QUALITY DECLARATION - SUMMARY


IN THIS SECTION

Institutional Environment
Relevance
Timeliness
Accuracy
Coherence
Interpretability
Accessibility


INSTITUTIONAL ENVIRONMENT

For information on the institutional environment of the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), including the legislative obligations of the ABS, financing and governance arrangements, and mechanisms for scrutiny of ABS operations, please see ABS Institutional Environment.

RELEVANCE

This collection presents information about the labour force status and other characteristics of families. The information is based on data collected in the national monthly Labour Force Survey (LFS).


TIMELINESS

The Labour Force Status and Other Characteristics of Families is based on data collected from the June Labour Force Survey each year. The results obtained from this data are usually released six months after the collection period.


ACCURACY

The Labour Force Survey is based on a sample of private dwellings (approximately 29,000 houses, flats etc) and non-private dwellings, such as hotels and motels. The sample covers about 0.33% of the Australian civilian population aged 15 years or over. The Labour Force Survey is designed primarily to provide estimates of key labour force statistics for the whole of Australia and, secondarily, for each state and territory.

Annual family estimates are produced from the data collected in the June Labour Force Survey, but do not include people interviewed in non-private dwellings and those who were visitors to private dwellings. Those included in the estimates covered 83% of the survey sample.

Two types of error are possible in an estimate based on a sample survey: non-sampling error and sampling error.

Non-sampling error arises from inaccuracies in collecting, recording and processing the data. Every effort is made to minimise reporting error by the careful design of questionnaires, intensive training and supervision of interviewers, and efficient data processing procedures. Non-sampling error also arises because information cannot be obtained from all persons selected in the survey. The Labour Force Survey receives a high level of cooperation, with an average response rate for the last year being 96%.

Sampling error occurs because a sample, rather than the entire population, is surveyed. One measure of the likely difference resulting from not including all dwellings in the survey is given by the standard error. There are about two chances in three (66%) that a sample estimate will differ by less than one standard error from the figure that would have been obtained if all dwellings had been included in the survey, and about 19 chances in 20 (95%) that the difference will be less than two standard errors.

Standard errors are discussed further in Technical Note - Standard Errors. The standard error of annual family estimates may be calculated by using the spreadsheet contained in Labour Force Survey Standard Errors, Data Cube (cat. no. 6298.0.55.001).


COHERENCE

The ABS has been producing the Labour Force Status and Other Characteristics of Families since November 1974. While seeking to provide a high degree of consistency and comparability over time by minimising changes to the survey, sound survey practice requires careful and continuing maintenance and development to maintain the integrity of the data and the efficiency of the collection.

From October 2008, the method of producing family estimates from the Labour Force Survey was improved to include the following:

• an expanded scope to include households containing permanent members of the Australian defence forces that are usually excluded from labour force estimates;
• an increased range of families in the LFS sample contributing to the family estimates; and
• improvements to the weighting method by utilising independent population benchmarks (of persons and households), ensuring the estimates more closely reflect the Australian population.

Estimates back to August 2004 were revised using the new method of estimation. For more information, see the Information Paper: Improvements to Family Estimates from the Labour Force Survey, 2008 (cat. no. 6224.0.55.002).

The Labour Force Survey Estimates are calculated in such a way as to sum to independent estimates of the civilian population aged 15 years and over (population benchmarks). These population benchmarks are based on Estimated Resident Population (ERP) data. 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 Survey estimates have been compiled from population benchmarks based on the 2006 Census of Population and Housing. Revisions were applied to the LFS population benchmarks in the July 2010 and November 2012 issues to take into account the latest available population estimates. The latest revision undertaken in December 2012 is not reflected in the estimates presented in this issue.

Changes to the LFS population benchmarks impact primarily on the magnitude of the Labour Force Survey 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).
INTERPRETABILITY

The Labour Force Status and Other Characteristics of Families release contains a summary of findings (Australian Families, Couple Families, One Parent Families, Jobless Families, and Dependants aged 15 to 24 years) to aid interpretation of the results of the survey. Explanatory notes, a technical note, a glossary and an explanation of the terms 'family' and 'dependant' (in What is a Family?) are also included to further aid in the interpretation of the results. Details of the methodology and concepts used are also provided in a separate Information Paper: Improvements to Family Estimates from the Labour Force Survey, 2008 (cat. no. 6224.0.55.002).


ACCESSIBILITY

The main products from this collection are an Excel spreadsheet summary and a series of SuperTABLE Data Cubes (available in Downloads) that are released electronically via the ABS website. Additional data may be available on request.


For further information about these and related statistics, contact the National Information and Referral Service on 1300 135 070, email client.services@abs.gov.au or Labour Force on Canberra (02) 6252 6525, email labourforce@abs.gov.au