6222.0 - Job Search Experience, Australia, July 2012 Quality Declaration 
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 16/01/2013   
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Revision of population benchmarks

Generally revisions are made to population benchmarks for the LFS following the final rebasing of population estimates to the latest five-yearly Census of Population and Housing, or when the need arises. From February 2009 labour force estimates have been compiled during population benchmarks based on 2006 Census of Population and Housing. Revisions were applied to population benchmarks in July 2010 and December 2012 to take into account the latest available population estimates in the LFS population benchmarks. The latest revision undertaken in December 2012 are not reflected in the estimates presented in Job Search Experience, July 2012 (cat. no. 6222.0). These revisions do not involve any changes to the data collected in the labour force survey. Changes to the LFS population benchmarks impact primarily on the magnitude of the labour force estimates (i.e. employment and unemployment) that are directly related to the underlying size of the population. For more details on population benchmarks, see the Explanatory Notes in Labour Force, Australia (cat. no. 6202.0), and for details about the revisions made, see the article in the November 2012 issue of Labour Force, Australia (cat. no. 6202.0) and the article in the September 2010 issue of Labour Force, Australia (cat. no. 6202.0).

Redevelopment of the JSE 2011 Survey
      In July 2011 the Job Search Experience Survey (JSE) was redeveloped to capture more information on a person's experience in looking for work. This relates to unemployed persons, persons who had been employed for more than a year in their current job, as well as owner managers and their reasons for starting/purchasing a business.

      This change has resulted in a break in series for all current population groups:
        • unemployed persons;
        • employed persons who started their current job in the previous 12 months; and
        • employees (excluding owner managers of incorporated enterprises) who started their current job in the previous 12 months.

      The redevelopment also introduces two new population groups:
        • Owner managers who started their current business in the previous 12 months; and
        • Persons employed for more than a year in their current job who looked for work in the previous 12 months.
      Users need to exercise care when comparing data about current populations in the 2011 publication with previous releases as data about these population groups have changed.

Changes in Scope
      Prior to July 2011, the following persons were included in the JSE survey:
        • persons who started working in a new job/business, were still working in the most recently started job at the time of interview and changed employer to start that job; and
        • unemployed persons.

      From July 2011, in addition to the current LFS and JSE survey exclusions:
        • single jobholders who were contributing family workers in their current job are excluded from the survey;
        • persons who were employed for more than a year in their current job and were looking for work during the previous 12 months are included in the survey; and
        • future job starters (who did not look for work) are included in the survey (estimated at 4,700 persons in 2011).


New data items
      As a result of the redevelopment, the following data items are included in the JSE 2011 publication:
        • Whether turned down job offer/s (in current period of unemployment);
        • Reasons for turning down job offer/s (in current period of unemployment);
        • Main reason for turning down job offer/s (in current period of unemployment);
        • Whether considered starting or purchasing a business in the last 12 months;
        • Reasons for not starting or purchasing a business in the last 12 months;
        • Whether started or purchased a business;
        • Reasons for starting or purchasing a business;
        • Main reason for starting or purchasing a business;
        • Reasons for looking for other work while still employed;
        • All steps taken to find other work in current period of employment;
        • All difficulties in getting another job; and
        • Main difficulty in getting another job.
Changes to data items

      The data item 'Whether first job ever held lasting two weeks or more' has been amended to include the population of owner managers.
      Persons who had been unemployed for one year or less were asked questions about time spent looking for work. Previously this was not the case. As a result of this change the data item 'Time spent looking for work in the previous 12 months' has changed.

Other changes to the Job Search Experience Survey Include
      In 2004
        • computer assisted interviewing was introduced for the Job Search Experience Survey, and was fully implemented in July 2005. The change of interviewing method did not affect estimates in any meaningful way.