IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/zbw/zewdip/5399.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Identifying labour market dynamics using labour force survey data

Author

Listed:
  • Bell, Una Louise
  • Artola, Concha

Abstract

This paper evaluates the appropriateness of the standard methodologies and the quality of the data frequently used to analyse labour market dynamics in Europe. Our results indicate that, due to recall error and heterogeneous survey design, the retrospective approach tends to result in a considerable number of spurious transitions being recorded. Whilst the use of quasi-longitudinal data should overcome such problems, sample attrition and more importantly, misclassification error, is shown to result in significant over-reporting of transitions. Studies which failure to allow for the error structure of the underlying data are therefore, likely to be subject to considerable bias.

Suggested Citation

  • Bell, Una Louise & Artola, Concha, 2001. "Identifying labour market dynamics using labour force survey data," ZEW Discussion Papers 01-44, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:zewdip:5399
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/24466/1/dp0144.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Burda, Michael & Wyplosz, Charles, 1994. "Gross worker and job flows in Europe," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 38(6), pages 1287-1315, June.
    2. Alba, Alfonso, 1997. "How temporary is temporary employment in Spain?," UC3M Working papers. Economics 7215, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid. Departamento de Economía.
    3. Mathiowetz, Nancy A & Duncan, Greg J, 1988. "Out of Work, Out of Mind: Response Errors in Retrospective Reports of Unemployment," Journal of Business & Economic Statistics, American Statistical Association, vol. 6(2), pages 221-229, April.
    4. Steven J. Davis & John C. Haltiwanger & Scott Schuh, 1998. "Job Creation and Destruction," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 1, volume 1, number 0262540932, December.
    5. Peracchi, Franco & Welch, Finis, 1994. "Trends in Labor Force Transitions of Older Men and Women," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 12(2), pages 210-242, April.
    6. Pablo Antolín, 1995. "Transition Probabilities To Employment And Non-Participation," Working Papers. Serie EC 1995-20, Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Económicas, S.A. (Ivie).
    7. Robert E. Hall, 1972. "Turnover in the Labor Force," Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, Economic Studies Program, The Brookings Institution, vol. 3(3), pages 709-764.
    8. Katz, Lawrence F. & Meyer, Bruce D., 1990. "The impact of the potential duration of unemployment benefits on the duration of unemployment," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 41(1), pages 45-72, February.
    9. Meyer, Bruce D, 1988. "Classification-Error Models and Labor-Market Dynamics," Journal of Business & Economic Statistics, American Statistical Association, vol. 6(3), pages 385-390, July.
    10. Narendranathan, W & Stewart, Mark B, 1993. "How Does the Benefit Effect Vary as Unemployment Spells Lengthen?," Journal of Applied Econometrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 8(4), pages 361-381, Oct.-Dec..
    11. Blanchard, Olivier Jean & Diamond, Peter, 1992. "The Flow Approach to Labor Markets," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 82(2), pages 354-359, May.
    12. Phillip B. Levine, 1990. "Contemporaneous vs. Retrospective Unemployment: Through the Filter of Memory or the Muddle of the Current Population Survey?," Working Papers 656, Princeton University, Department of Economics, Industrial Relations Section..
    13. Bowers, Norman & Horvath, Francis W, 1984. "Keeping Time: An Analysis of Errors in the Measurement of Unemployment Duration," Journal of Business & Economic Statistics, American Statistical Association, vol. 2(2), pages 140-149, April.
    14. George A. Akerlof & Janet L. Yellen, 1985. "Unemployment Through the Filter of Memory," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 100(3), pages 747-773.
    15. Pablo Antolín, 1994. "Unemployment flows and vacancies in Spain," Working Papers. Serie EC 1994-05, Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Económicas, S.A. (Ivie).
    16. Abowd, John M & Zellner, Arnold, 1985. "Estimating Gross Labor-Force Flows," Journal of Business & Economic Statistics, American Statistical Association, vol. 3(3), pages 254-283, June.
    17. Akerlof, George A & Main, Brian G M, 1980. "Unemployment Spells and Unemployment Experience," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 70(5), pages 885-893, December.
    18. James M. Poterba & Lawrence H. Summers, 1983. "Survey Response Variation in the Current Population Survey," NBER Working Papers 1109, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    19. Poterba, James M & Summers, Lawrence H, 1986. "Reporting Errors and Labor Market Dynamics," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 54(6), pages 1319-1338, November.
    20. Antolin, P., 1995. "Gross Worker Flows: How Does the Spanish Evidence Fit the Stylized Facts?," UFAE and IAE Working Papers 303.95, Unitat de Fonaments de l'Anàlisi Econòmica (UAB) and Institut d'Anàlisi Econòmica (CSIC).
    21. Phillip Levine, 1990. "Contemporaneous vs. Retrospective Unemployment: Through the Filter of Memory or the Muddle of the Current Population Survey?," Working Papers 656, Princeton University, Department of Economics, Industrial Relations Section..
    22. Alba, Alfonso, 1996. "Employment transitions of young workers in Spain," UC3M Working papers. Economics 4106, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid. Departamento de Economía.
