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CHAPTER 21.4. JOB SEARCH EXPERIENCE OF UNEMPLOYED PERSONS

INTRODUCTION

21.4.1 This survey provided information about the experiences of unemployed people in seeking work, in terms of the steps they have taken to find work and the difficulties they have encountered in finding work. The survey commenced in 1976 and was conducted annually until 2001.

21.4.2 In 2002, the survey was combined with the survey of Successful and Unsuccessful Job Search Experience, Australia (see Chapter 21.13), forming the annual survey of Job Search Experience (see Chapter 21.17).

21.4.3 This section describes only those aspects of the methodology that are unique to this survey, and hence should be used in conjunction with Chapter 21, which outlines the survey methodology used in supplementary surveys.


SURVEY OUTPUT

21.4.4 Data from the survey were published in Job Search Experience of Unemployed Persons, Australia (cat. no. 6222.0). More detailed data are available on request.

21.4.5 The main populations of interest was the unemployed. Estimates included:

Socio-demographic information

Sex; age; marital status; relationship in household; state or territory of usual residence (including whether in a capital city); geographic region of usual residence (LFS dissemination regions); country of birth; year of arrival in Australia; whether obtained a non-school qualification in Australia or overseas; and level of highest educational attainment.

Unemployed persons

Whether looking for full-time or part-time work; duration of unemployment; all active steps taken to find work; whether would move interstate/intrastate if offered a suitable job (including whether has applied for a job interstate/intrastate); number of offers of employment in current period of unemployment; difficulties in finding work; number of spells of looking for work in the previous 12 months; and number of weeks spent looking for work in the previous 12 months.

Unemployed persons who have held a job in the past

Details of last job (whether worked full-time, industry, occupation, duration, reason for ceasing, status in employment).

Unemployed persons who were an employee in their last job and who ceased that job in the last two years

Usual gross weekly pay in last job.

1976
Initial two surveys conducted in May and November - preliminary data for each were published in Persons Looking for Work, (Preliminary )(ref. no. 6.56) and final data for each in Persons Looking for Work (ref. no. 6.60) (Footnote 1).

1977
Annual collection commenced (May).
The final publication reference number (ref. no. 6.60) was replaced with a catalogue number (cat. no. 6222.0).

1978
Collection month set as July. Sample redesigned and reselected using information from the 1976 Census of Population and Housing population estimates.
Preliminary publication (ref. no. 6.56) was not released.

1979
The preliminary publication reference number (ref. no. 6.56) was replaced with a catalogue number (cat. no. 6221.0).

1981
Survey conducted in June (this year only). Both preliminary and final results published.

1982
Publication title change - final data published in Characteristics of Persons Looking for Work, Australia (cat. no. 6222.0).

1983
Publication title change - preliminary data published in Characteristics of Persons Looking for Work, Australia, (Preliminary) (cat. no. 6221.0).

1984
Publication title change - preliminary data published in Job Search Experience of Unemployed Persons (excluding persons who were stood down), Australia, Preliminary (cat. no. 6221.0) and final data in Job Search Experience of Unemployed Persons (excluding persons who were stood down), Australia (cat. no. 6222.0).
Scope changed to exclude persons who were stood down for less than 4 weeks.
Marital status was altered to require that a respondent's spouse must have the same usual residence at the time of the survey in order to be classified as 'married'. Persons who were separated from their spouse were classified as 'not-married'.
Population benchmarks were updated to reflect the 1981 Census of Population and Housing population estimates. These were also compiled according to 'place of usual residence', rather than 'place of enumeration'.

1985
Publication title change - the phrase '(excluding persons who were stood down)' was removed from both publication titles.

1986
Survey conducted in June (this year only).
Estimates based on a revised Labour Force Survey (introduced April 1986). This expanded the definition of 'employment' and resulted in a lower estimate of 'unemployed persons' in this publication. Information relating to the respondent's previous full-time job in the last two years was altered. The main reason for leaving this job was restructured and published with a clearer voluntary/involuntary distinction; occupation was published instead of industry of last job.

1987
Survey not conducted.

1988
Publication title change - the phrase '(preliminary)' in the preliminary publication (cat. no. 6221.0) was replaced with 'summary'. Preliminary publication then discontinued.
Sample redesigned and reselected using information from the 1986 Census of Population and Housing population estimates.

1989
Survey not conducted.

1991
Survey conducted in June (this year only).

1993
Australian Bureau of Statistics Classification of Qualifications (ABSCQ)(cat. no. 1262.0) was adopted. Level of attainment and field of study were collected separately. Persons who received a qualification from a course of study less than one semester full-time duration are excluded.

1994
Sample restricted to seven-eighths of the Labour Force Survey sample. 'Family status' data-item replaced by 'Relationship in Household'. Estimates based on 1991 Census of Population and Housing population benchmarks.

1995
Standard Data Service replaced publication format (cat. no. changed to 6222.0.40.001).

1996
Publication format replaced Standard Data Service (cat. no. changed to 6222.0).

1997
Persons living in remote and sparsely settled areas excluded from scope. Occupation data classified according to the second edition of the Australian Standard Classification of Occupations (ASCO SE) (cat. no. 1220.0).

1998
Change to government administration of job seeking arrangements. The former Commonwealth Employment Service (CES) was split, some responsibilities being moved to Centrelink and the privatised Job Network created, causing a slight discontinuity in some estimates.

1999
Estimates based on 1996 Census of Population and Housing population benchmarks.

2000
Details of last full-time job were not collected (for this year only). This was due to a 'statistical impact study' on the proposed LFS questionnaire.

2001
Some minor changes were made to the definition of unemployed. The new definition excluded persons who were stood down and persons unavailable to start work due to temporary illness and may have included some contributing family members away from work. Details of last job were collected (regardless of full-time/part-time status).

The Australian Standard Classification of Education (ASCED) (cat. no. 1272.0) was implemented to replace the Australian Bureau of Statistics Classification of Qualifications (ABSCQ) (cat. no. 1262.0).

Final survey. Replaced by Job Search Experience Survey from July 2002. See Chapter 21.17. Job Search Experience.