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The Measurement of Low Pay in the UK Labour Force Survey

Author

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  • Chris Skinner
  • Nigel Stuttard
  • Gabriele Beissel‐Durrant
  • James Jenkins

Abstract

Consideration of the National Minimum Wage requires estimates of the distribution of hourly pay. The UK Labour Force Survey (LFS) is a key source of such estimates. The approach most frequently adopted by researchers has been to measure hourly earnings from several questions on pay and hours. The Office for National Statistics is now applying a new approach, based on an alternative more direct measurement introduced in March 1999. These two measures do not produce identical values and this paper investigates sources of discrepancies and concludes that the new variable is more accurate. The difficulty with using the new variable is that it is only available on a subset of respondents. An approach is developed in which missing values of the new variable are replaced by imputed values. The assumptions underlying this imputation approach and results of applying it to LFS data are presented. The relation to weighting approaches is also discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Chris Skinner & Nigel Stuttard & Gabriele Beissel‐Durrant & James Jenkins, 2002. "The Measurement of Low Pay in the UK Labour Force Survey," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 64(supplemen), pages 653-676, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:obuest:v:64:y:2002:i:supplement:p:653-676
    DOI: 10.1111/1468-0084.64.s.5
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. Anthony B. Atkinson & Chrysa Leventi & Brian Nolan & Holly Sutherland & Iva Tasseva, 2017. "Reducing poverty and inequality through tax-benefit reform and the minimum wage: the UK as a case-study," The Journal of Economic Inequality, Springer;Society for the Study of Economic Inequality, vol. 15(4), pages 303-323, December.
    3. Mark B. Stewart & Joanna K. Swaffield, 2008. "The Other Margin: Do Minimum Wages Cause Working Hours Adjustments for Low‐Wage Workers?," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 75(297), pages 148-167, February.
    4. Richard Dickens & Alan Manning, 2004. "Has the national minimum wage reduced UK wage inequality?," Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series A, Royal Statistical Society, vol. 167(4), pages 613-626, November.
    5. Rebecca Riley, 2013. "Modelling Demand for Low Skilled/Low Paid Labour: Exploring the Employment Trade-Offs of a Living Wage," National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) Discussion Papers 404, National Institute of Economic and Social Research.
    6. Reamonn Lydon & Ian Walker, 2005. "Welfare to work, wages and wage growth," Fiscal Studies, Institute for Fiscal Studies, vol. 26(3), pages 335-370, September.
    7. Harkness, Susan & Popova, Daria & Avram, Silvia, 2023. "Gender differences in job mobility and pay progression in the UK," ISER Working Paper Series 2023-02, Institute for Social and Economic Research.
    8. Gabriele B. Durrant & Chris Skinner, 2006. "Using data augmentation to correct for non‐ignorable non‐response when surrogate data are available: an application to the distribution of hourly pay," Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series A, Royal Statistical Society, vol. 169(3), pages 605-623, July.
    9. Paolo Lucchino & Dr Justin van de Ven, 2013. "Modelling the dynamic effects of transfer policy: the LINDA policy analysis tool," National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) Discussion Papers 405, National Institute of Economic and Social Research.
    10. Sara Carter, 2011. "The Rewards of Entrepreneurship: Exploring the Incomes, Wealth, and Economic Well–Being of Entrepreneurial Households," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 35(1), pages 39-55, January.
    11. Nazila Alinaghi & John Creedy & Norman Gemmell, 2020. "The Redistributive Effects of a Minimum Wage Increase in New Zealand: A Microsimulation Analysis," Australian Economic Review, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, vol. 53(4), pages 517-538, December.
    12. Sara Connolly & Mary Gregory, 2002. "The National Minimum Wage and Hours of Work: Implications for Low Paid Women," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 64(supplemen), pages 607-631, December.
    13. Jack Britton & Neil Shephard & Anna Vignoles, 2015. "Comparing sample survey measures of English earnings of graduates with administrative data during the Great Recession," IFS Working Papers W15/28, Institute for Fiscal Studies.
    14. Esmeralda A. Ramalho & Richard J. Smith, 2013. "Discrete Choice Non-Response," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 80(1), pages 343-364.
    15. Rebecca Riley, 2013. "Modelling Demand for Low Skilled/Low Paid Labour: Exploring the Employment Trade-Offs of a Living Wage," National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) Discussion Papers 404, National Institute of Economic and Social Research.
    16. Harkness, Susan & Popova, Daria & Avram, Silvia, 2023. "Gender differences in job mobility and pay progression in the UK," Centre for Microsimulation and Policy Analysis Working Paper Series CEMPA4/23, Centre for Microsimulation and Policy Analysis at the Institute for Social and Economic Research.
    17. Nazila Alinaghi & John Creedy & Norman Gemmell, 2020. "The Redistributive Effects of a Minimum Wage Increase in New Zealand: A Microsimulation Analysis," Australian Economic Review, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, vol. 53(4), pages 517-538, December.
    18. Mark B. Stewart & Joanna K. Swaffield, 2002. "Using the BHPS Wave 9 Additional Questions to Evaluate the Impact of the National Minimum Wage," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 64(supplemen), pages 633-652, December.
    19. Jonathan Cribb & Giulia Giupponi & Robert Joyce & Attila Lindner & Tom Waters & Thomas Wernham & Xiaowei Xu, 2021. "The distributional and employment impacts of nationwide Minimum Wage changes," IFS Working Papers W21/48, Institute for Fiscal Studies.

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