Please note that new a Labour Force Survey Standard Errors spreadsheet has been created and has a new catalogue number. This new spreadsheet supersedes the spreadsheets available on this page. The standard error models on which the spreadsheet is based apply to LFS level estimates from September 1997 onwards, and to monthly movement estimates from the September 1997 to October 1998 movement onwards. The new spreadsheet can be accessed through 6298.0.55.001 - Labour Force Survey Standard Errors, Spreadsheet.
ESTIMATING STANDARD ERRORS OF LABOUR FORCE SURVEY DATA
INTRODUCTION
Estimates from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) are subject to sampling error, as the information is collected from a sample rather than the entire population. The sampling variability of LFS estimates affects their accuracy and, in turn, the importance that might be placed on comparison of estimates over time or with one another.
The most commonly used measure of sampling error is called the standard error (SE). The Information Paper: Labour Force Survey Standard Errors, 2003 (cat. no. 6298.0) discusses LFS sampling variability and methods of estimating the SE associated with survey estimates. For the LFS, published SE estimates have been derived by mathematical modelling, in order to simplify their calculation. It is impractical on space grounds to derive and publish the SE of all LFS data. The attached spreadsheet, which is based on the SE model, may be used to estimate the SE of estimates from the LFS for states, territories and Australia.
CONTENTS
The spreadsheet is available in both Lotus 123 and Microsoft Excel versions. Separate worksheets are provided for estimating SEs and/or Relative Standard Errors (RSEs) as follows:
- Introduction - Notes about the spreadsheet
- Step by step - Guide to entering data
- Level or Rate - SEs for LFS level or rate estimates from September 1997 onwards
- Averages etc - Factored SEs averages, aggregates and movements other than monthly
- Monthly movements - SEs for monthly movements from October to November 1997 onwards, other than the following periods
- 1997 phase-in - SEs of monthly movements from August to September 1997 or September to October 1997 and
- 2002 phase-in - SEs of monthly movements from October to November 2002 or November to December 2002.
