VITAL SIGNS INDICATOR Jobs by Wage Level (EQ1)

FULL MEASURE NAME Distribution of jobs by low-, middle-, and high-wage occupations

LAST UPDATED January 2019

DESCRIPTION Jobs by wage level refers to the distribution of jobs by low-, middle- and high-wage occupations. In the San Francisco Bay Area, low-wage occupations have a median hourly wage of less than 80% of the regional median wage; median wages for middle-wage occupations range from 80% to 120% of the regional median wage, and high-wage occupations have a median hourly wage above 120% of the regional median wage.

DATA SOURCE California Employment Development Department OES (2001-2017) http://www.labormarketinfo.edd.ca.gov/data/oes-employment-and-wages.html

American Community Survey (2001-2017) http://api.census.gov

CONTACT INFORMATION vitalsigns.info@bayareametro.gov

METHODOLOGY NOTES (across all datasets for this indicator) Jobs are determined to be low-, middle-, or high-wage based on the median hourly wage of their occupational classification in the most recent year. Low-wage jobs are those that pay below 80% of the regional median wage. Middle-wage jobs are those that pay between 80% and 120% of the regional median wage. High-wage jobs are those that pay above 120% of the regional median wage. Regional median hourly wages are estimated from the American Community Survey and are published on the Vital Signs Income indicator page. For the national context analysis, occupation wage classifications are unique to each metro area. A low-wage job in New York, for instance, may be a middle-wage job in Miami. For the Bay Area in 2017, the median hourly wage for low-wage occupations was less than $20.86 per hour. For middle-wage jobs, the median ranged from $20.86 to $31.30 per hour; and for high-wage jobs, the median wage was above $31.30 per hour.

Occupational employment and wage information comes from the Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) program. Regional and subregional data is published by the California Employment Development Department. Metro data is published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The OES program collects data on wage and salary workers in nonfarm establishments to produce employment and wage estimates for some 800 occupations. Data from non-incorporated self-employed persons are not collected, and are not included in these estimates. Wage estimates represent a three-year rolling average.

Due to changes in reporting during the analysis period, subregion data from the EDD OES have been aggregated to produce geographies that can be compared over time. West Bay is San Mateo, San Francisco, and Marin counties. North Bay is Sonoma, Solano and Napa counties. East Bay is Alameda and Contra Costa counties. South Bay is Santa Clara County from 2001-2004 and Santa Clara and San Benito counties from 2005-2017.

Due to changes in occupation classifications during the analysis period, all occupations have been reassigned to 2010 SOC codes. For pre-2009 reporting years, all employment in occupations that were split into two or more 2010 SOC occupations are assigned to the first 2010 SOC occupation listed in the crosswalk table provided by the Census Bureau. This method assumes these occupations always fall in the same wage category, and sensitivity analysis of this reassignment method shows this is true in most cases.

In order to use OES data for time series analysis, several steps were taken to handle missing wage or employment data. For some occupations, such as airline pilots and flight attendants, no wage information was provided and these were removed from the analysis. Other occupations did not record a median hourly wage (mostly due to irregular work hours) but did record an annual average wage. Nearly all these occupations were in education (i.e. teachers). In this case, a 2080 hour-work year was assumed and [annual average wage/2080] was used as a proxy for median income. Most of these occupations were classified as high-wage, thus dispelling concern of underestimating a median wage for a teaching occupation that requires less than 2080 hours of work a year (equivalent to 12 months fulltime). Finally, the OES has missing employment data for occupations across the time series. To make the employment data comparable between years, gaps in employment data for occupations are ‘filled-in’ using linear interpolation if there are at least two years of employment data found in OES. Occupations with less than two years of employment data were dropped from the analysis. Over 80% of interpolated cells represent missing employment data for just one year in the time series. While this interpolating technique may impact year-over-year comparisons, the long-term trends represented in the analysis generally are accurate.

Graph and download economic data for Employed full time: Median usual weekly real earnings: Wage and salary workers: 16 years and over (LES1252881600Q) from Q1 1979 to Q1 2025 about full-time, salaries, workers, earnings, 16 years +, wages, median, real, employment, and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Employed full time: Median usual weekly real earnings: Wage and salary workers: 16 years and over: Men (LEU0252881900A) from 1979 to 2024 about full-time, males, salaries, workers, earnings, 16 years +, wages, median, real, employment, and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Average Hourly Earnings of All Employees, Total Private (CEU0500000003) from Mar 2006 to Jun 2025 about earnings, average, establishment survey, hours, wages, private, employment, and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Employed full time: Median usual weekly real earnings: Wage and salary workers: 16 years and over: Black or African American (LEU0252884600Q) from Q1 2000 to Q1 2025 about full-time, African-American, salaries, workers, earnings, 16 years +, wages, median, real, employment, and USA.

Wages in the United States increased to 31.24 USD/Hour in June from 31.15 USD/Hour in May of 2025. This dataset provides - United States Average Hourly Wages - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

The paper assesses gender differences in pre-labor market specialization among the college-educated and highlights how those differences have evolved over time. Women choose majors with lower potential earnings (based on male wages associated with those majors) and subsequently sort into occupations with lower potential earnings given their major choice. These differences have narrowed over time, but recent cohorts of women still choose majors and occupations with lower potential earnings. Differences in undergraduate major choice explain a substantive portion of gender wage gaps for the college-educated above and beyond simply controlling for occupation. Collectively, our results highlight the importance of understanding gender differences in the mapping between college major and occupational sorting when studying the evolution of gender differences in labor market outcomes over time.

This table provides annual and quarterly data about the compensation of employees, the wage costs and the labour volume of employees. Compensation of employees is classified in wages and salaries and employers' social contributions. The wage costs are the total of wages, social contributions paid by employers and taxes on wage costs minus wage cost subsidies. The labour volume is given in jobs (by sex), full-time equivalent (fte) and hours worked. The seasonal adjusted time series about the compensation of employees and the wages & salaries are also available in this table. The table additionally provides the compensation of employees, wages and salaries and wage costs related to full-time equivalents and hours worked.

Data available from: 1995 first quarter.

Status of the figures: Data from 1995 up to and including 2022 are final. Data of 2023 and further are provisional.

When will new figures be published? The preliminary estimate (flash estimate) of a quarter is released after 30 days. The second estimate is published after 85 days. At the second estimate of the fourth quarter, data of the previous three quarters will also be revised.

Graph and download economic data for Employed full time: Median usual weekly nominal earnings (second quartile): Wage and salary workers: 16 years and over (LES1252881500Q) from Q1 1979 to Q1 2025 about second quartile, full-time, salaries, workers, earnings, 16 years +, wages, median, employment, and USA.

The number of employed people in Italy was approximately 23.93 million people in 2024. Between 1980 and 2024, the number rose by around 3.80 million people, though the increase followed an uneven trajectory rather than a consistent upward trend. From 2024 to 2026, the number will increase by about 130 thousand people.The indicator describes the number of employed people. This refers to persons who during a pre-defined period, either: a) performed wage or salary work, b) held a formal attachment to their job (even if not currently working), (c) performed for-profit work for personal or family gain , (d) were with an enterprise although temporarily not at work for any specific reason.

Abstract

A. Objectives

To generate statistics for wage and salary administration and for wage determination in collective bargaining negotiations.

B. Uses of Data

Inputs to wage, income, productivity and price policies, wage fixing and collective bargaining; occupational wage rates can be used to measure wage differentials, wage inequality in typical low wage and high wage occupations and for international comparability; industry data on basic pay and allowance can be used to measure wage differentials across industries, for investment decisions and as reference in periodic adjustments of minimum wages.

