Further data linking with WERS 2004

1
Further data linking with WERS 2004

• John Forth
• WERS 2004 Information Advice Service

2
Rationale for data linking

• Rationale 1
• Extend the information set for each workplace or
  employee
• Examples
• Augment workplace records with data on financial
  performance
• Augment workplace records with data about wider
  enterprise
• Augment workplace or employee records with
  contextual data about the industry sector or
  occupation

3
Rationale for data linking

• Rationale 2
• Reduce measurement error in a particular item
• Examples
• Compare WERS data with external source of
  information on legal status or foreign ownership
• Compare WERS financial performance data with
  other sources

4
Rationale for data linking

• Rationale 3
• Extend the information set for another dataset
• Example
• Add workplace data from WERS to a separate
  workplace or employee-level dataset

5
Issues in data linking

• Confidentiality
• Extent and reliability of links
• Measurement error
• Loss of information
• See also Chesher and Nesheim (2006) DTI
  Occasional Paper No. 3.

6
Existing instance of linked data

• ONS Annual Respondent Database (ARD2) matched
  onto WERS 2004
• Data on financial performance of business units
  (from ABI)
• 847 (48) of XS workplaces in trading sector
  (ASTATUS1lt8) have an ABI 2004 return in ARD2
• Offers data on value-added, profitability, labour
  costs, capex
• Low survey and item non-response
• Prospect of data for multiple years
• Issue many returns (80) concern whole
  enterprise
• One solution combine with FPQ data

7
Existing instance of linked data

• ONS Annual Respondent Database (ARD2) matched
  onto WERS 2004
• 1998-2004 Panel Survey 166 (25) of trading
  sector w/ps have financial data for both years
• Issue fewer than 30 have site-level data for
  both years no WERS Financial Performance
  Questionnaire
• General issue available only in ONS Virtual
  Micro-data Lab
• Further info Forth and McNabb (2007) WIAS
  Technical Paper No.1

8
Work in progress

• ONS Business Structure Database matched onto WERS
  2004
• Version of the IDBR prepared for research use
• Provides info on legal status and country of
  ownership
• Provides information on enterprises internal
  structure
• Provides info on demographic events birth,
  death, merger, takeover
• BSD record available for 2,143 (93) of XS
  workplaces
• One potential use identify siblings for 714
  (45) of the XS workplaces that belong to
  multi-plant enterprises

9
Work in progress

• WERS 2004 matched onto the ONS Annual Survey of
  Earnings and Hours (ASHE)
• Annual survey of 165,000 employees
• Detailed information about hours and earnings
  (basic, overtime, incentive payments, pension
  arrangements)
• WERS can provide more information about the
  employer
• Around 5,000 ASHE records (3) link to XS
  workplaces
• In most cases (95), there are 2 ASHE records
  per workplace
• One potential use examine union impact on
  composition of earnings

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Further opportunities at ONS

• Surveys deriving from IDBR (to be investigated)
• Community Innovation Survey (CIS4) data on
  product/process innovation and RD from 16,000
  enterprises over period 2002-2004
• E-commerce Inquiry annual survey of 10,000
  enterprises covering access to ICT and e-commerce
  activity
• Annual Inquiry into Foreign Direct Investment
  annual survey of 16,000 enterprises covering
  foreign ownership and financial flows

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Matching on summary data items

• Possible options (dependent on demand)
• Industry
• Levels down to SIC 2003 Class / Sub-class level
• Examples aggregate productivity, profitability,
  labour costs
• Occupation
• Levels down to SOC 2000 Minor Group
• Examples composition by gender, ethnicity, age
  average qualifications average wages

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Matching on summary data items

• Possible options (dependent on demand)
• Geography
• Levels any postcode-based classification that
  does not compromise the anonymity of respondents.
  See National Statistics Postcode Directory for
  options.
• Examples unemployment and vacancy rates by TTWA
  profile of labour force in TTWA urban/rural
  indicator.

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Comments and suggestions

• WERS Information and Advice Service
• URL http//www.wers2004.info
• Email wers2004_at_niesr.ac.uk
• Telephone [phone]