Individual and Household Data in the Research Data Centre (FDZ)
The Research Data Centre (FDZ) of the Federal Employment Agency at the Institute for Employment Research (IAB) currently offers the following datasets containing personal and household information on employees:
IAB Employment Samples (IABS)
BA Employment Panel
Integrated Employment Biographies Sample (IEBS)
Cross-sectional survey 'Life Situation and Social Security 2005 (LSS 2005)'
Panel Study 'Labour Market and Social Security' (PASS)
Client Survey on Organizational Forms of SGBII-Agencies 2007/08
Other data on individuals
Although both the IABS and the BA Employment Panel are drawn from the same database - the employment notifications - they differ substantially in three respects: firstly, the original data have undergone different procedures to generate the datasets. Secondly, both datasets refer to different time periods and finally, the IABS contains event history data whereas the information contained in the BA Employment Panel is based on reference dates only.
IAB Employment Samples (IABS):
The existing versions of the IAB Employment Samples are 1% or 2% samples drawn from the IAB employee history supplemented by information on benefit recipients, the IAB recipient history. Since the IAB Employment Samples are updated subsequent to the Employment Panel database, even belated employer notifications are considered. Samples cover a continuous flow of data on employment subject to social security as well as on receipt of unemployment benefits, unemployment assistance and maintenance allowance; therefore, they are highly suitable for performing analyses on the employee and benefit recipient history. Additionally, the datasets contain a number of establishment characteristics.
BA Employment Panel:
The BA Employment Panel consists of a 2% sample drawn from the quarterly employment statistics. The database is intended mainly to deliver up-to-date information, for which, in this case, belated employer notifications will not be considered. Since data are collected quarterly on a defined reference date, the Employment Panel may especially be utilized as a basis for cross-section as well as time-series, panel and cohort analyses. Moreover, the BA Employment Panel represents the official statistics of the Federal Employment Agency, while data from the IABS are different due to the different editing procedures. Similar to the IABS, the BA Employment Panel contains few variables on establishments in addition to the characteristics of individuals covered by social security. Finally, it includes information on unemployment and participation in employment and training measures, with two characteristics per reference date.
Details on the differences between the IABS and the BA Employment Panel under:
Koch, I. / Meinken, H. (2004): The Employment Panel of the German Federal Employment Agency. In: Schmollers Jahrbuch 124, S. 315-325
Integrated Employment Biographies Sample (IEBS):
Similar to the IABS, the Integrated Employment Biographies Sample (IEBS) is based on the employee history and the benefit recipient history compiled in the IAB. By way of contrast, the IEBS integrates other available data sources too, such as the participants in measures and applicants pool databases. Thus, the IEBS embraces event history data on employees liable to social security, benefit recipients, persons who are searching for employment, unemployed persons and participants in measures of active labour market policy. The IEBS allows for more detailed overviews of employment histories than was possible in the past, as well as comprehensive analyses on active labour market policy. The spells related to participations in measures contain numerous cases on the following measures in active labour market policy: job-creation measures, settling-in allowance, business start-up allowance, measures to promote vocational training, German language courses and more.
Cross-sectional survey 'Life Situation and Social Security 2005 (LSS 2005)'
The Cross-Sectional Survey 'Life Situation and Social Security 2005' (LSS 2005) was carried out by the Institute for Applied Social Sciences (infas) commissioned by the Institute for Employment Research (IAB) between November 2005 and March 2006. 20,832 persons affected by the German 'Hartz IV' reform were interviewed including: recipients of unemployment or social assistance of employable age (15-64) who were registered as unemployed or job seekers in December 2004 and employable persons in need of assistance aged 15-64 who were registered as unemployed or as job seekers in January 2005 and who were recipients of Unemployment Benefit II (ALG II) according to the German Social Code Book II.
The specific characteristic of the LSS is that it represents a unique dataset which allows for drawing up analyses of the referenced target groups directly after the amalgamation of unemployment and social assistance alongside the introduction of the German Social Code Book II ('Hartz IV' reform).
Panel Study 'Labour Market and Social Security' (PASS)
With the Panel Study 'Labour Market and Social Security' (PASS) the Institute for Employment Research (IAB) establishes a novel dataset in the field of labour market, welfare state and poverty research in Germany. PASS is a new central source for drawing up analyses with reference to the labour market and poverty situation in Germany as well as to the situation of recipients of benefits in accordance with the German Social Code Book II. It covers a broad spectrum of research questions with regard to the issues of employment and unemployment and is suitable to provide even very detailed information. The panel also includes large-scale socio-demographic characteristics and subjective indicators such as contentment, fears and problems or employment orientation. With almost 19,000 interviewed persons in more than 12,500 households (wave 1 in 2006/2007) PASS is currently one of the most comprising panel surveys in Germany.
The survey is conducted annually.
Client Survey on Organizational Forms of SGBII-Agencies 2007/08
When the Social Code Volume II (SGB II) was introduced in 2005, the tasks to be carried out in association with assisting the individuals concerned were also changed. A standard model was not developed for this assistance, but instead different forms of organisation (agencies responsible for implementing the SGB II) compete with each other and are to be evaluated according to the law (§6c SGB II). To this end a large association of research institutions conducted extensive surveys among the agencies responsible for implementing the SGB II and among the clients of these agencies. The unusual feature of the client survey which was developed in this project is that the details about the respondents are linked with a wealth of information about the agency (organisation, strategies, labour market indicators). In addition, detailed questions are asked about activation measures implemented by the agencies and about the results of these measures for the recipients of benefits in accordance with SGB II. Furthermore, the survey also includes detailed questions about the living situations and employment histories of the benefit recipients, as well as an instrument to measure employability. The survey is representative of the 154 selected agencies responsible for the implementation of SGB II.
Other Personal Information
In addition to the aforementioned individual data, details on employees covered by social security are also provided by the FDZ in the Integrated Establishment and Individual Data.
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