C. Main Topics Covered

Occupational wage rates Median basic pay and median allowances of time-rate workers on full-time basis

Geographic coverage

National coverage, 17 administrative regions

Analysis unit

Establishment

Universe

The survey covered non-agricultural establishments employing 20 or more workers except national postal activities, central banking, public administration and defense and compulsory social security, public education services, public medical, dental and other health services, activities of membership organizations, extra territorial organizations and bodies.

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

Statistical unit: The statistical unit is the establishment. Each unit is classified to an industry that reflects its main economic activity---the activity that contributes the biggest or major portion of the gross income or revenues of the establishment.

Survey universe/Sampling frame: The 2006 BLES Survey Sampling Frame (SSF 2006) is an integrated list of establishments culled from the 2004 List of Establishments of the National Statistics Office, updated 2004 BLES Sampling Frame based on the status of establishments reported in the 2003/2004 BLES Integrated Survey (BITS). Reports on closures and retrenchments of establishments submitted to the Regional Offices of the Department of Labor and Employment were also considered in preparing the 2006 frame.

Sampling design: The OWS is a sample survey of non-agricultural establishments employing 20 persons or more where the survey domain is the industry. Those establishments employing at least 200 persons are covered with certainty and the rest are sampled (stratified random sampling). The design does not consider the region as a domain to allow for more industry coverage.

Sample size: For 2006 OWS, number of establishments covered was 7,630 of which, 6,432 were eligible units.

Note: Refer to Field Operations Manual Chapter 2 Section 2.5.

Sampling deviation

Not all of the fielded questionnaires are accomplished. During data collection, there are reports of permanent closures, non-location, duplicate listing and shifts in industry and employment outside the survey coverage. Establishments that fall in these categories are not eligible elements (three consecutive survey rounds for "can not be located" establishments) of the frame and their count is not considered in the estimation. Non-respondents are made up of refusals, strikes or temporary closures, can not be located (less than three consecutive survey rounds) and those establishments whose questionnaires contain inconsistent item responses and have not replied to the verification queries by the time output table generation commences.

Respondents are post-stratified as to geographic, industry and employment size classifications. Non-respondents are retained in their classifications. Sample values of basic pay and allowances for the monitored occupations whose basis of payment is an hour or a day are converted into a standard monthly equivalent, assuming 313 working days and 8 hours per day. Daily rate x 26.08333; Hourly rate x 208.66667.

Mode of data collection

Other [oth] mixed method: self-accomplished, mailed, face-to-face

Research instrument

The questionnaire contains the following sections:

Cover Page (Page 1) This contains the address box, contact particulars for assistance, spaces for changes in the name and location of sample establishment and head office information in case the questionnaire is endorsed to it and status codes of the establishment to be accomplished by BLES and its field personnel.

Survey Information (Page 2) This contains the survey objective and uses of the data, scope of the survey, confidentiality clause, collection authority, authorized field personnel, coverage, periodicity and reference period, due date for accomplishment and expected date when the results of the 2006 OWS would be available.

Part A: General Information (Page 3) This portion inquires on main economic activity, major products/goods or services and total employment.

Part B: Employment and Wage Rates of Time-Rate Workers on Full-Time Basis (Pages 4-5) This section requires data on the number of time-rate workers on full-time basis by time unit and by basic pay and allowance intervals.

Part C: Employment and Wage Rates of Time-Rate Workers on Full-Time Basis in Selected Occupations (Pages 6-9) This part inquires on the basic pay and allowance per time unit and corresponding number of workers in the two benchmark occupations and in the pre-determined occupations listed in the occupational sheet to be provided to the establishment where applicable.

Part D: Certification (Page 10) This portion is provided for the respondent's name/signature, position, telephone no., fax no. and e-mail address and time spent in answering the questionnaire.

Appropriate spaces are also provided to elicit comments on data provided for the 2006 OWS; results of the 2004 OWS; and presentation/packaging, particularly on the definition of terms, layout, font and color.

Part E: Survey Personnel (Page 10) This portion is for the particulars of the enumerators and area/regional supervisors and reviewers at the BLES and DOLE Regional Offices involved in the data collection and review of questionnaire entries.

Part F: Industries With Selected Occupations (Page 11) The list of industries for occupational wage monitoring has been provided to guide the enumerators in determining the correct occupational sheet that should be furnished to the respondent.

Results of the 2004 OWS (Page 12) The results of the 2004 OWS are found on page 12 of the questionnaire. These results can serve as a guide to the survey personnel in editing/review of the entries in the questionnaire.

Note: Refer to questionnaire and List of Monitored Occupations.

Cleaning operations

Data were manually and electronically processed. Upon collection of accomplished questionnaires, enumerators performed field editing before leaving the establishments to ensure completeness, consistency and reasonableness of entries in accordance with the Field Operations Manual. The forms were again checked for data consistency and completeness by their field supervisors.

The BLES personnel undertaook the final review, coding of information on classifications used, data entry and validation and scrutiny of aggregated results for coherence. Questionnaires with incomplete or inconsistent entries were returned to the establishments for verification, personally or through mail.

Note: Refer to Field Operations Manual Chapter 1 Section 1.10.

Response rate

The response rate in terms of eligible units was 87.56%.

Sampling error estimates

Estimates of the sampling errors computed.

Note: Refer to Coefficients of Variation.

Data appraisal

The survey results are checked for consistency with the results of previous OWS data and the minimum wage rates corresponding to the reference period of the survey.

Average wage rates of unskilled workers by region is compared for proximity with the corresponding minimum wage rates during the survey reference period.

The country with the highest minimum wage rate in Europe during the first half of 2025 was Luxembourg, with a minimum wage of 2638 euros. Ireland, the Netherlands, and Germany were the countries with the next highest minimum wages, all above 2000 euros a month, while Albania, Bulgaria, and Montenegro had the lowest minimum wages in the same period.

Graph and download economic data for Income Before Taxes: Wages and Salaries by Quintiles of Income Before Taxes: Lowest 20 Percent (1st to 20th Percentile) (CXU900000LB0102M) from 1984 to 2023 about percentile, salaries, tax, wages, income, and USA.

Abstract

A. Objectives

To generate statistics for wage and salary administration and for wage determination in collective bargaining negotiations.

B. Uses of Data

Inputs to wage, income, productivity and price policies, wage fixing and collective bargaining; occupational wage rates can be used to measure wage differentials, wage inequality in typical low wage and high wage occupations and for international comparability; industry data on basic pay and allowance can be used to measure wage differentials across industries, for investment decisions and as reference in periodic adjustments of minimum wages.

C. Main Topics Covered

Occupational wage rates Median basic pay and median allowances of time-rate workers on full-time basis

Geographic coverage

National coverage, 17 administrative egions

Analysis unit

Establishment

Universe

The survey covered non-agricultural establishments employing 20 or more workers except national postal activities, central banking, public administration and defense and compulsory social security, public education services, public medical, dental and other health services, activities of membership organizations, extra territorial organizations and bodies.

Kind of data

Census/enumeration data [cen]

Sampling procedure

Statistical unit: The statistical unit is the establishment. Each unit is classified to an industry that reflects its main economic activity---the activity that contributes the biggest or major portion of the gross income or revenues of the establishment.

Survey universe/Sampling frame: The 2004 BLES Survey Sampling Frame (SSF2004) is a list frame of establishments that is a partial update of the 2003 BLES Sampling Frame based on the status of establishments reported in the 2003 BLES Integrated Survey (BITS) conducted nationwide.

Reports on closures and retrenchments of establishments submitted to the Regional Offices of the Department of Labor and Employment in December 2003 and January 2004 were also considered in updating the 2004 frame.

Sampling design: The OWS is a complete enumeration of non-agricultural establishments employing 50 persons or more. The design does not consider the region as a domain to allow for more industry coverage.

