Analysis of Attrition Patterns in the Turkish Household Labor Force Survey

Abstract

This paper offers an analysis of attrition patterns in the “New” Turkish Household Labor Force Survey (HLFS) which has been conduced since 2000. The most important feature of the redesigned survey is its short panel component. We use 12 rounds of micro data collected (on a quarterly basis) over the period 2000-2002 and focus on household level attrition within 3, 12 and 15 months of the initial interview. Attrition is a phenomenon which can be attributed to demographic and economic factors, including conditions in the labor market. If attrition is related to labor force status of individuals, this could result in biases in labor market indicators. We provide strong evidence that household attrition is influenced by the labor force status (outside the labor force, employed, or unemployed) of the household head at the initial survey round and discuss the implications.