Labour Mobility

NAME OF ORGANISATION
Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)

OVERVIEW

The Labour Mobility survey provides information on job mobility and job tenure over a twelve month period.

PURPOSE

The survey is the only source of data on labour force mobility over a twelve month period and (in conjunction with the Labour Force Experience survey) is a major source of data for analysing the dynamic nature of the labour force.

SCOPE

This survey is conducted as part of the Monthly Population Survey, which comprises the Labour Force Survey and, in most months, a supplementary survey topic.

SCOPE - Labour Force Survey

The Labour Force Survey includes all persons aged 15 and over except:

• members of the permanent defence forces;
• certain diplomatic personnel of overseas governments, customarily excluded from census and estimated populations;
• overseas residents in Australia; and
• members of non-Australian defence forces (and their dependants) stationed in Australia.

From July 1993 Jervis Bay Territory is also excluded from the scope of the survey. Before July 1993 it was included in estimates for the Australian Capital Territory.

SCOPE - Labour Mobility Survey

The scope for this survey was the same as that used for the Labour Force Survey except that it was restricted to persons who worked at some time during the year prior to the interview. Students at boarding school, visitors to private dwellings, some patients in hospitals and sanatoriums and inmates of reformatories, gaols were excluded.

This supplementary survey was conducted in both urban and rural areas in all states and territories, but excluded people living in Indigenous communities in very remote parts of Australia.

COVERAGE - Labour Force Survey

In the population survey, coverage rules are applied which aim to ensure that each person is associated with only one dwelling, and hence has only one chance of selection. The chance of a person being enumerated at two separate dwellings in the one survey is considered to be negligible.

DATA DETAIL

Conceptual framework

The Labour Mobility topic covers persons aged 15 years and over who had worked at some time during the year prior to interview. It provides information on job mobility and job tenure.

Main outputs
POPULATIONS
Persons who worked at some time during the year ending February 2012.
Persons who were working at February 2012.
Employees (excluding owner managers of incorporated enterprises) who had worked with their current employer for one year or more.
Persons who ceased a job during the year ending February 2012.
Persons who ceased a job during the year ending February 2012 and were working at February 2012.
Persons who were working at February 2011.
Persons who were working at February 2011 and at February 2012.
Persons who had worked with their current employer/business at February 2012 for one year or more.
Employees (excluding owner managers of incorporated enterprises) at February 2012 with paid leave entitlements.
Employees (excluding owner managers of incorporated enterprises) at February 2012 without paid leave entitlements.


DATA ITEMS
State or territory of usual residence
Area of usual residence
Region of usual residence
Sex
Marital status
Relationship in household
Country of birth (1)
Country of birth (2)
Country of birth and period of arrival
Age group (years)
Level of highest educational attainment
Level of highest non-school qualification
Highest year of school completed
Labour force status at February 2012
Number of employers or businesses in the last 12 months
Change in work
Whether changed employer/business in the last 12 months
Whether working at February 2012
Status in employment at February 2012
Full-time or part-time status at February 2012
Usual weekly hours worked at February 2012
Employment type at February 2012
Duration with employer/business at February 2012 (1)
Duration with employer/business at February 2012 (2)
Occupation at February 2012
Industry at February 2012
Whether changed Minor occupation group (with current employer for one year or more)
Whether changed Major occupation group (with current employer for one year or more)
Previous occupation with current employer/business
Whether changed usual hours worked with current employer/business in the last 12 months - Employees (excluding OMIEs)
Whether changed usual hours worked with current employer/business in the last 12 months - Owner managers and contributing family workers
Previous usual weekly hours worked with current employer/business
Whether entitled to paid sick leave at February 2012
Whether entitled to paid holiday leave at February 2012
Whether had paid leave entitlements at February 2012
Whether promoted with current employer in the last 12 months
Whether transferred with current employer in the last 12 months
Whether promoted and/or transferred with current employer in the last 12 months
Reason for ceasing last job
Usual weekly hours worked in last job
Employment type in last job
Duration of last job
When began last job
Whether changed Major occupation group (last to current employer/business)
Whether changed Minor occupation group (last to current employer/business)
Whether changed industry Division (last to current employer/business)
Whether changed industry Subdivision (last to current employer/business)
Whether changed employment type (last to current employer/business)
Whether changed usual hours worked (last to current employer/business)
Occupation of last job
Industry of last job
Whether entitled to paid sick leave in last job
Whether entitled to paid holiday leave in last job
Whether had paid leave entitlements in last job
Whether working at February 2011
Usual weekly hours worked at February 2011
Employment type at February 2011
Whether changed Minor occupation group (February 2011 and February 2012)
Whether changed Major occupation group (February 2011 and February 2012)
Whether changed industry Subdivision (February 2011 and February 2012)
Whether changed industry Division (February 2011 and February 2012)
Whether changed employment type (February 2011 and February 2012)
Whether changed usual hours worked (February 2011 and February 2012)
Occupation at February 2011
Industry at February 2011
Whether entitled to paid sick leave at February 2011
Whether entitled to paid holiday leave at February 2011
Whether has paid leave entitlements at February 2011

Classifications

Demographics: State, Area, Region, Sex, Marital Status, Relationship in Household, Period of Arrival and Age.

Country of Birth: The Standard Australian Classification of Countries (SACC), 1998

Occupation: Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO )

Industry: Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC), 2006

Educational attainment: Australian Bureau of Statistics Classification of Qualifications (ABSCQ) until 2001, then the Australian Standard Classification of Education (ASCED), 2001 (cat.no. 1272.0).

Other concepts (summary)

Not applicable

GEOGRAPHIC DETAIL
Australia
New South Wales
Victoria
Queensland
South Australia
Western Australia
Tasmania
Northern Territory
ACT
Part of State Metropolitan
Part of State Extra-Metropolitan

Comments and/or Other Regions

Not all data available for all areas.

COLLECTION FREQUENCY
2 Yearly

Frequency comments

Similar surveys were conducted in November 1972, February 1975 and February 1976, and then annually from February 1979 to February 1992 and then in February 1994, February 1996, February 1998 and February 2000.

COLLECTION HISTORY

First conducted - November 1972

February 1975

February 1976

Annually from 1979 to February 1992

Two yearly from February 1992

DATA AVAILABILITY
Yes

Data availability comments

Publication Labour Mobility, Australia (ABS Cat. No. 6209.0)