1. Collection of data on occupations for Finnish Employment Statistics
Workshop on data collection on occupation,
Pajunen Airi
Employment Statistics
Statistics Finland

2. Contents 1 Introduction
2 Collection and sources for occupational data in Finnish Employment Statistics (ES)
3 Coherence with Labour Force Survey (LFS)
4 The reasons for differences between ES and LFS
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3. Introduction (1/2)
Collection of data on occupations with several surveys :
HBS, Time Use Survey, Income Distribution Survey etc.
Two statistics publish data on numbers in each occupational category:
Labour Force Survey (sample survey, >)
Employment Statistics (total statistics, >)
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4. Introduction (2/2)
Data on occupations on the entire employed labour force have been produced at five-year intervals in connection with the population census (1980,1985,1990,1995, 2000)
The importance of occupational data has grown
After 2004 data on occupations have been produced annually in Employment Statistics
Most of population census data have been produced annually since 1987
The reason for the late start: the production requires a lot of combining different data sources
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5. Collection and sources for occupational data in ES (1/2)
In the whole process, the basic rule is that first we define the main employment realtionships in the last week of the year to the each person.. Then we select to each person the occupation which best describes the main employment relationship.
Some employed person may get several codes from registers and the inquire and some persons may get none For those employed persons for whom we get no suitable, proper occupational data . We estimated occupational codes from background information. We use backgroud information such as exact industry of their workplaces, education, income, former occupation.
And also for all entrepreneurs occupational codes are estimated from data on exact industry of companies and size of their companies.
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6. Collection and sources for occupational data in ES (2/2) Data sources in the production of occupational data 2005, %
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7. Coherence (1/2) Employed by occupational major group according to LFS and ES, 2005
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8. Coherence (2/2) Differences in employed persons at 3- and 4-digit level
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9. Reasons for differences between LFS and ES (1/3)
Differences in concepts
employed, entrepreneur, etc.
Differences in reference points of time
LFS: survey week, ES: last week of the year
Differences in nature of data
LFS: sample survey, based on the respondents’ own reporting
and coded on the basis of job titles
ES: total data, collected mainly from administrative registers, coded largely on the basis of job titles. An exception of Employers organisations’ data: coded at first on the basis of job task
Differences in coding practices
separate coding applications
occupations of entrepreneurs
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10. Employment Statistics:
Reasons for differences (2/3): Differences in coding practices: Occupations of Entrepreneurs
Labour Force Survey:
entrepreneurs are often coded as managers: the rule is that entrepreneurs have to have at least one hired employee
Employment Statistics:
Only entrepreneurs with companies at least five employees are classified as managers. The rest are coded according to the industry of their companies
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11. Reasons for differences (3/3): Differences in coding practices Entrepreneurs by occupational major group in LFS and ES, 2005
29% 3%
Entrepreneurs:
LFS:
FES:
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12. Future
Statistics Finland intends to harmonise the occupational data of the LFS and the Employment Statistics
Differences can not be totally eliminated but can be diminished, for instance,
by unifying the practices on the coding of entrepreneurs
by increasing co-operation between LFS and ES
We hope that the new updating classification gives help for this task
Thank you !
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