Sample size: For 2004 OWS, number of establishments covered was 8,779 of which, 6,827 were eligible units.

Note: Refer to Field Operations Manual Chapter 1 Section 1.5.

Sampling deviation

While the OWS is a complete enumeration survey, not all of the fielded questionnaires are accomplished. Due to the inadequacy of the frame used, there are reports of permanent closures, nonlocation, duplicate listing and shifts in industry and employment outside the survey coverage. Establishments that fall in these categories are not eligible elements of the frame and their count is not considered in the estimation. In addition to non-response of establishments because of refusals, strikes or temporary closures, there are establishments whose questionnaires contain inconsistent item responses that are not included in the processing as these have not replied to the verification queries by the time output table generation commences. Such establishments are also considered as non-respondents.

Respondents are post-stratified as to geographic, industry and employment size classifications. Non-respondents are retained in their classifications. Sample values of basic pay and allowances for the monitored occupations whose basis of payment is an hour or a day are converted into a standard monthly equivalent, assuming 313 working days and 8 hours per day. Daily rate x 26.08333; Hourly rate x 208.66667.

Mode of data collection

Other [oth] mixed method: self-accomplished, mailed, face-to-face

Research instrument

The questionnaire contains the following sections:

Cover Page (Page 1) This contains the address box, contact particulars for assistance, spaces for changes in the name and location of sample establishment and head office information in case the questionnaire is endorsed to it and status codes of the establishment to be accomplished by BLES and its field personnel.

Survey Information (Page 2) This contains the survey objective and uses of the data, scope of the survey, confidentiality clause, collection authority, authorized field personnel, coverage, periodicity and reference period, due date for accomplishment and expected date when the results of the 2006 OWS would be available.

Part A: General Information (Page 3) This portion inquires on main economic activity, major products/goods or services and total employment.

Part B: Employment and Wage Rates of Time Rate Workers on Full Time Basis (Pages 4-5) This section requires data on the number of time-rate workers on full-time basis by time unit and by basic pay and allowance intervals.

Part C: Employment and Wage Rates of Time Rate Workers on Full Time Basis in Selected Occupations (Pages 6-9) This part inquires on the basic pay and allowance per time unit and corresponding number of workers in the two benchmark occupations and in the pre-determined occupations listed in the occupational sheet to be provided to the establishment where applicable.

Part D: Certification (Page 10) This portion is provided for the respondent's name/signature, position, telephone no., fax no. and e-mail address and time spent in answering the questionnaire.

Appropriate spaces are also provided to elicit comments on data provided for the 2006 OWS; results of the 2004 OWS; and presentation/packaging, particularly on the definition of terms, layout, font and color

Part E: Survey Personnel (Page 10) This portion is for the particulars of the enumerators and area/regional supervisors and reviewers at the BLES and DOLE Regional Offices involved in the data collection and review of questionnaire entries.

Part F: Industries With Selected Occupations (Page 11) The list of industries for occupational wage monitoring has been provided to guide the enumerators in determining the correct occupational sheet that should be furnished to the respondent.

Results of the 2004 OWS (Page 12) The results of the 2004 OWS are found on page 12 of the questionnaire. These results can serve as a guide to the survey personnel in editing/review of the entries in the questionnaire.

Note: Refer to questionnaire and List of Monitored Occupations.

Cleaning operations

Data are manually and electronically processed. Upon collection of accomplished questionnaires, enumerators perform field editing before leaving the establishments to ensure completeness, consistency and reasonableness of entries in accordance with the field operations manual. The forms are again checked for data consistency and completeness by their field supervisors.

The BLES personnel undertake the final review, coding of information on classifications used, data entry and validation and scrutiny of aggregated results for coherence. Questionnaires with incomplete or inconsistent entries are returned to the establishments for verification, personally or through mail.

Note: Refer to Field Operations Manual Chapter 1 Section 1.10.

Response rate

The response rate in terms of eligible units was 82.1%.

