Automated Current Employment Statistics (ACES)
Mainframe processing system for Current Employment Statistics (CES) micro and macro data. Developed by Iowa and used in a majority of the States.
Advance Release
Providing a Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) news or data release (or any part or derivative of a release) to a person or organization outside the BLS prior to its official date and time of public release.
Agents
Individuals who meet the definition of agent as set forth by Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act (CIPSEA) and who have been designated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics to perform exclusively statistical activities through an agent agreement.
Annual Refiling Survey (ARS)
A survey conducted by the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) program to verify and update the industry, geographic area, addresses, and codes of business establishments covered by State unemployment insurance programs and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees.
Authorized Persons
Officers, employees, and agents of the Bureau of Labor Statistics who are responsible for collecting, processing, or using confidential data in furtherance of statistical purposes or for the other stated purposes for which the data were collected. Authorized persons are authorized access to only those confidential data that are integral to the program or project on which they work, and only to the extent required to perform their duties.
Auxiliary Establishment
A unit that is primarily engaged in performing services for other units of the same company rather than for other companies or the general public. Examples of auxiliary establishments are central administrative offices; research, development or testing labs; warehouses; and power plants.
Average Monthly Employment (AME)
Computed as the average of the three monthly employment figures in a given calendar quarter. AME = (M1+M2+M3)/3, where M1 = Month One Employment, M2 = Month Two Employment, and M3 = Month Three Employment.
Average Quarterly Wages (AQW)
Computed as total quarterly wages (TQW) divided by average monthly employment (AME). AQW = TQW/AME.
Average Weekly Wages (AWW)
Computed as average quarterly wages divided by 13. AWW = AQW/13.
BLS-790
BLS-790 is the assigned number of the form used to collect data for the Current Employment Statistics (CES) survey.
Benchmark
A point of reference (either an estimate or a count) from which measurements can be made or upon which adjustments to estimates are based.
Births
Those units that are within scope of a survey as of the reference date of the survey but were not in the sampling frame. They include units that existed in the universe but were not on the sampling frame as well as units that came into existence after the creation of the sampling frame. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) program, which is not a sample survey but collects data for a universe, births are new establishments.
Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA)
A Federal statistical agency that is part of the United States Department of Commerce. BEA is responsible for estimation of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and personal income. Data from the Current Employment Statistics (CES) and
QCEW programs are used in the GDP estimates.
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
A Federal statistical agency that is part of the United States Department of Labor. BLS functions as the principal data-gathering agency of the Federal government in the field of labor economics. The BLS collects, processes, analyzes, and disseminates data relating to employment, unemployment, the labor force, productivity, prices, family expenditures, wages, industrial relations, and occupational safety and health. Well-known data released by BLS include: the Consumer Price Index, the Producer Price Index, the unemployment rate, and nonagricultural employment levels.
BLS-Washington
Term used to refer to the offices and employees of Bureau of Labor Statistics in Washington, DC.
Bureau of the Census
A Federal statistical agency that is part of the United States Department of Commerce. As its name implies, the Census Bureau conducts the decennial census of population and housing and monthly, annual and/or quinquennial surveys of all major industry groups. The Census Bureau also conducts the monthly Current Population Survey (CPS) in cooperation with the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Data from this survey are the source of unemployment statistics.
Business Cycle
A periodically repeated sequence of fluctuations in the aggregate economy of an area, or the nation as a whole, varying in duration, but consisting of: (a) upturn, including recovery and prosperity; (b) cyclical peak; (c) downturn, including recession; and (d) cyclical trough.
CenCo2
CenCo2 is the Central Collection system, a Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) client/server processing system developed and maintained by the Division of Business Establishments Systems (DBES). It handles the central collection of Multiple Worksite Report (MWR) data at the Chicago Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) center. This system processes QCEW program data that is collected from multi-State employers and prepares it for distribution to the appropriate States. The system updates incoming data, performs edits, aggregates records, and builds historical files.
Census
A complete count (i.e., not a sample) of a specified population or some other measurable characteristic in a given area (housing, industry, etc.).
Census Block
A subdivision of a census tract. A block is the smallest geographic unit for which the Census Bureau tabulates data.
Census Tract
A small, relatively permanent statistical subdivision of a county delineated by a local committee of census data users for the purpose of presenting data.
Centroid
The calculated center of a zip code. The centroid is part of the methodology sometimes used to assign latitude and longitude to addresses based on zip code.
Code Change Supplement (CCS)
A computer file generated from the Bureau of Labor Statistics or State micro file database. The Code Change Supplement documents all non-economic changes to industry, area, and ownership classification codes that will be made effective with the first quarter data. It is used to measure the impact of classification changes on Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) macro data tabulations.
Combined Statistical Area
A geographic entity consisting of two or more adjacent Core Based Statistical Areas (CBSAs) with employment interchange measures of at least 15. Pairs of CBSAs with employment interchange measures of at least 25 combine automatically. Pairs of CBSAs with employment interchange measures of at least 15, but less than 25, may combine if local opinion in both areas favors combination.
Comment Codes
Standardized numeric codes used by the Current Employment Statistics (CES) and Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) programs to explain fluctuations and unusual economic and noneconomic occurrences in the data. For QCEW, these codes are assigned to micro data records.
Consumer Price Index (CPI)
A Bureau of Labor Statistics program that measures the average change in the prices of a fixed set of goods and services purchased by households. It is the most commonly recognized measure of inflation.
Core
A densely settled concentration of population, comprising either an urbanized area (of 50,000 or more population) or an urban cluster (of 10,000 to 49,999 population) defined by the Census Bureau, around which a Core Based Statistical Area is defined.
Core Based Statistical Area (CBSA)
A general term that refers to both Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas. A CBSA is a geographic area that contains at least one core (urbanized area or urban cluster) of at least 10,000 in population, plus adjacent territory that has a high degree of social and economic integration with the core as measured through commuting ties. Both types of CBSAs are defined in terms of entire counties.
Covered Employment
Employees who are subject to State Unemployment Insurance (UI) laws or the Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employee (UCFE) program. These "covered" employees should be counted in the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) micro data if they worked or received pay for the pay period that included the 12th day of the month.
Current Employment Statistics (CES)
Division of Current Employment Statistics (also known as the CES "program office.") The division within Office of Employment and Unemployment Statistics (OEUS) that is primarily responsible for setting CES program policy and directives, and producing national CES estimates.
Current Employment Statistics (CES) Survey
A monthly survey of non-farm business establishments used to collect wage and salary employment, worker hours, and payroll, by industry and area. Through the Federal/State cooperative effort, these data are used to compute current monthly employment, hours, and earnings estimates, by industry, for the nation, the 50 States and the District of Columbia, and over 250 Metropolitan Areas.
Current Population Survey (CPS)
A monthly household survey of the civilian noninstitutional population of the United States. This Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) survey provides statistics on employment, unemployment, and wages, by industry, occupation, and demographic characteristics. Micro data for this survey are collected for BLS by the Bureau of the Census.
Division of Administrative Statistics and Labor Turnover (DASLT)
Also known as the program office for the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) and Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) programs. This division is responsible for program policy and overall program management.
DBES
The division within the Directorate of Survey Processing (DSP) that includes staff for the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) program, the Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) program, and the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS).
Deaths
Units that were in a sampling frame but are now out of scope for any survey. They include units that have gone out of business, have changed to an out-of-scope industry, or were erroneously included on the sampling frame. For the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) program, which is not a sample survey but collects data for a universe, deaths are establishments that have gone out of business.
Deliverable
As specified by the Labor Market Information contract, any product required to be delivered by the States to
BLS-WASHINGTON is generally called a "deliverable."
Department of Labor (DOL)
Cabinet-level agency that enforces laws protecting workers, promotes labor-management cooperation, sponsors employment training and placement services, oversees the unemployment insurance system, and produces statistics on the labor force and living conditions. The Bureau of Labor Statistics is an agency with the Department of Labor.
Disaggregate
To divide a statistic into its component parts. For macro data, this may refer to the division into smaller macro parts or the division into constituent micro data.
Disclose or Disclosure
The release of confidential information to anyone other than authorized persons or the respondent who provided or is the subject of the data.
