1. Busy Business Bees ~or~
The Z-Z-Z-Zen of
Asking and Answering
with LFS Data

2. WHY Zen?
Because Business Data
can make your head spin …

3. Sometimes we need
to take a slow stroll
to take it all in …

4. Business Data: Many Meanings
Commerce, Finance, Economics …
Entrepreneurship
Labour
Trade
Consumers
Wages
Labour
Global
Inflation
Industries
Companies
Trade
Products
Stock Market
House $$
Credit
Banks
Unemployment

5. Today’s Assignment: Labour Force Survey Data Stroll
Exercise 1:
Researchers are wondering …
Exercise 2:
We’ve been wondering …
And wondering, some more …

6. Researchers are wondering …
Look at one or more of the citation & abstract sheets*
Each article has used LFS data.
What’s the story here? Identify the basic LFS data elements that are key to this story?
What’s the relationship between the data elements? i.e. when one measure goes up, the other goes up too, or the opposite.
 Does the story draw on additional datasets, beyond the LFS? What data elements do they add to the story?
*(provided in class)

7. Researchers are wondering …
What did we find?

8. Labour Force Survey (LFS) Documentation:
Common to *resist* reading this stuff, but it’s *vital*!
Linked via NESSTAR:
LFS Integrated Metadatabase (IMDB) (Consolidated webpage for survey)
Guide to the Labour Force Survey (Annual; See also the massive list of “Related Information” linked on this page)
Questionnaire
Also Useful:
Labour force survey [month, year] Study Documentation
Downloads with the PUMF zip file
Very “readable” documentation!

9. We’ve been wondering … 1 Browse the Variable Descriptions*
Notice the detailed values listed for Industries & Occupations
Notice some of the other variables
Do any of them surprise you?
Do any of them make you curious?
Identify a couple of elements that you want to look at further.
Keep it simple …
*provided in class, printed from Labour Force Survey, October 2015 [Canada] Study Documentation

10. We’ve been wondering … 2 ~Write it down!
Discuss: Use the suggestions from datatherapy.org “Find the … story” sheet to “find” a story / question.
~Write it down!
Use NESSTAR to browse a few of the data points that you identified in the variables list. (Use a 2015 dataset)
Create a VERY SIMPLE data table to see what’s going on with the data point(s) you’ve chosen.
Share: What interesting “story” have you found?

11. Simple Examples Example: Highest Education, Filtered by age:
University Bachelor’s degree holders: 21% of 30-34yrs vs 12% yrs …hmm

12. Simple Examples Example: Employed and unemployed persons X province;
Different ways to see the story:
Consider “Row Percentage” vs “Column Percentage”

13. Simple Examples Example: Job status (Permanency) X sex, raw numbers
Different ways to see the story:
Consider “Row Percentage” vs “Column Percentage”

14. Simple Examples
Example: Union membership X province

15. Simple Examples Example: Multiple job holders X gender
What happens if you filter this data by 5-year age groups?

16. Simple Examples Example: Job Status:
Permanent vs Temporary employment, X sex (Row %) .
What happens when you filter by 5-year age groups?

17. To Sum Up: Next time you’re buzzing like a busy reference bee, remember: Festina lente (Make haste, slowly)

18. Slow Data is a good thing!
“Business” Data – Just another feature on the Information Landscape, not some alien world.
Slow Data is a good thing!
Taking time to think about the “stories” and ideas, instead of spreadsheets and math, is one way to “normalize” this tool in everyday Reference work.
Emphasizing the “small stories” and simple calculations can smooth the path for staff and students to adopt these resources.
Whets the appetite to explore more datasets, and to increase analytical skills.
These ideas are entirely inspired by the folks at datatherapy.org and databasic.io. Check them out!

19. Questions? Thank-you! Joyce Thomson,
Digital Services Librarian, Patrick Power Library
Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, NS
DLI Atlantic, April 11, 2017

20. APPENDICES

21. Labour Force Survey (LFS)- Overview
Canadian labour market conditions
Snapshot, “Current”
Works together with four other surveys
Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours (SEPH)
Job Vacancy Statistics (JVS) (part of SEPH)
Employment Insurance Statistics - Monthly (EIS)
Job Vacancy and Wage Survey (JVWS) (quarterly/annual)
ALL are Monthly, but only PUMF is LFS

22. Labour Force Survey (LFS): More than just a PUMF!
Labour Force Information ( X) (Monthly, Narrative and Summative)
Statistical summary of the month – very detailed: 50-60pp.
Charts, Tables, Narrative, Definitions, related CANSIM and other documents.
LFS: Related Products:
Summary tables
Publications
Analysts and researchers
Census
CANSIM
Labour Force Information ( X)
This publication provides the most current monthly labour market statistics. Each month, this publication contains a brief commentary highlighting recent developments in the Canadian labour market. It also includes a series of charts and tables on a variety of labour force characteristics, such as employment and unemployment for Canada, the provinces, metropolitan areas and economic regions.

23. Seeking “Business” Data: So Many Choices: Statcan Subject Pages
Labour
International Trade
Economic Accounts
Business Performance & Ownership
Business, Consumer & Property Services
Also note “Featured Products” and “External Links”.

24. Other ways to identify “Labour data” via NESSTAR:
EXAMPLE:
SEARCH Surveys and Statistical Products:
→SELECT Subject: Labour
→Show all suggested surveys = 15 surveys
Browse these to see the ones with SUBJECT: Industries or SUBJECT: Occupations
And/or Further filter by SUBJECT: Occupations or SUBJECT: Industries
SEARCH DLI Variables: 181,000 results 
→Select Subject: Occupations (1096 items) or Subject: Industries (1096 items)
[or Subject: Hours of Work OR Subject: Labour, etc.]
NOT VERY PRECISE:
Shows you all the variable that are included in the same survey as a variable that addresses “occupation”, rather than *only* the variable that address “occupation”;
GOOD NEWS: SHOWS YOU THE RELEVANT SURVEYS IN THE LIST ON THE LEFT, SO GO THERE AFTER NARROWING BY SUBJECT.

25. Other Gov’t Resources for Business Stats
Dept. of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada:
SME Research and Statistics
Canadian Industry Statistics
Industry Sector Profiles
Canadian Company Capabilities (supplier database)
Trade Data:
Canadian International Merchandise Trade Database—
Trade Data Online
SME Research and Statistics page:
Includes some *awesome* resources, including:
Key Small Business Statistics
Financial Performance Data - SME Benchmarking tool
Venture Capital Resources
This is just a slice, there’s more – Bank of Canada, Canada Mortgage and Hoursing, …. Etc.

26. SOME DEFINITIONS The employment rate is
the number of employed people as a percentage* of the population aged 15 and older.
The rate for a particular group (for example, youths aged 15 to 24) is the number employed in that group as a percentage* of the population for that group.
The unemployment rate is the number of unemployed as a percentage* of the total labour force (employed plus unemployed).
The participation rate is the number of employed and unemployed as a percentage* of the population.
Full-time employment = persons who usually work 30 hours or more per week at their main or only job.
Part-time employment = persons who usually work less than 30 hours per week at their main or only job.
*To calculate the percentage A is of B: (A/B)x i.e. (#A divided by #B) times 100