Sampling error estimates

Estimates of the sampling errors are not computed.

Data appraisal

The survey results are checked for consistency with the results of previous OWS data and the minimum wage rates corresponding to the reference period of the survey.

Average wage rates of unskilled workers by region is compared for proximity with the corresponding minimum wage rates during the survey reference period.

The number of employed people in Germany was about 43.06 million people in 2024. From 1980 to 2024, the number rose by around 8.53 million people, though the increase followed an uneven trajectory rather than a consistent upward trend. Between 2024 and 2026, the number will decrease by approximately 100 thousand people.The indicator describes the number of employed people. This refers to persons who during a pre-defined period, either: a) performed wage or salary work, b) held a formal attachment to their job (even if not currently working), (c) performed for-profit work for personal or family gain , (d) were with an enterprise although temporarily not at work for any specific reason.

In March 2025, the top one percent of earners in the United Kingdom received an average pay of over 16,000 British pounds per month, compared with the bottom ten percent of earners who earned around 800 pounds a month.

This table provides annual and quarterly data about the compensation of employees, the wage costs and the labour volume of employees. Compensation of employees is classified in wages and salaries and employers' social contributions. The wage costs are the total of wages, social contributions paid by employers and taxes on wage costs minus wage cost subsidies. The labour volume is given in jobs (by sex), full-time equivalent (fte) and hours worked. The seasonal adjusted time series about the compensation of employees and the wages & salaries are also available in this table. The table additionally provides the compensation of employees, wages and salaries and wage costs related to full-time equivalents and hours worked. Data available from: 1995 first quarter Status of the figures: The figures of the period 1995-2014 are final. Data of 2015 and further are provisional. Changes as of March 26th 2018: Figures of the second estimate of the fourth quarter 2017 have been added to the table. The data of the first three quarters of 2017 and the data of the year 2017 are revised. When will new figures be published? The preliminary estimate (flash estime) of a quarter is released within 45 days. The second estimate is published after 85 days. At the second estimate of the fourth quarter, data of the previous three quarters will also be revised.  Since the end of June 2016 the release and revision policy of the national accounts have been changed. References to additional information about these changes can be found in section 3.

Flights without a full package, Annual Average, Use electronic programs, Government Procedures and Bureaucracy, Workers, Total tourism establishments, Constraints facing setting up or practicing economic activities, Electricity Price, Access to Telecommunication (Phone & Internet), Road Passenger Transport, Number of international passengers, Water Price, Percentage distribution of tourism establishments which use electronic programs, Flights within a full package, Low demand, Percentage %, Labour Laws & Regulations, Electricity Supply (without interruption), Laptop, Percentage distribution of tourism establishments which use social media, Employees, Hotel rooms, Salaries and wages, Availability of Skilled Labour, Inbound international flights, Tourism Direct Gross Value Added, Water Passenger Transport, Number of local passengers, Average duration of residence in accommodation units, Other Activities, Professionals, Other Activities, Non-cloud Data, Railways Passenger Transport, Percentage distribution of devices used in tourism establishments, Operating surplus, Fuel Price, Managers, nights, Operating expenditure, Main Activity, Non-Saudi, Operating rate of international flights, Major performance indicators for passengers transport services, Licenses & Permits, Do not use social media, Cultural Activities, Outbound international flights, Land Passenger Transport, Workers problems, Furniture Apartments, Major challenges facing business environment development, There are constraints, Female, Transport Equipment Rental, Percentage distribution of tourism establishments that have cloud data, Number of available seats for international flights, Average daily price for accommodation units in Saudi Riyal, Number of available seats for local flights, Operating revenues distribution, Food and Beverage Serving Activities, Local Competition, Travel Agencies and Reservation Services, Cloud Data, Operating rate of local flights, Do not have Accounting Books, Security & Stability, Benefits and allowances, Water Supply (without interruption), Railway Passenger Transport, Percentage distribution of accounting books or budget usage, Percentage of sold flights for passengers by flight type, Operating revenues, Other Specific Tourism Characteristic Services, Government Inspection Procedures, Number, Fuel Supply (without interruption), Access to Finance, Thousands Riyals, Accommodation for Visitors, Total compensations, Gross value added of the tourism industries = operating revenues - operating expenses, Technicians, Local flights, Saudi Riyal per day, Total, Do not use electronic programs, Land / Rent of Space, Have Accounting Books, Retail trade of Country-Specific Tourism Characteristic Goods, No constraints, Air Passenger Transport, Employment percentage, Saudi, Occupancy rate for accommodation units, Handheld or tablet, Average daily income for accommodation units in Saudi Riyal, Desktop (PC), Specialists, -, Sports and Recreational Activities, Use social media, Number of employees, wages and Salaries, compensation, Flight, Tourism Establishments Survey, Economic Activity, Occupations