Domain
Domains are the highest
NAICS categories that consist of two aggregations representing either goods or service producing industries.
Economic Code Change (ECC)
A change in the reporting unit's industry, area, or ownership classification code resulting from the actual conversion or relocation of the unit from one industry, area, or ownership type to another. Furthermore, the conversion or re-location must take place within a 30-day time period.
Economic Indicator
A set of data that serves as a tool for analyzing current economic conditions and future prospects. Usually classified according to their timing in relationship to the ups and downs of the business cycle, that is, whether they anticipate (lead), coincide with, or lag behind general business conditions.
Editing
Verification of data for consistency and conformance with pre-established criteria or tolerance limits.
Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) Center
A Bureau of Labor Statistics center located in Chicago that is responsible for collecting, editing, and correcting Multiple Worksite Report (MWR) and Current Employment Statistics (CES) data for multi-State employers and providing it to the States.
Embargoed Data
Pre-release economic data for the Principal Federal Economic Indicators produced by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Currently, the following BLS data series have been designated by Office of Management and Budget (OMB) as Principal Federal Economic Indicators: the Consumer Price Index, Employment Situation, Employment Cost Index, Producer Price Indexes, Productivity and Costs, Real Earnings, and U.S. Import and Export Price Indexes.
Employer Identification Number (EIN)
A 9-digit identification number assigned to employers by the United States Internal Revenue Service.
Employment and Training Administration (ETA)
A part of the United States Department of Labor. This agency oversees the State unemployment insurance programs and job training and placement services provided by State Employment Security Agencies.
Employment Interchange Measure
A measure of ties between two adjacent entities. The employment interchange measure is the sum of the percentage of employed residents of the smaller entity who work in the larger entity and the percentage of employment in the smaller entity that is accounted for by workers who reside in the larger entity.
Enhanced Quarterly Unemployment Insurance (EQUI) Address File
A computer file prepared quarterly by State Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) programs and provided to
BLS-Washington. These files store the names, addresses, employment, wages, as well as other data items, of the establishments covered by State unemployment insurance programs and Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees.
Establishment
An economic unit that produces goods and services, usually at a single physical location, and engaged in one or predominantly one industry activity.
Estimate
A numerical quantity calculated from sample data, or from a model, and intended to provide information about a universe.
Estimating Cell
The most basic or lowest level (or strata) for which estimates are made. All higher level strata are aggregations of estimating cells. For establishment surveys, the estimating cell structure is generally stratified by industry code, area, and size of establishment. For household surveys, the estimating cell structure is generally stratified by demographic characteristics.
EUSWeb
A data communication system developed by
BLS-Washington to support file transfers between States and the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
EXPO-202
A mainframe State Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) processing system developed and maintained by the State of Utah and used by the majority of States. Many States access it centrally at the SunGard service center.
Extrapolate
To project values of a variable in an unobserved interval from values within an already observed interval.
F/SMS
Division of Federal/State Monthly Surveys, a project office within the Office of Technology and Survey Processing (OTSP). This office is responsible for processing data and maintaining systems for the Current Employment Statistics (CES), the Current Population Survey (CPS), Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS), and Mass Layoff Statistics (MLS) Programs.
Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS)
Standards for information processing issued by the National Bureau of Standards in the United States Department of Commerce. Includes numeric designations (codes) for geographic areas such as States, counties, and metropolitan areas.
Federal Reserve Board (Fed)
An independent government agency primarily responsible for keeping prices stable. The Fed ’s primary tool is control over certain short term interest rates. The Fed is a key user of Federal/State program data.
Federal/State Cooperative Programs
Statistical programs in which the State and Federal governments cooperate in accomplishing program goals. Current Employment Statistics (CES), Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), Occupational Employment Statistics (OES), Local Employment Statistics (LAUS), Mass Layoff Statistics (MLS), and Occupational Safety and Health Statistics (OSHS) are Bureau of Labor Statistics Federal/State cooperative programs.
Firm
A business entity, either corporate or otherwise. May consist of one or several establishments.
Fiscal Year (FY)
A 12-month period established for budgetary and accounting purposes. In the Federal Government, the fiscal year begins October 1 and ends September 30.
Federal Unemployment Tax Act (FUTA)
This Act became Chapter 23, Sections 3301-3311, of the United States Internal Revenue Code, authorizing the tax imposed on employers with respect to persons they employ for the purpose of funding unemployment insurance benefits. The FUTA made possible the federal/state system that establishes an employment security program in each State.
Geographic Base File (GBF)
A generic term for a computer file of geographic attributes of an area (street names, address ranges, geographic codes, hydrography, railroads and so forth).
Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
The total of all goods and services produced by the United States economy. GDP is compiled quarterly by the United States Department of Commerce. Current Employment Statistics employment and earnings data are used for advance GDP estimates. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) wage data are used for the final GDP estimates.
Geocode
The geographic information associated with a unique address or centroid, such as longitude and latitude coordinates, census block group, census tract, or county.
Geographic Information System (GIS)
An organized collection of computer hardware, software, geographic data, and personnel designed to efficiently capture, store, update, manipulate, analyze, and display all forms of geographically referenced information.
Imputation
A process used to estimate employment and wages data when the actual data are not provided by the employer.
Individually Identifiable Data
Any representation of information that permits the identity of the respondent to whom the information applies to be reasonably inferred by either direct or indirect means.
Industry
Describes the type of economic activity engaged in by a group of firms as used in the compilation of economic statistics. The Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system and the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) provide numerical classification for industries.
Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS)
A monthly survey of establishments covering payroll employment in nonagricultural industries in both the private and public sectors. Included are total employment, job openings, total hires, resignations, discharges, and other separations. The Division of Administrative Statistics and Labor Turnover (DASLT) is the program office and the Division of Business Establishment Systems (DBES) is the project office for this survey.
LABSTAT
The Bureau of Labor Statistics' (BLS) public repository of data, available through the Internet. LABSTAT is a database that contains most published BLS data.
Labor Dispute
Any controversy concerning terms or conditions of employment, or concerning the association or representation of persons in negotiating, fixing, maintaining, changing, or seeking to arrange terms or conditions of employment, regardless of whether or not the disputants stand in the proximate relation of employer and employee.
Labor Market Area (LMA)
An economically integrated geographical unit within which workers may readily change jobs without changing their place of residence. All States are divided into exhaustive LMAs, which usually consist of a county or a group of contiguous counties (except in New England, where township is the smallest government unit) .
LAUS Program
Local Area Unemployment Statistics Program. A Federal/State cooperative program that produces employment, labor force, and unemployment estimates for States and local areas.
Labor Market Information (LMI)
The body of data available on a particular labor market, including employment and unemployment statistics, occupational statistics, and average hours and earnings data. LMI is also used to refer to the statistical research and analysis offices of the State Employment Security Agencies. These offices are also referred to as Research and Analysis (R & A) or Research and Statistics (R & S) offices.
LMI Cooperative Agreement
A contract between the State Employment Security Agencies and the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the collection and tabulations of Labor Market Information, including the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), Current Employment Statistics (CES), Occupational Employment Statistics (OES), Mass Layoff Statistics (MLS), and Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) programs.
Longitudinal Database (LDB)
A database of business establishments based on the micro data submitted quarterly by the States on the Enhanced Quarterly Unemployment Insurance (EQUI) name and address files. Included on the database is information on monthly employment, quarterly wages, business name and addresses, industry and area codes, and other administrative data. Every unit on the database contains a unique identifier that allows tracking of individual establishments across quarters. The LDB is the sampling frame for many Bureau of Labor Statistics surveys, and serves as an important resource for labor market research. It is used to produce tabulations on business births and deaths, and job creation and destruction.
Macro Data
Single establishment or household (micro) data aggregated to any level. Data at the estimating cell level and summary cell levels are called macro data. Compare to micro data.
Mass Layoff Statistics (MLS) Program
A Bureau of Labor Statistics Federal/State cooperative program that collects and publishes data on mass layoffs.
Master Record
In
QCEW micro data, a master record represents the Quarterly Contributions Report data for multi-establishment employers (employers with more than one worksite). A master record's economic data is the summation of data from all of its composite worksites. Master records are not included in macro data aggregations because they duplicate the economic data of the worksite records.
Mean
A number obtained by dividing the sum of the observations by the number of observations. The mean can be weighted or unweighted.
Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)
The general concept of a Metropolitan Statistical Area or a Micropolitan Statistical Area is that of an area containing a recognized population nucleus and adjacent communities that have a high degree of integration with that nucleus. The definitions provide a nationally consistent definitions for collecting, tabulating, and publishing Federal statistics for a set of geographic areas. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) establishes and maintains the definitions of Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas, Combined Statistical Areas, and New England City and Town Areas solely for statistical purposes. A Metropolitan Statistical Area has at least one urbanized area of 50,000 or more population, plus adjacent territory that has a high degree of social and economic integration with the core as measured by commuting ties. Metropolitan Statistical Areas are defined in terms of whole counties (or equivalent entities) in all States including the six New England States.
Micropolitan Statistical Area
A Micropolitan Statistical Area is a new type of statistical areas which has at least one urban cluster of at least 10,000 but less than 50,000 population, plus adjacent territory that has a high degree of social and economic integration with the core as measured by commuting ties. Micropolitan Statistical Areas are defined in terms of whole counties (or equivalent entities), in all States including the six New England States.
Micro Data
Data reported from an individual establishment, Multiple Worksite Report (MWR), the Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) Center, or household. Data on a single Current Employment Statistics (CES) report or a single UI contribution report are micro data.
Moving Average
A series of calculations made by initially taking the simple average, or arithmetic mean, of a consecutive number of items, and then dropping the first item and adding the next item in sequence and averaging, so that the number of items in the series remains constant. This is a continuous process.
Multi-establishment
A firm or reporting unit that consists of more than one establishment.
Multi-establishment Employer Indicator (MEEI)
A one-digit indicator code assigned to business establishment records on
QCEW files to specify the multi-unit status of a reporting unit.
Multiple Worksite Report (MWR)
A required, standardized data collection form approved by Office of Management and Budget (OMB) that the State
QCEW staff sends employers with multiple worksites. The Multiple Worksite Report allows the QCEW program to obtain worksite-level information that is not otherwise available from the administrative files of the State Unemployment Insurance programs.
North American Industry Classification System (NAICS)
A hierarchical classification system that defines establishments to a specific industry based on their operating characteristics or production functions using a 6-digit code. This system officially replaced the Standard Industry Classification (SIC) system in 1997. However, the transitional period from the SIC system to NAICS took several years to complete.
Non-Economic Code Change (NECC)
A change in a reporting unit ’s industry, area, or ownership classification code that: 1. Does not result from an actual conversion or re-location of the unit from one industry, area, or ownership type to another. 2. Results from an actual conversion or re-location that took longer than 30 days or was discovered by
QCEW staff long afterwards. 3. Lacks sufficient evidence to be classified as an economic code change.
Nonresponse
Failure to obtain usable data for eligible units.
Numbered Memoranda
A series of technical memoranda issued for the purpose of disseminating information to Regional offices (R-memos) and States (S-memos) on new developments in the Federal/State programs, changes in operating procedures, and updates to manuals.
Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) Program
A Federal/State cooperative program that collects detailed occupational and wage data by industry and area.
Office of Employment and Unemployment Statistics (OEUS)
The Bureau of Labor Statistics office that includes the "program offices" of the Federal/State cooperative programs: Division of Current Employment Statistics (CES), Division of Administrative Statistics and Labor Turnover (DASLT), Division of Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS), and Mass Layoff Statistics (MLS). OEUS also includes other divisions: Division of Labor Force Statistics (DLFS), Statistical Methods Staff (SMS), and Division of Data Development and Publications (DDDP).
Office of Field Operations (OFO)
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) office that coordinates the work of regional offices and acts as a liaison between BLS-Washington and the regions. Regional offices are part of the Office of Field Operations.
Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
Located in the Executive Office of the President, this agency prepares the President ’s budget with the Council of Economic Advisors and the Treasury Department. OMB also oversees all Federal data collection. Among other duties, this federal agency is responsible for enforcing the Paperwork Reduction Act and, in so doing, must approve all survey and data collection forms that represent a reporting burden on employers and the general public.
