Development of JOLTS Firm Size Estimation Methodology

• Activity Number: 395
• Type: Topic Contributed
• Date/Time: Tuesday, July 31, 2012 : 2:00 PM to 3:50 PM
• Sponsor: Section on Government Statistics
• Author(s): Darrell Greene*+ and Shail Butani and Mark Crankshaw and Vinod Kapani
• Companies: Bureau of Labor Statistics and Bureau of Labor Statistics and Bureau of Labor Statistics and Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Keywords: Firm Size ; post-stratification ; ratio-adjustment ; not seasonally adjusted ; seasonally adjusted

Abstract

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Job Opening and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) is an establishment survey that seeks to measure dynamic trends in the US labor market. The Survey publishes each month the number of job openings, hires and separations at the national, regional and major super-sector industry level of detail. The Survey also publishes establishment size class estimates as an experimental series. After consultation with some of the key data users, it was found JOLTS users prefer firm size (proxy for size of employer) estimates rather than establishment size estimates. The purpose of this paper is to provide details of the methodology used to develop JOLTS firm size estimates. The process begins with assignment of firm size to the frame and sample; development of birth/death models and independent population controls for employment at the industry by firm size level; and a