Saudi Arabia

Explore the Tourism Establishments Survey dataset in Saudi Arabia to uncover key insights on economic activities, workers, government procedures, and more. Access data on airline passengers, accommodation rates, transportation services, and challenges facing the tourism industry. Discover valuable information to enhance your understanding of the tourism sector in Saudi Arabia.Follow data.kapsarc.org for timely data to advance energy economics research..Preliminary estimated data based on supply and use tables.Gross value added of the tourism industries = operating revenues - operating expenses.Notes:Full package deals: packages that include the flight ticket as well as other services, such as the hotel booking, car rental... etc. Source: Administrative data from the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, Ministry of Tourism and the Saudi Railway Company

Graph and download economic data for Share of Labour Compensation in GDP at Current National Prices for United States (LABSHPUSA156NRUG) from 1950 to 2019 about compensation, labor, GDP, and USA.

Abstract

A. Objectives

To generate statistics for wage and salary administration and for wage determination in collective bargaining negotiations.

B. Uses of Data

Inputs to wage, income, productivity and price policies, wage fixing and collective bargaining; occupational wage rates can be used to measure wage differentials, wage inequality in typical low wage and high wage occupations and for international comparability; industry data on basic pay and allowance can be used to measure wage differentials across industries, for investment decisions and as reference in periodic adjustments of minimum wages.

C. Main Topics Covered

Occupational wage rates Median basic pay and median allowances of time-rate workers on full-time basis

Geographic coverage

National coverage, 17 administrative regions

Analysis unit

Establishment

Universe

The survey covered non-agricultural establishments employing 20 or more workers except national postal activities, central banking, public administration and defense and compulsory social security, public education services, public medical, dental and other health services, activities of membership organizations, extra territorial organizations and bodies.

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

Statistical unit: The statistical unit is the establishment. Each unit is classified to an industry that reflects its main economic activity---the activity that contributes the biggest or major portion of the gross income or revenues of the establishment.

Survey universe/Sampling frame: The 2008 BLES Survey Sampling Frame (SSF 2008) is an integrated list of establishments culled from the 2006 List of Establishments of the National Statistics Office; and updated 2006 BLES Sampling Frame based on the status of establishments reported in the 2006 BLES Integrated Survey (BITS) and 2006 Occupational Wages Survey. Lists of Establishments from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industries (PCCI) were also considered in preparing the 2008 frame.

Sampling design: The OWS is a sample survey of non-agricultural establishments employing 20 persons or more where the survey domain is the industry. Those establishments employing at least 200 persons are covered with certainty and the rest are sampled (stratified random sampling). The design does not consider the region as a domain to allow for more industry coverage.

Sample size: For 2008 OWS, number of establishments covered was 6,460 of which, 5,176 were eligible units.

Note: Refer to Field Operations Manual Chapter 2 Section 2.5.