Office of Technology and Survey Processing (OTSP)
The
BLS-Washington office that includes the various "project offices" for the
QCEW, Current Employment Statistics (CES), Occupational Employment Statistics (OES), Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS), and Mass Layoff Statistics (MLS) programs. Also responsible for
LABSTAT development and maintenance of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) local area network.
Optimum Allocation
An allocation procedure for stratified sampling that, for a given target relative error, will generate the minimum necessary sample size.
Out-of-Business (OOB)
Status assigned to a unit that was once active but that has permanently ceased to conduct business or perform services and industrial operations.
Ownership Code
A numerical code that identifies the level of government or the private sector of the economy.
Parent Organization or Company
A company that owns or operates one or more subsidiary companies or establishments.
Predecessor
The previous owner of a business establishment. In
QCEW micro data, a predecessor is an establishment that previously reported under one Unemployment Insurance (UI) Account Number or Reporting Unit Number (RUN), that is now being reported under a different UI Account Number/Reporting Unit Number configuration. The purpose of Predecessor (and Successor) UI/ RUN is to identify establishments as continuous, especially when they change ownership or UI number.
Pre-Release Economic Data
Statistics and analyses that have not yet officially been released to the public, whether or not there is a set date and time of release before which they must not be divulged.
Program Offices
Generic term for the Divisions within Office of Employment and Unemployment Statistics (OEUS) responsible for the various Federal/State survey programs. See
DASLT or
CES.
Project Offices
Generic term for the Divisions within the Directorate of Survey Processing responsible for processing the various Federal/State surveys and for developing
BLS-Washington ’s program-specific information technology systems. See
Division of Business Establishments Systems (DBES) and
Division of Federal/State Monthly Surveys (F/SMS).
Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) Program
A Federal/State cooperative program that collects and compiles employment and wage data for workers covered by State unemployment insurance (UI) laws, and Federal civilian workers covered by
UCFE. State Employment Security Agencies collect and compile quarterly UI contribution reports which are submitted by all employers. These data are maintained in the State in micro form and are forwarded to
BLS-Washington via data deliverables. Any data from this program is generically referred to as "QCEW" data.
Quarterly Contribution Report (QCR)
A mandatory report filed quarterly by almost all United States employers to the State Employment and Security Agency (SESA) for unemployment insurance purposes. Employers report the number of employees, total quarterly wages, and UI taxable wages, and compute their unemployment insurance tax liability for each quarter. Used by the
QCEW program as the source of most data on the State QCEW database.
Reference Date
The reference date of a sample frame is the date when the characteristics of the population existed on the frame. The reference date of a survey or file, however, is the date for which the respondents are requested to submit the data.
Regional Office (R.O.)
Term used to refer to the offices and employees of the Bureau of Labor Statistics in the regional office locations outside of Washington, DC.
Report of Federal Employment and Wages (RFEW)
A standardized data collection form (
BLS 3021) that the State
QCEW staff sends federal government employers with multiple worksites. The RFEW allows the QCEW program to obtain worksite level information from federal agencies and reporting agents for federal employers from the State administrative files of the Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employers.
Reporting Unit
A reporting unit is the most detailed economic unit for which data are reported by the employer. Usually, a reporting unit is an individual establishment, but sometimes two or more establishments are reported as a single unit.
Respondent
A person who, or organization that, is requested or required to supply information to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), is the subject of information requested or required to be supplied to the BLS, or provides that information to the BLS . A person or organization is not required to actually have provided information to BLS, or have had information provided to BLS from another source, to be considered a respondent.
Sample
A subset of a universe. Usually selected as representative of the universe.
Sample Survey
A survey in which only a sample or part of the population is studied.
Seasonal Adjustment
Adjustment of time-series data to eliminate the effect of seasonal variations. Examples of such variations include school terms, holidays, yearly weather patterns, etc.
Super-Sector
Super-sectors are the second highest
NAICS categories. These 11 categories represent general categories of economic activity.
Sectors
Sectors are the third highest
NAICS categories. These 20 categories represent more specific categories of economic activity where the aggregated industries that make up each sector are more closely related.
