepts and definitions:

Employment:

Persons aged 15 years and over in paid employment or self-employment who worked for at least one hour for remuneration during the reference week (the week preceding the interview), persons temporarily absent from work and persons who did unpaid work during the reference week in a family business.

Included are:

1. persons absent from work for a period of less than three months owing to illness or accident, annual leave, maternity or paternity leave, educational or training leave, absence without leave, labour management dispute, bad weather, mechanical breakdown, etc., and persons temporarily laid off without pay (for less than three months);
2. persons who performed some work for pay or profit during the reference week but were subject to compulsory schooling, or retired and receiving a pension, or registered as job-seekers at an employment office, or receiving unemployment benefit;
3. full-time or part-time students working full or part time;
4. paid or unpaid apprentices and trainees, participants in employment promotion schemes such as temporary employment programmes, vocational training courses, etc.;
5. unpaid family workers who were working during the reference period;
6. the armed forces: career members and conscripts, and persons on civilian service equivalent to military service for 12 weeks or having a job during their military service.

Unemployment:

Persons aged 15 years and over who performed no remunerated work during the week preceding the interview, had looked for work during the last four weeks and had taken one or more specific steps during that period to find work, and would be available to start work during the following four weeks.

Persons who have already found work are considered to be unemployed if they are to start their job within three months.

Also included are:

1. persons without work and currently available for work who have been trying to start their own business;
2. persons seeking work and/or currently available for work but who were subject to compulsory schooling, or retired and receiving a pension;
3. full-time or part-time students seeking full-time or part-time work.

Underemployment:

Time-related underemployment:

Three criteria are applied: willingness to work additional hours, availability to work more, and hours of work below a specific threshold, to be defined.

Inadequate employment situations:

Excluded from the scope of the survey.

Hours of work:

Actual hours worked and usual hours per week for all jobs. Actual hours worked refer to the main job and the last job.

Employment-related income:

Income from paid employment:

Occupational income (gross and net) for all jobs.

Income from self-employment:

Excluded from the scope of the survey.

Informal sector:

Excluded from the scope of the survey.

Usual activity:

Excluded from the scope of the survey.

Classifications:

Branch of economic activity (industry):

Title of the classification:

National classification.

Population groups classified by industry:

Employed persons and unemployed persons (industry of last job for unemployed persons).

Number of groups used for coding:

222 groups.

Links to ISIC:

ISIC Rev.3.

Occupation:

Title of the classification:

National classification.

Population groups classified by occupation:

Employed persons and unemployed persons (occupation of last job for unemployed persons).

Number of groups used for coding:

87 groups, 388 types and approximately 16,000 occupations.

Links to ISCO:

ISCO-88.

Status in employment:

Title of the classification:

National classification.

Population groups classified by status in employment:

Employed persons and unemployed persons (employment status of last job for unemployed persons).

Groups used for classification:

Self-employed persons, paid employees, contributing family workers. The first two categories are divided into subgroups.

Links to ICSE:

ICSE-1993.

Education:

Title of the classification:

National classification.

Population groups classified by education:

Employed persons and unemployed persons.

Groups used for classification:

Compulsory schooling; basic vocational training; home economics school; general educational establishment; apprenticeship; full-time vocational school; secondary school diploma; higher vocational training; technical or professional college; higher professional college; university; no educational level completed.

Links to ISCED:

ISCED-1997.

Sample size and design:

Ultimate sampling unit:

Persons.

Sample size (ultimate sampling units):

Between 16,000 and 18,000 persons. From 2002, approximately 35,000 persons.

Overall sampling fraction:

0.3 per cent of the permanent resident population.

Sample frame:

Telephone directories, in which all persons with a telephone connection are listed. The address selection scheme is based on randomized sampling, stratified by canton. The number of addresses chosen at random is proportional to that of inhabitants and to the response rate of the cantons.

Updating of the sample:

No information.

Rotation:

Scheme:

The sample consists of approximately one fifth of persons interviewed for the first time and approximately four fifths of persons already interviewed at least once.

Percentage of units remaining in the sample for two consecutive survey rounds:

80 per cent.

Maximum number of interviews per sample unit:

Five times.

Length of time for complete renewal of the sample:

Five years.

Field work:

Type of interview:

Computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI).

Number of ultimate sampling units per sample area:

No information.

Duration of field work:

Total:

Three months.

Per sample area:

No information.

Survey organization:

Fairly permanent organization.

Number of field staff:

Five persons at the federal level and approximately 250 interviewers from a private firm.

Substitution of non-responding ultimate sampling units:

No.

Estimation and adjustments:

Total non-response rate:

20 per cent.

Adjustment for total non-response:

No.

Imputation for item non-response:

No.

Adjustment for areas/population not covered:

No.

Adjustment for undercoverage:

Yes.

Adjustment for overcoverage:

Yes.

Adjustment for seasonal variations:

No.

History of the survey:

Title and date of the first survey:

1991 Swiss Economically Active Population Survey.

Significant changes or revisions:

1996: questions on labour input; 2001: adaptation to international recommendations and new questions on non-standard work.

Documentation and dissemination:

Documentation:

Survey results:

Enquête suisse sur la population active (ESPA): résultats commentés et tableaux (annual publication).

Survey methodology:

Enquête suisse sur la population active (ESPA): concepts, bases méthodologiques, considérations pratiques (1996).

Dissemination:

Time needed for initial release of survey results:

November of the survey reference year.

Advance information of public about date of initial release:

Yes.

Availability of unpublished data upon request:

Yes.

Availability of data in machine-readable form:

Yes.

Website: