Quarterly Labour Force Survey 2008, First Quarter
South Africa, 2008
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Reference ID
ZAF_2008_QLFS-Q1_v03_M
Producer(s)
Statistics South Africa
Collection(s)
Metadata
Created on
Jan 27, 2012
Last modified
Sep 04, 2014
Page views
17884
Downloads
2012
Identification
Survey ID Number
ZAF_2008_QLFS-Q1_v03_M
Title
Quarterly Labour Force Survey 2008, First Quarter
Subtitle
First Quarter
Country/Economy
| Name | Country code |
|---|---|
| South Africa | ZAF |
Study type
Labor Force Survey [hh/lfs]
Abstract
The Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) is a household-based sample survey conducted by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA). It collects data on the labour market activities of individuals aged 15 years or older who live in South Africa.
Kind of Data
Sample survey data [ssd]
Unit of Analysis
Individuals
Version
Version Description
v3.0: Edited, anonymised dataset for public distribution
Version Date
2008-08-28
Version Notes
The current version of the QLFS data was downloaded from the Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) website in April 2014. Stats SA updated the QLFS results (2008-2013) to reflect the new population benchmarks from Census 2011. Although the weighting changes are not clearly documented by Stats SA, users are advised to remain aware of these slight calibration differences when employing weights. These updates are in addition to the following changes to previous versions:
The previous version of the QLFS 2008 Q1 was downloaded from the Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) website by DataFirst in January 2012. This version differs slightly from the version that was obtained by DataFirst (from Stats SA) at some undeteremined time prior. These differences are limited to changes to the way in which observations that fit into "unspecified", "not applicable" or "missing" type categories are coded for certain variables and differences in the weight variable between versions.
For the recoded variables, the differences are easiest to explain by example. In the older version of the QLFS 2008 Q1 the "Q319aODDJOBS" variable is coded 8, with the associated label "Not Specified", for 38,092 observations. In the newest version this category of responses is assigned the code 0 and is not labelled (as it was in the previous version) for the same 38,092 observations. This recoding process has been applied to most of the categorical variables in this datafile. Note that some follow a slightly different convention. For example, "Q315PREVOCCUPATION" has had values of 9999 and 9998 both recoded as zero. There are a couple of other variables for which multiple values have been redefined as zero in the updated version.
The two versions also have different weights. To DataFirst's knowledge, the weighting changes are not clearly documented by Stats SA. The most likely explanation for the difference between the two sets of weights is that the newer version is calibrated to an updated set of mid-year population estimates. Users are advised to remain aware of these slight calibration differences when employing weights.
The previous version of the QLFS 2008 Q1 was downloaded from the Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) website by DataFirst in January 2012. This version differs slightly from the version that was obtained by DataFirst (from Stats SA) at some undeteremined time prior. These differences are limited to changes to the way in which observations that fit into "unspecified", "not applicable" or "missing" type categories are coded for certain variables and differences in the weight variable between versions.
For the recoded variables, the differences are easiest to explain by example. In the older version of the QLFS 2008 Q1 the "Q319aODDJOBS" variable is coded 8, with the associated label "Not Specified", for 38,092 observations. In the newest version this category of responses is assigned the code 0 and is not labelled (as it was in the previous version) for the same 38,092 observations. This recoding process has been applied to most of the categorical variables in this datafile. Note that some follow a slightly different convention. For example, "Q315PREVOCCUPATION" has had values of 9999 and 9998 both recoded as zero. There are a couple of other variables for which multiple values have been redefined as zero in the updated version.
The two versions also have different weights. To DataFirst's knowledge, the weighting changes are not clearly documented by Stats SA. The most likely explanation for the difference between the two sets of weights is that the newer version is calibrated to an updated set of mid-year population estimates. Users are advised to remain aware of these slight calibration differences when employing weights.
Scope
Notes
INDIVIDUALS: labour market activity, labour preferences, labour market history, demographic characteristics, marital status, employment status, education, grants, tax.
Topics
| Topic | Vocabulary | URI |
|---|---|---|
| employment [3.1] | CESSDA | Link |
| in-job training [3.2] | CESSDA | Link |
| labour relations/conflict [3.3] | CESSDA | Link |
| retirement [3.4] | CESSDA | Link |
| unemployment [3.5] | CESSDA | Link |
| working conditions [3.6] | CESSDA | Link |
| LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT [3] | CESSDA | Link |
| TRADE, INDUSTRY AND MARKETS [2] | CESSDA | Link |
| DEMOGRAPHY AND POPULATION [14] | CESSDA | Link |
Coverage
Geographic Coverage
National coverage
Geographic Unit
Provincial and metropolitan level
Universe
The QLFS sample covers the non-institutional population except for those in workers' hostels. However, persons living in private dwelling units within institutions are enumerated. For example, within a school compound, one would enumerate the schoolmaster's house and teachers' accommodation because these are private dwellings. Students living in a dormitory on the school compound would, however, be excluded.
Producers and sponsors
Primary investigators
| Name |
|---|
| Statistics South Africa |
Sampling
Sampling Procedure
The QLFS frame has been developed as a general purpose household survey frame that can be used by all other household surveys irrespective of the sample size requirement of the survey. The sample size for the QLFS is roughly 30 000 dwellings per quarter.
The sample is based on information collected during the 2001 Population Census conducted by Stats SA. In preparation for the 2001 Census, the country was divided into 80 787 enumeration areas (EAs). Stats SA's household-based surveys use a Master Sample of Primary Sampling Units (PSUs) which comprises of EAs that are drawn from across the country.
The sample is designed to be representative at the provincial level and within provinces at the metro/non-metro level. Within the metros, the sample is further distributed by geography type. The four geography types are: urban formal, urban informal, farms and tribal. This implies, for example, that within a metropolitan area the sample is representative at the different geography types that may exist within that metro.
The current sample size is 3 080 PSUs. It is divided equally into four sub-groups or panels called rotation groups. The rotation groups are designed in such a way that each of these groups has the same distribution pattern as that which is observed in the whole sample. They are numbered from one to four and these numbers also correspond to the quarters of the year in which the sample will be rotated for the particular group.
The sample for the QLFS is based on a stratified two-stage design with probability proportional to size (PPS) sampling of primary sampling units (PSUs) in the first stage, and sampling of dwelling units (DUs) with systematic sampling in the second stage.
The sample is based on information collected during the 2001 Population Census conducted by Stats SA. In preparation for the 2001 Census, the country was divided into 80 787 enumeration areas (EAs). Stats SA's household-based surveys use a Master Sample of Primary Sampling Units (PSUs) which comprises of EAs that are drawn from across the country.
The sample is designed to be representative at the provincial level and within provinces at the metro/non-metro level. Within the metros, the sample is further distributed by geography type. The four geography types are: urban formal, urban informal, farms and tribal. This implies, for example, that within a metropolitan area the sample is representative at the different geography types that may exist within that metro.
The current sample size is 3 080 PSUs. It is divided equally into four sub-groups or panels called rotation groups. The rotation groups are designed in such a way that each of these groups has the same distribution pattern as that which is observed in the whole sample. They are numbered from one to four and these numbers also correspond to the quarters of the year in which the sample will be rotated for the particular group.
The sample for the QLFS is based on a stratified two-stage design with probability proportional to size (PPS) sampling of primary sampling units (PSUs) in the first stage, and sampling of dwelling units (DUs) with systematic sampling in the second stage.
Weighting
Stats SA updated the QLFS results (2008-2013) to reflect the new population benchmarks from Census 2011. Although the weighting changes are not clearly documented by Stats SA, users are advised to remain aware of these slight calibration differences between the previous version and the current (revised) data version when employing weights.
Data Collection
Dates of Data Collection
| Start | End |
|---|---|
| 2008-01 | 2008-03 |
Data Collection Mode
Face-to-face [f2f]
Access policy
Contacts
| Name | Affiliation | URL | |
|---|---|---|---|
| DataFirst | University of Cape Town | info@data1st.org | Link |
| User Information Services | Statistics South Africa | info@statsa.gov.sa | www.statsa.gov.za |
| World Bank Microdata Library | World Bank |
Access conditions
Public use files, accessible to all
Citation requirements
Statistics South Africa. Quarterly Labour Force Survey 2008: Q1 [dataset]. Version 3.0. Pretoria: Statistics South Africa, 2014.
Access authority
| Name | Affiliation | URL | |
|---|---|---|---|
| DataFirst | University of Cape Town | info@data1st.org | Link |
Disclaimer and copyrights
Disclaimer
The user of the data acknowledges that the original collector of the data, the authorized distributor of the data, and the relevant funding agency bear no responsibility for use of the data or for interpretations or inferences based upon such uses.
Copyright
Copyright, Statistics South Africa
Metadata production
DDI Document ID
DDI_ZAF_2008_QLFS-Q1_v03_M
Producers
| Name | Abbreviation | Affiliation | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Development Economics Data Group | DECDG | The World Bank | Documentation of the DDI |
Date of Metadata Production
2014-04-03
DDI Document version
Version 03 (April 2014)
This version is identical to Version 02, with revisions to data.
This version is identical to Version 02, with revisions to data.