Estonia
Title of the survey:
Estonian Labour Force Survey 2001 (ELFS 2001).
Organization responsible for the survey:
Planning and conduct of the survey:
Statistical Office of Estonia, Labour Force Statistics Division.
Analysis and publication of the results:
Statistical Office of Estonia, Labour Force Statistics Division.
Topics covered:
Employment, unemployment, underemployment, hours of work, wages, income, duration of employment, duration of unemployment, discouraged workers, occasional workers, industry, occupation, status in employment, educational level, usual activity, second jobs.
Coverage of the survey:
Geographical:
Whole country.
Population groups:
The target population of the ELFS 2001 were residents of Estonia of working age, i.e., persons who, as of 1 January 2001 had turned 15-74 years old (i.e., those born between 1926 and 1985). Career and voluntary military are included in the totals but separate data are not published.
Availability of estimates from other sources for the excluded areas/groups:
No.
Groups covered by the survey but excluded from the published results:
None.
Periodicity:
Conduct of the survey:
Continuous survey.
Publication of results:
Quarterly.
Reference periods:
Employment:
One week (last seven days prior to the date of the interview).
Seeking work:
Four weeks prior to the date of the interview.
Availability for work:
Two weeks following the date of the interview.
Concepts and definitions:
Employment:
Employed are all persons aged 15-74 years who, during the reference period, did any work for at least one hour and were in paid employment or self-employed. Persons on parental leave, granted to mother or father until the child is 3 years old are considered as not active. Conscripts are classified as not active, whereas volunteers and career military are included. Included in the totals are persons who during the reference period were temporarily absent from work due to illness, injury, vacation or annual leave, educational leave, absence without leave, bad weather, labour management dispute, mechanical breakdown, other reduction in economic activity or temporary lay-off without pay provided that the period of such absence was less than 3 months.
Also included are:
- women on paid pre-natal and post-natal leave whose duration is 70 and 56 days respectively;
- full- and part-time workers seeking other work during the reference period;
- full- and part-time students working full- or part-time;
- persons who performed some work during the reference week while being either retired and receiving a pension, or were registered as job seekers at an employment office or receiving unemployment benefits;
- private domestic servants;
- paid apprentices and trainees.
Excluded are persons engage in production of goods for their own household (painting, repairing, housework, etc.).
Unemployment:
Unemployed are all persons aged 15-74 years who met the following three conditions during the reference week: (i) had no work; (ii) were actively looking for work; and (iii) were currently available for work - i.e., were available for paid employment or self-employment either immediately or within 14 days following the reference week.
Underemployment:
Time-related underemployment:
Persons who, during the reference week, involuntary worked less than the normal duration of working hours established for a given type of activity and who were willing and available to work additional hours.
Inadequate employment situations:
Persons who were seeking another job with better working conditions (salary, location, etc.).
Hours of work:
Usual and actual hours worked in the main job.
Employment-related income:
Income from paid employment:
Monthly income from main job, i.e. wages, salaries and other earnings in cash or in kind; remuneration for time not worked and paid by the employer; quarterly and annual bonuses, Christmas bonuses, etc.; all types of extra payments; compensation for temporary disability or caring for a sick person.
Income from self-employment:
Entrepreneurs, farmers and freelancers are only asked about payments received in the form of their wage.
Informal sector:
Not applicable.
Usual activity:
The following population groups are subject to questions about their usual economic status: apprentices, students at secondary schools, university students, persons on maternity and child-care leave (parental leave), housewives, retired persons, retired persons due to disability, retired persons due to partial disability, unemployed, conscripts.
Classifications:
Branch of economic activity (industry):
Title of the classification:
National classification.
Population groups classified by industry:
Employed persons and unemployed persons with previous job experience.
Number of groups used for coding:
60 groups (codes 01-99).
Links to ISIC:
ISIC-Rev.3.
Occupation:
Title of the classification:
National classification.
Population groups classified by occupation:
Employed persons and unemployed persons with previous work experience.
Number of groups used for coding:
400 groups (4-digit level groups).
Links to ISCO:
ISCO-88 at the 4th digit level.
Status in employment:
Title of the classification:
National classification.
Population groups classified by status in employment:
Employed and unemployed persons.
Groups used for classification:
4 groups (employees, employers, own-account worker, unpaid family worker).
Links to ICSE:
ICSE-1993.
Education:
Title of the classification:
National classification.
Population groups classified by education:
All population groups.
Groups used for classification:
10 groups (no primary education, primary education, basic education, secondary education, no vocational (specialized or professional) education, vocational/technical education, university diploma, bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, doctorate/PhD.)
Links to ISCED:
ISCED-1997.
Sample size and design:
Ultimate sampling unit:
Household.
Sample size (ultimate sampling units):
2,200 households per quarter.
Overall sampling fraction:
0.4 per cent of working age population per quarter.
Sample frame:
The sample frame is built on the basis of the Population Database of the Andmevara Ltd.
Updating of the sample:
Quarterly.
Rotation:
Scheme:
2-2-2. Every sampled household is interviewed four times; during two consecutive quarters and, after a two-quarters period, they are again interviewed twice in the corresponding quarters of the following year.
Percentage of units remaining in the sample for two consecutive survey rounds:
50 per cent.
Maximum number of interviews per sample unit:
No information provided.
Length of time for complete renewal of the sample:
6 quarters.
Field work:
Type of interview:
Paper and pencil.
Number of ultimate sampling units per sample area:
No information provided.
Duration of field work:
Total:
No information provided.
Per sample area:
No information provided.
Survey organization:
Permanent.
Number of field staff:
179 interviewers and 18 supervisors.
Substitution of non-responding ultimate sampling units:
No.
Estimation and adjustments:
Total non-response rate:
9 per cent.
Adjustment for total non-response:
Yes.
Imputation for item non-response:
Yes.
Adjustment for areas/population not covered:
No.
Adjustment for undercoverage:
Yes.
Adjustment for overcoverage:
No.
Adjustment for seasonal variations:
No.
History of the survey:
Title and date of the first survey:
Estonian Labour Force Survey, January-April 1995.
Significant changes or revisions:
From 1997 to 1999, the survey was conducted during the second quarter. Continuous survey since 2000.
Documentation and dissemination:
Documentation:
Survey results:
Estonian Labour Force Survey, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999 (annually).
Survey methodology:
Estonian Labour Force Survey, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999. Methodological report (annually).
Dissemination:
Time needed for initial release of survey results:
Since 2000, two months for quarterly results and three months for annual results (end of March of following year). Data are made available to all interested users, on the same day, by issuing a news release "Employment and Unemployment".
Advance information of public about date of initial release:
Yes.
Availability of unpublished data upon request:
Yes.
Availability of data in machine-readable form:
Diskettes and Emails.
Website:
http://www.stat.ee/.