Sampling deviation

Not all of the fielded questionnaires are accomplished. During data collection, there are reports of permanent closures, non-location, duplicate listing and shifts in industry and employment outside the survey coverage. Establishments that fall in these categories are not eligible elements (three consecutive survey rounds for "can not be located" establishments) of the frame and their count is not considered in the estimation. Non-respondents are made up of refusals, strikes or temporary closures, can not be located (less than three consecutive survey rounds) and those establishments whose questionnaires contain inconsistent item responses and have not replied to the verification queries by the time output table generation commences.

Respondents are post-stratified as to geographic, industry and employment size classifications. Non-respondents are retained in their classifications. Sample values of basic pay and allowances for the monitored occupations whose basis of payment is an hour or a day are converted into a standard monthly equivalent, assuming 313 working days and 8 hours per day. Daily rate x 26.08333; Hourly rate x 208.66667.

Mode of data collection

Other [oth] mixed method: self-accomplished, mailed, face-to-face

Research instrument

The questionnaire contains the following sections:

Cover Page (Page 1) This contains the address box, contact particulars for assistance, spaces for changes in the name and location of sample establishment and head office information in case the questionnaire is endorsed to it and status codes of the establishment to be accomplished by BLES and its field personnel.

Survey Information (Page 2) This contains the survey objective and uses of the data, scope of the survey, confidentiality clause, collection authority, authorized field personnel, coverage, periodicity and reference period, due date for accomplishment and expected date when the results of the 2006 OWS would be available.

Part A: General Information (Page 3) This portion inquires on main economic activity, major products/goods or services and total employment.

Part B: Employment and Wage Rates of Time-Rate Workers on Full-Time Basis (Pages 4-5) This section requires data on the number of time-rate workers on full-time basis by time unit and by basic pay and allowance intervals.

Part C: Employment and Wage Rates of Time-Rate Workers on Full-Time Basis in Selected Occupations (Pages 6-9) This part inquires on the basic pay and allowance per time unit and corresponding number of workers in the two benchmark occupations and in the pre-determined occupations listed in the occupational sheet to be provided to the establishment where applicable.

Part D: Certification (Page 10) This portion is provided for the respondent's name/signature, position, telephone no., fax no. and e-mail address and time spent in answering the questionnaire.

Appropriate spaces are also provided to elicit comments on data provided for the 2008 OWS; results of the 2006 OWS; and presentation/packaging, particularly on the definition of terms, layout, font and color.

Part E: Survey Personnel (Page 10) This portion is for the particulars of the enumerators and area/regional supervisors and reviewers at the BLES and DOLE Regional Offices involved in the data collection and review of questionnaire entries.

Part F: Industries With Selected Occupations (Page 11) The list of industries for occupational wage monitoring has been provided to guide the enumerators in determining the correct occupational sheet that should be furnished to the respondent.

Results of the 2006 OWS (Page 12) The results of the 2006 OWS are found on page 12 of the questionnaire. These results can serve as a guide to the survey personnel in editing/review of the entries in the questionnaire.

Note: Refer to questionnaire and List of Monitored Occupations.

Cleaning operations

Data were manually and electronically processed. Upon collection of accomplished questionnaires, enumerators performed field editing before leaving the establishments to ensure completeness, consistency and reasonableness of entries in accordance with the Field Operations Manual. The forms were again checked for data consistency and completeness by their field supervisors.

The BLES personnel undertook the final review, coding of information on classifications used, data entry and validation and scrutiny of aggregated results for coherence. Questionnaires with incomplete or inconsistent entries were returned to the establishments for verification, personally or through mail.

Note: Refer to Field Operations Manual Chapter 1 Section 1.10.

Response rate

The response rate in terms of eligible units was 78.4%.

Sampling error estimates

Estimates of the sampling errors will be computed and posted in BLES website.

Data appraisal

The survey results are checked for consistency with the results of previous OWS data and the minimum wage rates corresponding to the reference period of the survey.

Average wage rates of unskilled workers by region is compared for proximity with the corresponding minimum wage rates during the survey reference period.