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. This ensures that confidentiality is maintained while enabling micro level data to be released. More information on the confidentiality practices associated with CURFs can be found on the About CURF Microdata 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 May 2016 Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours (EEH) produces estimates of the composition and distribution of employee earnings, the hours they are paid for, and the methods used to set their pay (i.e. award only, collective agreement, or individual arrangement).

The May 2016 EEH data are a key element of labour market information. The principal objective is to facilitate the analysis and monitoring of economic aspects of the Australian labour market. The survey is the only source of earnings and hours data by various methods of setting pay.

The May 2016 EEH CURF contains many data items available from the survey, with the main exception being States and Territories. Some of the key data items on the CURF include:

• Weekly earnings - Ordinary time, Overtime, Amounts salary sacrificed, and Total earnings (available as continuous variables);
• Hours paid for - Ordinary time, Overtime, and Total hours paid for (available as continuous variables);
• Methods of setting pay;
• Rate of pay (i.e. adult, junior, apprentice or trainee, and disability);
• Age;
• Employee characteristics - e.g. Sex, Full-time/Part-time status, Managerial status, Occupation (available at the 1, 2 and 3 digit ANZSCO level); and
• Business characteristics - Industry (available at the 1 digit ANZSIC level) and Employer unit size.

For further details on the content of the CURF, please see the data item list on the Downloads tab.

TIMELINESS

The reference period for the most recent Employee Earnings and Hours Survey was the last pay period ending on or before 20 May 2016. Results from the survey were released on 19 January 2017 in the publication Employee Earnings and Hours, Australia, May 2016 (cat. no. 6306.0).

EEH CURFs from the 2006, 2010, 2012 and 2014 surveys are also available.

ACCURACY

The May 2016 EEH CURF generally contains finer levels of detail of data items than what is otherwise published in Employee Earnings and Hours, Australia, May 2016 (cat. no. 6306.0). For more information on the level of detail provided, see the associated data item listings available from the Downloads tab.

Steps to confidentialise the microdata are taken in such a way as to maximise the usefulness of the content while maintaining the confidentiality of respondents selected in the survey. As a result, it may not be possible to exactly reconcile all the statistics produced from the microdata with other published statistics. For further information on microdata confidentiality, refer to How the ABS keeps your information confidential and Confidentiality Information Series from the National Statistical Service.

COHERENCE

The Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours has been conducted either annually or biennially since 1975. Since 1996 the survey has been conducted biennially. The conceptual framework used for this survey and key changes made to it since 1974 are described in Chapter 30 of Labour Statistics: Concepts, Sources and Methods (cat. no. 6102.0.55.001).

INTERPRETABILITY

Microdata: Employee Earnings and Hours, Australia, May 2016 (cat. no. 6306.0.55.001) is a key source of information when using the CURF. It includes survey objectives, content, methods and design; data quality and interpretation; output data items; information about the availability of results; and the content of the CURF file.

Further information about the Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours is available in the Explanatory Notes and Technical Note in Employee Earnings and Hours, Australia, May 2016 (cat. no. 6306.0) and in Chapter 30 of Labour Statistics: Concepts, Sources and Methods (cat. no. 6102.0.55.001).

ACCESSIBILITY

Microdata products are only available to approved users. Users wishing to access microdata should read the How to Apply for Microdata web page before applying for access. Users should also familiarise themselves with information available via the Microdata Entry Page.

A full list of all available microdata can be viewed via the List of expected and available Microdata.

Any queries regarding access to microdata can be forwarded to microdata.access@abs.gov.au or phone (02) 6252 7714.

The ABS Privacy Policy outlines how the ABS handles any personal information that you provide to us.