DOI: 10.18712/nsd-nsd0573-4-v2
title: Labour Force Sample Survey 1987, 4.quarter

description: Statistics Norway (SSB) has conducted official quarterly Labor Force Surveys (LFS) since the first quarter of 1972. The purpose is to provide labor market authorities and other stakeholders with insights into the occupational structure of the population and its development over time. The surveys aim to provide a foundation and statistical material for occupational forecasts and labor market research. In the LFS, a respondent is interviewed for two consecutive quarters, followed by a two-quarter break, and is then interviewed again for two consecutive quarters. The sample size was approximately 10,000–11,000 respondents each quarter until 1988. The 1976 Labor Force Survey represents the fifth complete annual series of the LFS. Initially, the LFS was intended to serve as an analytical supplement to the monthly employment statistics, which were based on the membership records of social insurance offices. However, the insurance-based statistics were discontinued when sickness insurance was integrated into the National Insurance Scheme (Folketrygden) as of January 1, 1971. Over time, the LFS has evolved into the most important source of knowledge about the state and development of the labor market.

In 1975, Statistics Norway revised the sampling plan for interview surveys. See, for example, Art.37: Om bruk av stikkprøver ved kontoret for intervjuundersøkelser, SSB (Steinar Tamsfoss), and SØS 33: Prinsipper og metoder for Statistisk sentralbyrås utvalgsundersøkelser (Ib Thomsen). At the same time, the estimation method for extrapolating data to national figures was changed, enabling the production of reliable regional statistics as of 1975. The 1975 revisions also led to changes in how interviews were conducted in batches, which, among other things, resulted in a break in the panel systematics of the LFS.

For the 1976 Labor Force Survey, a slightly revised questionnaire was introduced, and the original six-quarter rotation plan was reinstated. The new questionnaire allowed for better identification of individuals in the categories of family workers and those temporarily absent from income-generating work. This adjustment led to approximately 30,000–35,000 more individuals being classified as employed. Additionally, the category of job seekers without income was expanded to include those involuntarily laid off. Questions related to underemployment and overemployment from the original questionnaire were removed.

From the first quarter of 1987, the estimation method (extrapolation to national figures) was slightly modified, and a minor adjustment to the definition of employment was made. To ensure comparability over time, new versions of the LFS data files were created retroactively to 1980. As a result, two versions of the files exist from 1980 onwards: one using the "old" estimation method and the other the "new" method. The "old" version is comparable with the originally published figures for the period 1972–1987, while the "new" version ensures that data from 1980–1987 are comparable with figures published after 1987.

This file is based on the NEW estimation method.