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6354.0.55.001 - Information Paper: Reinstatement of Job Vacancies Survey


INTRODUCTION

This information paper describes changes to Job Vacancies statistics, as a result of the Job Vacancies Survey (JVS) being suspended during 2008-09 and reinstated for the November 2009 survey. Statistics on job vacancies up until May 2008 were released in Job Vacancies, Australia (cat. no. 6354.0). This title and catalogue number will continue to be used for future issues.


FIRST ISSUE

The first issue of 6354.0 following the reinstatement of JVS will be for the February 2010 reference period, which is scheduled for release on 1 April 2010. This issue will include the first release of data for the November 2009 reference period, which has been delayed due to additional work in re-establishing the survey.


FUTURE ISSUES

It is expected that future issues will follow the previously established release timing, which is 6 weeks after the reference date (except for November, 8 weeks).


GAP IN SERIES

As a result of JVS being suspended, there will be a gap in all series: original, seasonally adjusted and trend, for five quarters between August 2008 and August 2009 inclusive. The ABS cannot produce reliable estimates by collecting this missing data retrospectively, and has not been able to fill the gap using other data sources and modelling techniques.


SEASONALLY ADJUSTED ESTIMATES

Seasonal adjustments factors for November 2009 onwards will be the same as existed prior to the suspension of JVS (see below). Once there is a sufficiently long time series following the reinstatement of the survey, a review of seasonal adjustment factors will again be undertaken, which may result in revisions to the seasonally adjusted series.

The previous review of seasonal adjustment factors for private sector estimates was undertaken for May 2008. This review concluded that seasonality had weakened in recent quarters' private sector estimates, to the extent that the end of the series showed no seasonality. As a result, the published seasonally adjusted estimate for the private sector for February and May 2008 were the same as the corresponding original estimate.


TREND ESTIMATES

Trend estimates would not normally be available until a sufficiently long time series has been established following the gap in the series. However, it may be possible to release trend data in the February 2010 publication. This will depend on results of additional data analyses and modelling to be undertaken which will include data from the November 2009 and February 2010 surveys. If released, these estimates may be subject to more revision than is normal for such series until a longer time series has been established.


IMPLEMENTATION OF ANZSIC 2006

From November 2009, industry statistics will be on the basis of Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC), 2006 edition. This edition replaces the 1993 edition which has been in use since 1994. The new edition of ANZSIC was developed to provide a more contemporary industrial classification system taking into account issues such as changes in the structure and composition of the economy, changing user demands and compatibility with major international classification standards.

Industry data up to May 2008 are only available on an ANZSIC 1993 basis.

For more information on the new industry classification, refer to Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC), 2006 (cat. no. 1292.0).


SURVEY FRAME CHANGES AND SAMPLE REDESIGN

The sample for JVS, like most Australian Bureau of Statistics business surveys, is selected from the ABS Business Register which is primarily based on registrations to the Australian Taxation Office's Pay As You Go Withholding scheme. The population is updated quarterly to take account of new businesses, businesses that have ceased employing, changes in industry and employment levels and other general business changes.

A sample redesign of JVS was undertaken to incorporate the new ANZSIC 2006 industry classification as the industry structure of ANZSIC 2006 is different to that of ANZSIC 1993. The ABS has also implemented some other statistical changes to improve survey frames at the same time as surveys adopt ANZSIC 2006. Employment benchmarks on the business survey frame have been updated to reflect more up-to-date information for use in stratification and estimation. There have been some changes to the Standard Institutional Sector Classification (SISCA), Public/Private and level of Government classifications and invalid industry and SISCA codes have been corrected for the ANZSIC 2006 frame.

The sample redesign, classification and the statistical changes will impact on:

• the population of businesses included
• the way these businesses are grouped together for sampling purposes
• the sample selected
• the weighting of individual units
• the industries used to present the statistics

• Table 1. JOB VACANCIES, States and territories
• Table 2. JOB VACANCIES, Private sector - States and territories
• Table 3. JOB VACANCIES, Public sector - States and territories
• Table 4. JOB VACANCIES, Industry: Original