VT Census Case Studies : Longitudinal Employer Household Dynamics

Created and last modified by molfe on 09 Aug 2015

Brief Overall Description of the Dataset:

Longitudinal Employer–Household Dynamics (LEHD) data are the result of a partnership between the Census Bureau and U.S. states to provide high quality local labor market information and to improve the Census Bureau's economic and demographic data programs. LEHD data are based on different administrative sources, primarily Unemployment Insurance (UI) earnings data and the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), and censuses and surveys. Firm and worker information are combined to create job level quarterly earnings history data, data on where workers live and work, and data on firm characteristics, such as industry.

In addition to the restricted-use data available at the RDCs, LEHD creates public-use data sets and online tools. Quarterly Workforce Indicators (QWI) data and the online tools QWI Explorer and the LED Extraction Tool contain workforce statistics by demography, geography, and industry for each state. LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES) and the OnTheMap web application have partially synthetic data on where workers live and work. These data and online tools have statistics for quarters up to about one year ago and include data for all states that have joined the LED Partnership

Link: http://lehd.ces.census.gov/

Date Inventory Completed: 6/17/2015

Screening

  • Is the data collected opinion-based?
  • Is the data collection recurring (must be collected at least annually)?
  • Is there data available for 2013?
  • Is the data collected at the property or housing unit level?
  • Can we access the data by August 15th? (for restricted data)

Purpose

  • What is the purpose of the organization collecting the data?

LED is an integral part of the U.S. Department of Commerce Open Government Plan to unlock public access to high-value government data.

  • Why is it collected and how does the organization use it?

Data from the Local Employment Dynamics (LED) Partnership provide unprecedented details about America's jobs, workers, and local economies and communities.

  • Who else uses the data?

Policy makers, researchers

  • Who do they sell the data to?

Restricted access to researchers and policy makers


Method

  • What is the data collection method? 

Combination of existing data sources with algorithms to allow for public use

  • What is the type of data collected? 

Designed, administrative

  • If designed, who created the questions?

Researchers

  • What is the raw source of the collected data (prior to any aggregation)? 

LED integrates existing data from state-supplied administrative records on workers and employers with existing censuses, surveys, and other administrative records to create a longitudinal data system on U.S. employment. State-of-the-art methods to protect the confidentiality of the original respondents allow LED to release data for local and regional areas beyond traditional boundaries for public use on the Internet.


Description

  • What is the general topic of the data (1-2 words)?

Economy, jobs, workers

  • What are the earliest and latest dates for which data is available?

In general, LEHD data are available from 2000 onwards. The availability of historical data prior to 2000 varies by state and data set. The latest year of data available at the RDCs is 2011,

  • Is data collected and available periodically?

Yes (varies by database)

  • How soon after a reference period ends can a data source be prepared and provided? 

Not stated (On third release of LEHD data)


Selectivity

  • What is the universe (e.g., population) that the data represents?

Employer-Households in the US


Accessibility

  • How is the data accessed? 

Varies by database (direct download or through online software)

  • Is it open data?

No

  • Any legal, regulatory, or administrative restrictions on accessing the data source?

Must access data through the online system.

  • Cost? - One time or annual or project based payment?

    • Free

Does this dataset appear to meet our needs for the Census study? NO

Full Inventory

Description

  • Features
    • What is the temporal nature of the data: longitudinal, time-series, or one time point?

Time series

    • Geospatial? If Yes, at what level?

Varies (Census Block and latitude/longitude coordinates)


Metadata

  • Is there information available to assess the transparency and soundness of the methods to gather the data for our purposes?

Yes

  • Is there a description of each variable in the source along with their valid values?

Yes

  • Are there unique IDs for unique elements that can be used for linking data?

No

  • Is there a data dictionary or codebook?

See: ftp://ftp2.census.gov/ces/wp/2014/CES-WP-14-26.pdf 


Selectivity

  • What unit is represented at the record level of the data source?

Varies

  • Does this universe match the stated intentions for the data collection? If not, what has been included or excluded and why?

All 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands have joined the LED Partnership, although the LEHD program is not yet producing public-use statistics for Massachusetts, Puerto Rico, or the U.S. Virgin Islands.

  • What is the sampling technique used (if applicable)? 

  • What was the coverage?

Varies by database and by state (see ftp://ftp2.census.gov/ces/wp/2014/CES-WP-14-26.pdf)


Stability/Coherence

  • Were there any changes to the universe of data being captured (including geographical areas covered) and if so what were they?

Yes (changes vary by database). See  ftp://ftp2.census.gov/ces/wp/2014/CES-WP-14-26.pdf)

  • Were there any changes in the data capture method and if so what were they? 

Unknown

  • Were there any changes in the sources of data and if so what were they? 

Unknown


Accuracy

  • Any known sources of error?

None stated

  • Describe any quality control checks performed by the data’s owner.

See  ftp://ftp2.census.gov/ces/wp/2014/CES-WP-14-26.pdf

 

Accessibility

  • Any records or fields collected, but not included in data source, such as for confidentiality reasons)? 

Some LEHD data contain Federal Tax Information (FTI). Use of LEHD data containing FTI requires approval by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

  • Is there a subset of variables and/or data that is must be obtained through a separate process? If yes, is there a separate legal, regulatory, or administrative restrictions on accessing the data source? Cost? - One time or annual or project based payment?

Restricted use data sets: Business Register Bridge (BRB) -- Unit: Establishment, Employer Characteristics Files (EFC) -- Unit: Establishment - Quarter, Employment History Files (EHF) -- Unit: Job (person-firm), Geocoded Address List (GAL) -- Unit: Establishment, Individual Characteristics Files (ICH) Unit: Person, Quarterly Workforce Indicators (QWI) -- Unit: Establishment - Quarter, Unit-to-Worker (USW) -- Unit: Job (person-establishment).

Access to these data will only be granted to qualified researchers on approved projects with authorization to use specific data sets. All researcher access to restricted–use data occurs at one of the secure Federal Statistical Research Data Centers (RDCs).


Privacy and security

  • Was consent given by participant? If so, how was consent given?

Unknown

  • Are there legal limitations or restrictions on the use of the data? 

Unknown

  • What confidentiality policies does the source have? 

Varies if restricted or publicly available – other wise unknown

 

Research

  • What research has been done with this dataset? (e.g., impact of policies, predictors of student success)

Research program oriented on the use of longitudinally linked employer-employee data. Research using LEHD microdata is also carried out by qualified academic researchers under approved projects using a secure network of Research Data Centers (RDCs). The RDC system is administered by the U.S. Census Bureau's Center for Economics Studies (CES).

  • Include any links to research if provided:

http://lehd.ces.census.gov/research/

  • List any other data use notes provided by the supplier.

 

Gaps/Concerns

  • Feasibility - can all jurisdiction levels provide the data (if applicable)?
  • Data ownership - a lack of clarity in legal guidance stemming from a lack of clarity with who owns digital data?
  • Data collection authority - what data is reasonably private and what constitutes unwarranted intrusion?
  • Describe any other notes you have or any gaps/concerns you see with this dataset: