Using LFS Longitudinal & Household Datasets Marilyn Thomas & William Barnes Office for National Statistics

Structure 1 - LFS Longitudinal Datasets 2 - LFS Household Datasets What are they & when are they produced? Who receives them? Access? What are they used for? Development plans?

LFS Longitudinal Datasets What are they & when are they produced? 2 quarter & 5 quarter produced quarterly since 1993 changes in labour market characteristics of the same linked respondents datasets include a flow variable employment, unemployment, economic inactivity

LFS Longitudinal Datasets Definitions (ILO) Employment - did paid work in ref week, had job but away temporarily (e.g. holiday), on gov training or employ programme, or in unpaid family work Unemployment – without job, but available to start work in 2 weeks & looked for work in previous 4 weeks, or waiting to start job already obtained Economically inactive – neither employed nor unemployed e.g. retired or looking after home

LFS Longitudinal Datasets Example of 2 quarter flow variable

LFS Longitudinal Datasets Who receives them? Access? Bank of England DfES, DWP, DTI, Low Pay Commission, Home Office, Inland Revenue, HM Treasury Small Business Service ESRC Policy Studies Institute Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion, LSE Also access through UK Data Archive, University of Essex.

LFS Longitudinal Datasets What are they used for? Examples used by the Bank of England as background information to assist understanding of labour market outcomes used by the DWP to examine the labour market outcomes of individuals who become disabled during their time as respondents to the LFS also articles in Labour Market Trends

LFS Longitudinal Datasets References People leaving economic inactivity: characteristics and flows - Andrew McIntyre, LMT, April 2002 People leaving employment: characteristics and flows - Mike Young, LMT, November 2001 Time series analyses of the Labour Force Survey two-quarter longitudinal datasets – Mike Young, LMT, August 2001

LFS Longitudinal Datasets Development plans? Calendar quarters

LFS Household Datasets What are they & when are they produced? LFS datasets designed for analysis at household and family level produced twice each year - in spring since 1992 and in autumn since 1995 recommended for any analysis involving characteristics of household and family units datasets include household and family variables and weights

LFS Household Datasets Some definitions: Household – a single person, or a group of people living at the same address who have the address as their only or main residence and either share one main meal a day or share the living accommodation (or both). LFS family unit – either a single person, or a married or cohabiting couple on their own, or with their never-married children who have no children of their own, or lone parents with such children.

LFS Household Datasets Examples of household & family variables: type of household & type of family unit no of working age people in household/family unit no of dependent children in household/family unit age of youngest child in household/family unit labour market status of head of household/family unit (and partner) combined labour market status of household/family unit

LFS Household Datasets Who receives them? Access? DWP, Home Office, HM Treasury, Cabinet Office, Dept of Health, Dept for Transport, Welsh Assembly Gov, Scottish Parliament, DETI Northern Ireland, etc. local authorities TUC LFS household data also supplied through LFS Data Service Also access through UK Data Archive, University of Essex.

LFS Household Datasets What are they used for? main output: Work and Worklessness Among Households First Release published: January (autumn data) and July (spring data) used, for example, by DWP to monitor 2 PSA targets - children in workless households - lone parent employment rate also articles in Labour Market Trends

LFS Household Datasets References Families and Work - Annette Walling, LMT, July 2005 Workless households: results from the spring 2004 LFS - Annette Walling, LMT, November 2004

LFS Household Datasets Development plans? Calendar quarters - published from August 2006 APS household dataset - rolling annual dataset published quarterly - facilitating household & family analysis at local area level

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