LFS 1999

Question

I note that there are two SPSS syntax files for this year's rebased Labour Force Survey data: one for the period Jan-Oct, and another for Nov-Dec. Since my aim is to create a single annual file, what would be the best way to do this? Is it, in fact, possible?

Answer

The reason that there are 2 SPSS syntac files for LFS 1999 is because part way through the year they changed the code values for the marital status variable. Here is what they did:

lfs-rebased2001-jan-oct-1999.sps

/MARSTAT
1 "Married or common-law"
2 "Single, never married"
3 "Widowed"
4 "Separated/divorced"

================================

lfs-rebased2001-nov-dec-1999.sps

/MARSTAT
1 "Married"
2 "Living in common-law"
3 "Widowed"
4 "Separated"
5 "Divorced"
6 "Single, never married"

Now if users want to have a single SPSS syntax for an annual file they will have to create come kind of new derived variable for the MARSTAT variable. This can be done by recoding the nov-dec MARSTAT data to match the MARSTAT Jan-Oct data

For example the logic is something along these lines:

For NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER

IF MARSTAT = 1 OR 2 THEN NEW MARSTAT = 1
IF MARSTAT = 6 THEN NEW MARSTAT = 2
IF MARSTAT = 3 THEN NEWMARSTAT = 3
IF MARSTAT = 4 OR 5 THEN NEW MARSTAT = 4

Once this re-code has been done then all the months can be put into an annual file and all will have the same MARSTAT codes. Please note that any analysis may not match published results as the more detail codes will have been lost.