DOI: 10.18712/nsd-nsd0602-1-v2
title: Labour Force Survey 4th quarter 1985 - 1st quarter 1987, panel file, recoded

description: Statistics norway has conducted official quarterly labor force surveys (LFS) from Q1 1972. The survey aims to provide labor authorities and others knowledge about the occupational structure of population and development over time. The surveys provide the basis and statistical material for occupational forecasting and labor market research. In the LFS respondents are interviewed two consecutive quarters, then after two more quarters they are interviewed again in two consecutive quarters. Labour Force Survey 1972 is the first complete LFS year long survey. Originally it was intended that such statistics would be a more analytical supplement to the monthly employment statistics based on the insurance fund membership files. The insurance fund-based statistics, however, fell away when health insurance was included in the National Insurance Scheme from 1 January 1971, the LFS has gradually evolved to become the main source of knowledge about the state of the labor market.

Overview of LFS panels with detailed explanation for panel files:

Group      1977|1978|1979|1980|1981|1982|1983|1984|1985|1986|1987|
Quarter  1234 |1234|1234|1234|1234|1234|1234|1234|1234|1234|1234|
 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 52         |____|____|____|____|____|____|___X|X__X|X___|____|____|____|                 599_1 = 1985,1
 53         |____|____|____|____|____|____|____|XX__|XX__|____|____|____|                 599_2 = 1985,2
 54         |____|____|____|____|____|____|____|_XX_|_XX_|____|____|____|                 599_3 = 1985,3
 55         |____|____|____|____|____|____|____|__XX|__XX|____|____|____|                 599_4 = 1985,4
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 56         |____|____|____|____|____|____|____|___X|X__X|X___|____|____|                 600_1 = 1986,1
 57         |____|____|____|____|____|____|____|____|XX__|XX__|____|____|                 600_2 = 1986,2
 58         |____|____|____|____|____|____|____|____|_XX_|_XX_|____|____|                 600_3 = 1986,3
 59         |____|____|____|____|____|____|____|____|__XX|__XX|____|____|                 600_4 = 1986,4
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 60         |____|____|____|____|____|____|____|____|___X|X__X|X___|____|                 601_1 = 1987,1
 61         |____|____|____|____|____|____|____|____|____|XX__|XX__|____|                 601_2 = 1987,2
 62         |____|____|____|____|____|____|____|____|____|_XX_|_XX_|____|                 601_3 = 1987,3
 63         |____|____|____|____|____|____|____|____|____|__XX|__XX|____|                 601_4 = 1987,4
 
Panel files are created by linking four interviews from an ordinary interview round in LFS. In the table above this means that one could connect all the groups (lines) marked X.
Group 1 is removed because the  interviews started 4th quarter 1971.
Participation 4 times is used as a selection criterion, therefore everyone that didn't participate in the 4th interview has been omitted.
In 1975 SSB changed selection strategy. The groups that were left out due to this (started in 1973 or 1974, should've had one or more interviews in 1975) are removed.

Looking at a particular column, for example. Q1 1983, we will see that 1/4 of respondents are included for the 4th time, the 3rd time etc. The total sum of the material for one quarter. Quarterly weights allows one such block (column) to be balanced with national figures. If taking 4 groups and turning them into a year file the weights must be divided by 4 to give proper weighted figures.

Panel files goes in the other direction (horizontally) and each panel will have four weights, one for each quarter, and although they do not differ much will they be prepared independently and each weight should be used only for data from the quarterly weight is made. Weighted figures are for a pool, ie ca. 25% of the total quarterly sample and must therefore multiply by 4 to get approximately the national quarterly.

With "almost national quarterly" means that since panel connectors imply a certain selection, as it may cause minor differences from the weighted national figures one gets for each quarter
 
This panel file covers group 60 in the table above. The file itself is created later, based on a file description from 1988; the weights in the original file is created to be used on months.

Between the 1st and 2nd quarter of 1988 there was a reorganization of the LFS including resulted in a new file description, and that the status codes for status in the labor market changed. The present panel file is located exactly at the forefront of this change, but still follows essentially the file description that was prepared for the change. This has practical reasons, the 9 panel files have the latest interview from Q1 1987 to Q1 1989 was compiled together and transmitted simultaneously from SSB to NSD. However, it created two versions of these panel files: Because the V009, V036 and V073 (status on the labor market) is changed, the data also recoded to obtain comparable data before and after the adjustments between the 1st and 2nd quarter 1988
NSD0603 provides data with original codes, NSD0604 provide encoded data, the entire 1987 and 1988 codes that are comparable with subsequent encoding.