6102.0.55.001 - Labour Statistics: Concepts, Sources and Methods, Feb 2018  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 12/02/2018   
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This document was added or updated on 26/05/2020.

LABOUR STATISTICS FACT SHEET SERIES


A series of supporting documentation to compliment various topics of this publication.

1. LABOUR STATISTICS IN BRIEF

Labour statistics are of importance and interest from both economic and social perspectives. This fact sheet provides a brief overview of data available from the ABS relating to the Australian labour market.

2. INTERNATIONAL COMPARISONS OF LABOUR FORCE STATISTICS

International comparisons of labour statistics are essential in providing a global context to economic analysis, social research and policy formation and evaluation.

3. THE LABOUR FORCE SURVEY

The Labour Force Survey (LFS) provides Australia's official measure of employment, unemployment and labour force participation. The data captured in this survey are some of Australia’s key economic statistics, providing insight into the Australian economy and Australian people.

4. HOW THE ABS MEASURES UNEMPLOYMENT

The ABS unemployment statistics are key indicators of labour market performance, presenting a snapshot of available labour supply at a particular point in time. The unemployment data are published monthly from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) in Labour Force, Australia (cat. no. 6202.0) and are presented by many characteristics including: age; sex; marital status; geography; country of birth and duration of job search.

5. INCOME AND EARNINGS

Information about personal income and the wages and salaries paid to employees is used for many purposes including economic analysis, social research, policy formation and evaluation, and research by employer and employee associations. The ABS publishes a variety of information on these topics, drawing on administrative and survey data sources.

6. AUSTRALIAN LABOUR ACCOUNT

The Australian Labour Account has been developed to provide a framework for integrating data from a number of sources (including household survey, business survey, and administrative data). The result is internally consistent estimates of key labour market variables, which more effectively enable the description and analysis of the state and dynamics of the Australian labour market.

7. LINKED EMPLOYER-EMPLOYEE DATASET

The LEED provides supplementary labour statistics and facilitates labour market research at industry and regional levels. The LEED can assist in studying the Australian labour markets at macro and micro levels; examining how specific events (such as natural disasters) impact employees and employers; and understanding structural changes in the labour market.