Labour Force Survey 2010
Liberia, 2010
Identification
LBR_2010_LFS_v01_M
Labour Force Survey 2010
| Name | Country code |
|---|---|
| Liberia | LBR |
Labor Force Survey [hh/lfs]
This is the second Labour Force Survey (LFS) to be carried out in Liberia within living memory. The first was conducted in the1980s, but the database was destroyed in the 14 year civil crisis.
Liberia has long mounted a search for concrete and reliable data on the labour market that will serve as a tool for policy formulation and development. The absence of such information has led to a series of misunderstandings about labour market indicators such as employment and unemployment. Consequently, the results of this Labour Force Survey have realized a long-standing desire for reliable data on the labour market that will dispel rumors, misconceptions and misinterpretations of level, size and characteristics of employment, unemployment and other labour market indicators. The data will assist the government, development partners and data users in planning, decision making and developing policies intended to improve the welfare of the labour force.
Sample survey data [ssd]
- Household
- Individuals
Scope
The scope of the survey includes the following:
- Household and demographic information
- Education, training and migration
- Current activities
- Main economic activity
- Wages - paid employees
- Second activity
- Under-employment and inadequate works situations
- Unemployment and inactivity
- Usual activity
- Occupational injuries
- Past employment
- Other activities
Coverage
Urban and rural areas
Producers and sponsors
| Name |
|---|
| Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services |
| Ministry of Labour |
Sampling
The sampling frame for the survey consisted of all census enumeration areas (EAs) in Liberia. For each one, the population census of 2008 provided an up-to-date estimate of the number of households it contained. The frame was put in order by county, with separate strata being formed for urban and rural areas in each county. Greater Monrovia was treated as a stratum in its own right, separate from the other EAs in Montserrado.
A two-stage sampling process was used to select households for interview. First, the required number of EAs in each stratum was selected with probability proportional to size (PPS). Secondly, in the selected EAs, the required number of households (12) was selected by systematic sampling, using a random start. A total of 526 primary sampling units were selected for the survey and data was collected from 6233 households. Socio-demographic information was collected from about 32,000 household members, and more detailed information on each person’s economic activity was collected from about 25,000 household members aged 5 and over.
In an effort to have a larger sample for this survey, and to make government data collection more efficient, fieldwork for this survey was combined with the fieldwork for the Core Welfare Indicators Questionnaire (CWIQ) survey and with another survey module on human rights. As a result, the larger sample allows for estimates to be made down to the county level, which had not been possible on previous surveys such as CWIQ 2007 and DHS 2007.
In total, as many as 24% of all selected households could not be located (or in a few cases refused to cooperate) and in all these cases replacement households were taken.
Survey instrument
The LFS questionnaire went through many stages of revision before a final version was decided. In addition to input from people within Liberia, detailed technical advice on a suitable design was received from specialists in labour statistics at the headquarters of the International Labour Organization in Geneva.
Data collection
| Start | End |
|---|---|
| 2010-02 | 2010-05 |
Regional coordinators were appointed to each region and two teams were appointed to each county, with four teams being assigned to Greater Monrovia. Each team had four interviewers and a supervisor. Two interviewers worked specifically on the LFS and two on the CWIQ. Each team completed a total of about 16 enumeration areas during the field period. With 12 households being interviewed in each EA, this meant that each team covered about 200 households.
Difficulties were experienced in locating some of the selected households. LISGIS had sent out a letter in advance, advising the District Commissioners that the survey was taking place, and it was their duty to inform the townships and village chiefs about the survey. Village chiefs usually accompanied the survey team in each survey area. In a few places, such as Bong county and Grand Kru, a selected EA could not be found, despite the provision of a map, and it had to be replaced by another one. In general the supervisors did not come from the areas that they were responsible for covering in the survey, so they were not familiar with the location of the areas selected for the survey. Sometimes the interviewers were from the area, and could assist in identifying the correct area to be covered.
Data processing
Once the questionnaires had been booked in at LISGIS, they were checked for errors and the appropriate occupation and industry codes were entered onto the questionnaires. The questionnaires were then entered onto the computer, using CSPro data entry screens. After data entry, a detailed programme of editing and data checking was carried out. Duplicate records were checked, and where necessary the correct ID number was inserted. Many specific checks were carried out on the questionnaires to assess their quality.
Data Access
Use of the dataset must be acknowledged using a citation which would include:
- the Identification of the Primary Investigator
- the title of the survey (including country, acronym and year of implementation)
- the survey reference number
- the source and date of download
Example:
Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services. Labor Force Survey (LFS) 2010. Ref. LBR_2010_LFS_v01_M. Dataset downloaded from [url] on [date].
Disclaimer and copyrights
The user of the data acknowledges that the original collector of the data, the authorized distributor of the data, and the relevant funding agency bear no responsibility for use of the data or for interpretations or inferences based upon such uses.
Contacts
| Name | URL |
|---|---|
| Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services | http://www.tlcafrica.com/lisgis/lisgis.htm |
Metadata production
DDI_LBR_2010_LFS_v01_M_WB
| Name | Affiliation | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Development Economics Data Group | The World Bank | Documentation of the DDI |
2014-03-26
Metadata version
Version 01 (March 2014)