Estonian Labour Force Survey Ülle Pettai Leading Statistician Social Surveys Service Population and Social Statistics Department

Estonian Labour Force Survey

Ülle Pettai

Leading Statistician

Social Surveys ServicePopulation and Social Statistics Department

21.04.2009 Ülle Pettai

Statistics Estonia

Statistics Estonia is a government agency at the area of administration of the Ministry of Finance

The main task of Statistics Estonia is to provide the customers with reliable and objective information service on economic, demographic, social and environmental situation and trends in Estonia

Official statistics is in compliance with international classifications and methods


Key customers of Statistics Estonia

Government institutions

Local governments

Research and educational institutions, libraries

Media

Companies, associations, foundations, etc

Statistical organisations of other countries and Eurostat


Statistical surveys

For providing the information service, official statistical surveys are conducted

A survey means the whole process necessary for producing statistics of a certain field — data collection, processing and publication of statistics

About 150 surveys are conducted annually

Data are collected from registers, enterprises/ organisations and households

Household surveys: Estonian Labour Force Survey, Estonian Social Survey, Household Budget Survey etc


Purpose of the Labour Force Survey

Purpose of the Labour Force Survey (LFS) is to get overview about:

economically active population (labour force)

employment

unemployment

changes in the labour market


International comparability

The Estonian Labour Force Survey (ELFS) is based on the methodology of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and recommendations of Eurostat, which guarantees the comparability of the data to other countries

The Labour Force Survey of the European Union (EU) is based on the corresponding regulations of the EU, according to which all Member States are obliged to conduct the Labour Force Survey and forward the data to the Eurostat


History of the LFS

European Union LFS since 1960s

Estonian LFS (ELFS) since 1995first survey, conducted in January-April

ELFS 1997-1999conducted in the 2nd quarter, Eurostat’s requirements

ELFS 2000-continuous survey i.e reference weeks are spread throughout the whole year and the results are for the quarters and year


Sample of the ELFS

The ELFS is a household sample survey in which the data are collected from the people

The Population Register is used as a sample basis

All the working-age members (aged 15-74) of the sampled person’s household are interviewed

Since 2000 sampled households are interviewed four times, during two consecutive quarters and after a two quarters period again during two consecutive quarters (2-2-2 rotation scheme)

~5,000 persons are interviewed per quarter (~20,000 per year)


The ELFS data collection

The ELFS data collection field works are conducted by the Data Collection Department of Statistics Estonia(~60 interviewers)

Before 2003: only face-to-face PAPI-interviews (paper and pencil), paper questionnaires were entered in the office

Since 2003: 90% PAPI, 10% CAPI (computer assisted interviews)

Since 4th quarter 2005: 100% CAPI

Blaise-software is used for CAPI, data are sent by interviewers to the office electronically (via Internet)


Questionnaire of the ELFS

Main questionnaire

Ad hoc modules

Eurostat’s ad hoc modules

National ad hoc modules


Main questionnaire of the ELFS

Section A — Interviewer’s remarks Section B — Household characteristics Section C — Labour status during the reference week Section D — Main job Section E — Second jobs Section F — Underemployment Section G — Previous work experience of person not in

employment Section H — Job seeking Section I — Changes during the previous year Section J — Studies Section K — Background information


Eurostat’s ad hoc modules in the ELFS

2001 Length and patterns of working time

2002 Health and ability to work

2003 Lifelong learning

2004 Work organisation and working time arrangements

2005 Reconciliation of work and family life

2006 Transition from work to retirement

2007 Accidents at work and work-related health problems

2008 Labour market situation of migrants

2009 Transition from school to working life


National ad hoc modules in the ELFS

2002 Long-term unemployment

2002 Dwelling and change of residence in 1989-2002

2002 Transition from school to working life

2003 Health

2003 Working conditions

2004 Cultural consumption



2009 Accidents at work and health problems


Main results of the LFS

Indicators about economic acitiveness of population: labour status (employed, unemployed, inactive), labour force participation rate

Employment indicators: employment rate, structure of employment, full- and part-time work

Unemployment indicators: unemployment rate, long-term unemployment rate, status before unemployment

Educational indicators: educational level of population, life-long learning

etc


Definitions

Employed — a person who during the reference period: worked and was paid as a wage earner, an entrepreneur or a

free-lancer; worked without direct payment in a family enterprise or on his /

her own farm; was temporarily absent from work.Unemployed — a person who fulfils the following three conditions: he or she is without work (does not work anywhere at the

moment and is not temporarily absent from work); he or she is currently (in the course of two weeks) available for

work if there should be work; he or she is actively seeking work.


Definitions

Employment rate – the share of the employed in the working age population

Unemployment rate — the share of the unemployed persons in the labour force (total of employed and unemployed persons)


Main indicators from the LFS

Indicators in the EU Employment Strategy (Lisbon Strategy) on the basis of the LFS:

Target: to increase the employment rate of population aged 15–64 to 67% in 2005 and to 70% in 2010, for women 57% in 2005 and 60% in 2010. Actually in Estonia: 69.5% in 2008, for women 66.3%.

Target: to increase the employment rate for older people (aged 55–64) to 50% in 2010 Actually in Estonia: 62.2% in 2008


Employment rate of population aged 15–64

45

50

55

60

65

70

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

%

EU target EU (27) average Estonia


Employment rate of women aged 15–64

45

50

55

60

65

70

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

%



Employment rate for older (55–64) people

35

40

45

50

55

60

65

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

%



Employment rate for youth (aged 15–24)

15

20

25

30

35

40

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

%

EU (27) average Estonia


Unemployment rate

0

3

6

9

12

15

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

%



Unemployment rate for youth (aged 15-24)

0

5

10

15

20

25

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

%



Unemployment rate from different sources

0

2

4

6

8

10

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 1 2 3

I II III IV I II III IV I

2007 2008 2009

%

Quarterly unemployment rate, Estonian LFS

Monthly unemployment rate, Eurostat (estimates based on quarterlyLFS and monthly registered unemployment)

Monthly registered unemployment rate, Estonian Labour Market Board


Publishing the data of the ELFS

data are published 45 days after the reference quarter

data are available simultaneously to all interested parties at 9:00 on the day of release by issuing a news release "Employment and Unemployment“

At the same time, the data are published in the statistical database on the web site of the Statistics Estonia http://pub.stat.ee/px-web.2001/I_Databas/Social_life/databasetree.asp

http://pub.stat.ee/px-web.2001/I_Databas/Social_life/databasetree.asp




Publishing the data of the ELFS

On the web site of the Statistics Estoniahttp://www.stat.ee

On the web site of the Eurostat http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu

Publications of the Statistics Estonia:“Tööjõud. Labour Force. 2004” “Tööturg. Labour Market. 2005”“Tööturg arvudes. Labour Market in Figures. 2006” ”Pilk tööellu. A Glimpse into the Working Life. 2008” “Eesti statistika aastaraamat. Statistical Yearbook of Estonia”

http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/

http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/

Thank you!

Documents

Estonian Labour Force Survey Ülle Pettai Leading Statistician Social Surveys Service Population and Social Statistics Department