QUALITY DECLARATION - SUMMARY

INSTITUTIONAL ENVIRONMENT

Confidentialised Unit Record Files (CURFs) are released in accordance with the conditions specified in the Statistics Determination section of the Census and Statistics Act 1905 (CSA). This ensures that confidentiality is maintained whilst enabling micro level data to be released. More information on the confidentiality practices associated with CURFs can be found under How are CURF data confidentialised and the Microdata Entry Page

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

The 2008 Labour Force Survey and Employee Earnings, Benefits and Trade Union Membership CURF is available in Basic and Expanded formats. A detailed list of the data items and categories for the CURFs is available from the data item list provided in spreadsheet format as an attachment to the Labour Force Survey and Employee Earnings, Benefits and Trade Union Membership - Basic and Expanded CURF, Technical Manual (cat. no. 6202.0.30.002). The differences between the 2008 Basic and Expanded CURF are detailed in Appendix 3 of the Technical manual.

Labour Force Survey data are a key element of labour market and other economic information. The principal objective is to facilitate the analysis and monitoring of social and economic aspects of the Australian labour market and working age population.

For the Employee Earnings, Benefits and Trade Union Membership Survey, the collection of a range of socio-demographic and labour force characteristics makes the datasets produced from the survey extremely valuable for comparing and analysing the distribution of both weekly earnings and employment benefits across employees. Data are used in the development and review of wages and labour market policies, and in wage negotiation processes. Data on employment benefits are used to monitor the level of non-wage costs in employment. The survey is the only reliable source of data on the distribution of trade union members by socio-demographic and labour force characteristics.


TIMELINESS

The first Labour Force Survey and Employee Earnings, Benefits and Trade Union Membership Survey CURF was released in 2005, based on August 2004 data (Basic CURF only). Subsequent CURF releases have been both Basic and Expanded CURFs (2006 and 2008 data). The next CURF release is expected to occur in July 2011 based on August 2010 data.


ACCURACY

The Labour Force Survey and Employee Earnings, Benefits and Trade Union Membership CURF contains individual person level data (unit records) and finer levels of detail for data items than what is otherwise published. For more information on the level of detail available from the CURFs refer to the CURF data item list.

The Labour Force Survey was conducted as a National quarterly survey in 1964, while the monthly National survey commenced in February 1978.

The ABS has been conducting the Employee Earnings, Benefits and Trade Union Membership Survey since 1999. Prior to 1999 this publication was titled Weekly Earnings of Employees (Distribution), Australia cat.no.(6310.0). Key changes made to the Employee Earnings, Benefits and Trade Union Membership Survey can be found in Chapter 21.2 of Labour Statistics: Concepts, Sources and Methods (cat. no. 6102.0.55.001).

In 2007, a change was made to the concept of earnings being measured to include amounts salary sacrificed. Employees are now asked to include salary sacrifice when estimating their earnings. In previous years this was not the case.