Series Break
A large change in the level of a time series resulting from: a major change in methodology; a major change in industry definition; a major industry or area coding error; the permanent loss of a major reporter; area redefinition. If a series has been broken, data before the break are not comparable to data after the break.
Statistical Methods Staff (SMS)
A division within Office of Employment and Unemployment Statistics (OEUS) that researches and sets statistical standards for Federal/State surveys.
State Employment and Security Agency (SESA)
A generic name for the State agency usually responsible for three activities: (1) Unemployment Insurance (UI) Program - UI tax collection, administration, and determination and payment of unemployment benefits, (2) Research and Analysis - collection, analysis, and publication of labor market information, and (3) Employment or Job Service Program - an exchange for workers seeking work and employers seeking workers.
Statistical Activities
The collection, compilation, processing, or analysis of data for the purpose of describing or making estimates or tabulations concerning the whole, or relevant groups or components within the economy, society, or the natural environment. Statistical activities include the development of methods or resources that support those activities, such as measurement methods, models, statistical classifications, or sampling frames.
Statistical Purposes
The description, estimation, or analysis of the characteristics of groups without identifying the individuals or organizations that comprise such groups, and the development, implementation, or maintenance of methods, procedures, or information resources that support such purposes. This definition does not include any use of individually identifiable data for administrative, regulatory, law enforcement, adjudicatory, disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act, or other similar purposes that affect the rights, privileges, or benefits of a particular respondent.
Status Determination Form
(Also called Status Report) A mandatory form filed by most United States employers with the State Employment and Security Agency (SESA) when they begin business operations. Information on the form is used to determine the employer ’s Unemployment Insurance (UI) liability and establish a UI account.
Strata
The parts into which a sample frame are partitioned according to predetermined criteria for the purpose of sampling and estimation. In Federal/State survey programs, these strata are usually based on industry code, geographic area, and size. The process of partitioning the sample frame is called "stratification."
Strike
A work stoppage by employees acting together in an attempt to bring pressure on management to give in to their demands concerning wages, working conditions, union recognition, or other issues.
Successor
The new owner of a business establishment. In
QCEW micro data, a successor is an establishment that is now reported (or that will be reporting) under one Unemployment Insurance (UI) Account Number or Reporting Unit Number (RUN), that was being reported under a different UI Account Number/Reporting Unit Number configuration. The purpose of Successor (and Predecessor) UI/ RUN coding is to identify establishments as continuous, especially when they change ownership or UI number.
Survey
A study of all or a portion of the whole, conducted for the purpose of making generalized statements about the whole.
Survey Design
All procedures used in a survey. Includes frame development, sample design, form design, estimation, and tabulation.
Taxable Wages
The portion of total covered wages subject to State unemployment insurance tax for the unemployment insurance trust fund.
Time Series
A variable in which the values are successive observations over time.
Trend
The long term or overall movement of a series over time. Any economic time series is assumed to be made up of trend, irregular, cyclical, and seasonal movements.
Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE)
The federal program that provides temporary financial assistance to eligible federal workers who become unemployed. (Federal employees are not covered under State-administered Unemployment Insurance programs.)
Unemployment Insurance (UI)
Social welfare program first instituted in the Great Depression to provide temporary financial assistance to eligible unemployed workers. Unemployment insurance programs are administered by State Employment Security Agencies under State law, subject to federal minimum standards.
Unemployment Insurance (UI) Account Number
The State Unemployment Insurance (UI) account from which an establishment pays UI contributions. These contributions (taxes) fund unemployment insurance benefits for eligible workers. UI account numbers are assigned to firms that may have one or more establishments.
Universe
The entire population to be measured.
Wage Records
An attachment to employer ’s Quarterly Contribution Reports that lists the social security numbers, the individual quarterly wages, and in some instances names of all unemployment insurance covered employees on the payroll.
WIN-202
A client/server State Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) processing system developed and maintained by the State of Maine, and used as the standardized processing system in fourteen States. It is a personal computer based system that operates in a Windows environment.
Worksite
A worksite is an economic unit, generally at a single physical location, where business is conducted or where services or industrial operations are performed. Examples of worksites: factory, mill, store, hotel, restaurant.