    23. Arulampalam, Wiji & Stewart, Mark B, 1995. "The Determinants of Individual Unemployment Durations in an Era of High Unemployment," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 105(429), pages 321-332, March.
    24. Pedro Portugal & John T. Addison, 1998. "Unemployment Insurance and Joblessness in Portugal," Working Papers w199804, Banco de Portugal, Economics and Research Department.
    25. Poterba, James M & Summers, Lawrence H, 1995. "Unemployment Benefits and Labor Market Transitions: A Multinomial Logit Model with Errors in Classification," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 77(2), pages 207-216, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Ragui Assaad & Caroline Krafft & Shaimaa Yassin, 2018. "Comparing retrospective and panel data collection methods to assess labor market dynamics," IZA Journal of Migration and Development, Springer;Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 8(1), pages 1-34, December.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Bruce Fallick & Charles A. Fleischman, 2001. "The importance of employer-to-employer flows in the U.S. labor market," Finance and Economics Discussion Series 2001-18, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.).
    2. Ravi Balakrishnan, 2001. "The interaction of firing costs and on-the-job search: an application of a search theoretic model to the Spanish labour market," Working Papers 0102, Banco de España.
    3. Robert Valletta, 2014. "Recent extensions of U.S. unemployment benefits: search responses in alternative labor market states," IZA Journal of Labor Policy, Springer;Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 3(1), pages 1-25, December.
    4. Juan José Dolado & Ramón Gómez, 1997. "La relación entre desempleo y vacantes en España: perturbaciones agregadas y de reasignación," Investigaciones Economicas, Fundación SEPI, vol. 21(3), pages 441-472, September.
    5. Stephen R. G. Jones & Craig Riddell, 2000. "The Dynamics of US Labor Force Attachment," Econometric Society World Congress 2000 Contributed Papers 0011, Econometric Society.
    6. Kluve, Jochen & Schaffner, Sandra & Schmidt, Christoph M., 2006. "Labor Force Status Dynamics in the German Labor Market: Individual Heterogeneity and Cyclical Sensitivity," Technical Reports 2006,20, Technische Universität Dortmund, Sonderforschungsbereich 475: Komplexitätsreduktion in multivariaten Datenstrukturen.
    7. Henry S. Farber & Robert G. Valletta, 2015. "Do Extended Unemployment Benefits Lengthen Unemployment Spells?: Evidence from Recent Cycles in the U.S. Labor Market," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 50(4), pages 873-909.
    8. Schmidt, Christoph M, 1999. "Persistence and the German Unemployment Problem: Empirical Evidence on German Labour Market Flows," CEPR Discussion Papers 2057, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    9. Bruce Fallick & Charles A. Fleischman, 2004. "Employer-to-employer flows in the U.S. labor market: the complete picture of gross worker flows," Finance and Economics Discussion Series 2004-34, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.).
    10. repec:zbw:rwirep:0139 is not listed on IDEAS
    11. Shibata, Ippei, 2022. "Reassessing classification errors in the analysis of labor market dynamics," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    12. Jochen Kluve & Sandra Schaffner & Christoph M. Schmidt, 2009. "Labor Force Status Dynamics in the German Labor Market - Individual Heterogeneity and Cyclical Sensitivity," Ruhr Economic Papers 0139, Rheinisch-Westfälisches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Universität Dortmund, Universität Duisburg-Essen.
    13. Christoph M. Schmidt, 2000. "Emploi, chômage et non-activité : une analyse des transitions sur le marché du travail allemand," Économie et Statistique, Programme National Persée, vol. 332(1), pages 83-95.
    14. Schmidt, Christoph M., 1999. "The Heterogeneity and Cyclical Sensitivity of Unemployment: An Exploration of German Labor Market Flows," IZA Discussion Papers 84, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    15. David Card & W. Craig Riddell, 1993. "A Comparative Analysis of Unemployment in Canada and the United States," NBER Chapters, in: Small Differences That Matter: Labor Markets and Income Maintenance in Canada and the United States, pages 149-190, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    16. Yashiv, Eran, 2007. "Labor search and matching in macroeconomics," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 51(8), pages 1859-1895, November.
    17. Richard Layte & Tim Callan, 2001. "Unemployment, Welfare Benefits and the Financial Incentive to Work," The Economic and Social Review, Economic and Social Studies, vol. 32(2), pages 103-129.
    18. Karen Mumford & Peter N. Smith, 2000. "Men, Women and the Hiring Function," The Economic Record, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 76(235), pages 374-385, December.
    19. Chopra, ParveshK., 2022. "A Systems Model to Measure Labour Market Dynamics," Economia Internazionale / International Economics, Camera di Commercio Industria Artigianato Agricoltura di Genova, vol. 75(4), pages 465-518.
    20. James M. Poterba & Lawrence H. Summers, 1984. "Adjusting the Gross Changes Data: Implications for Labor Market Dynamics," Working papers 351, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Department of Economics.
    21. Kupets, Olga, 2006. "Determinants of unemployment duration in Ukraine," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 34(2), pages 228-247, June.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:zbw:zewdip:5399. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/zemande.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.