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German Microdata Lab

Employment in the Microcensus. Concepts, Definition, Implementation.

Different concepts and definitions are used to measure employment in the microcensus. A distinction is to be made between the labor force concept and the concept of maintenance. Depending on the research question, either of these concepts may be used to examine participation in employment. However, the comparability of results and basic statistics from different national and international sources proves problematic, due to the use of different concepts and definitions.

For improved data comparability, in this study an overview is provided of the distinction and definition of employment, unemployment or the loss of gainful employment. Based on the 1996 microcensus, special features of the labor force concept are listed, and deviations and common features are highlighted for the period 1957 to 1996. Special emphasis in this instance is on analysis of the available microcensuses held at the Center for Survey Research and Methodology (ZUMA). The description of options for use is illustrated by examples taken from the analysis. Furthermore, aspects of national and international comparability are discussed for the measurement of participation in employment.


Schmidt, Simone, 2000: Erwerbstätigkeit im Mikrozensus. Konzepte, Definition, Umsetzung.Mannheim: Zentrum für Umfragen, Methoden und Analysen 2000, 37 Seiten. (ZUMA-Arbeitsbericht 2000/01 (1.01 MB)).