New Zealand
Title of the survey:
Household Labour Force Survey (HLFS).
Organization responsible for the survey:
Planning and conduct of the survey:
Statistics New Zealand (SNZ).
Analysis and publication of the results:
SNZ.
Topics covered:
Persons currently economically active, employed and unemployed; persons currently in time-related underemployment and persons currently outside the labour force; discouraged workers; actual and usual hours of work; duration of unemployment; ethnicity; industry; occupation; status in employment; education/training levels.
Coverage of the survey:
Geographical:
Whole country, excluding External Territories.
Population groups:
Civilian non-institutional population of age 15 years and above.
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.
Publication of results:
Quarterly.
Reference periods:
Employment:
One week.
Unemployed:
The last four weeks.
Availability for work:
During the reference week.
Concepts and definitions:
Employment:
Persons who a) performed some work for pay or profit during the reference week; and b) were temporarily absent from work during the reference week because of illness or paid leave, or had business to which they were definitely going to return. Some work is defined as 1 hour or more during the reference week.
Unemployment:
Persons who were currently without work and available for work during the reference week, and who had actively searched for work sometime during the last four weeks.
Underemployment:
Time-related underemployment:
Employed persons who work part time and have been looking for full time work in the last four weeks and/or wanting to work more hours.
Inadequate employment situations:
No information provided.
Hours of work:
Both "actual" and "usual" hours worked include both paid and unpaid hours worked, in main job and in second job(s).
Employment-related income:
Income from employment:
No information provided.
Income from self-employment:
No information provided.
Informal sector:
Not applicable.
Usual activity:
No information provided.
Classifications:
Branch of economic activity (industry):
Title of the classification:
Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC).
Population groups classified by industry:
Employed and unemployed (industry of last job for the unemployed).
Number of groups used for coding:
158.
Links to ISIC:
ISIC-Rev.3.
Occupation:
Title of the classification:
New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (NZSCO).
Population groups classified by occupation:
Employed and unemployed (occupation of last job for the unemployed).
Number of groups used for coding:
96.
Links to ISCO:
ISCO-88.
Status in employment:
Title of the classification:
Status in Employment-Standard Classification 1998.
Population groups classified by status in employment:
Employed and unemployed (status of the last job for the unemployed).
Groups used for classification:
Working for wages or salary; employer of others in own business; self-employed and not employing others; working without pay in a family business.
Links to ICSE:
ICSE-1993.
Education:
Title of the classification:
Household Labour Force Survey Qualification Type Classification (HLF.QUALHIG)
Population groups classified by education:
All persons.
Groups used for classification:
17.
Links to ISCED:
ISCED-1997.
Sample size and design:
Ultimate sampling unit:
Households.
Sample size (ultimate sampling units):
18,000.
Overall sampling fraction:
0.01.
Sample frame:
Quinquennial censuses. Small geographic areas are the primary sampling units (PSU).
Updating of the sample frame:
Every five years.
Rotation:
Scheme:
Households in sample for 8 consecutive months and then out.
Percentage of units remaining in the sample for two consecutive survey rounds:
87.5 percent remains in sample for two consecutive months. Each PSU is allocated to one of the eight rotation groups, and one rotation group is replaced every quarter with new dwellings from the same PSU.
Maximum number of interviews per sample unit:
No information provided.
Length of time for complete renewal of the sample:
No information provided.
Field work:
Type of interview:
Pen-and-paper; face-to-face (for the first interview) and by phone (for remaining interviews).
Number of ultimate sampling units per sample area:
No information provided.
Duration of field work:
Total:
1 week.
Per sample area:
No information provided.
Survey organization:
Permanent.
Number of field staff:
135 interviewers and 5 regional supervisors.
Substitution of non-responding ultimate sampling units:
No.
Estimation and adjustments:
Total non-response rate:
10 percent.
Adjustment for total non-response:
Yes.
Imputation for item non-response:
Yes.
Adjustment for areas/population not covered:
Yes.
Adjustment for undercoverage:
Yes.
Adjustment for overcoverage:
Not applicable.
Adjustment for seasonal variations:
Yes, for employment and unemployment by sex, total hours worked and persons working full and part time. Using X-12 concurrent seasonal adjustment.
History of the survey:
Title and date of the first survey:
Household Labour Force Survey, December 1985 quarter.
Significant changes or revisions:
June 1990: New questionnaire with new variables: underemployment, qualification, occupation (to three digit level), industry (to three digit level).
Documentation and dissemination:
Documentation:
Survey results:
Hot off the press - Household Labour Force Survey (Cat. no. 05-500); Labour Market (yearly) Catalogue no. 01.029.0098 ISSN 1171-283X
Survey methodology:
Survey Information Manager - Household Labour Force Survey on website.
Dissemination:
Time needed for initial release of survey results:
Within six weeks after end of survey reference period.
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:
http://www.stats.govt.nz/.