Downloads
WP201528.pdf
PDF | 1.78 MB
This paper compares survey based labour earnings data for English graduates, taken from the UK’s Labour Force Survey (LFS), with the UK Government administrative sources of official individual level earnings data. This type of administrative data has few sample selection issues, is substantially longitudinal and its large samples mean the earnings of subpopulations can be potentially studied (e.g. those who study a specific subject at a specific university and graduate in a specific year). We find that very broadly the LFS and administrative data show a similar distribution of graduates’ earnings. However, the administrative data has considerably less gender disparity, higher high quantiles and more time series persistence. We also report on how the distribution of graduate and non-graduate earnings fell during each year of the Great Recession.
Authors
Anna Vignoles
Associate Director
Jack's main interests lie in human capital accumulation and discrete choice dynamic modelling.
Neil Shephard
Working Paper details
- DOI
- 10.1920/wp.ifs.2015.1528
- Publisher
- Institute for Fiscal Studies
Suggested citation
J, Britton and N, Shephard and A, Vignoles. (2015). Comparing sample survey measures of English earnings of graduates with administrative data during the Great Recession. London: Institute for Fiscal Studies. Available at: https://ifs.org.uk/publications/comparing-sample-survey-measures-english-earnings-graduates-administrative-data-during (accessed: 28 March 2024).
More from IFS
Understand this issue
Where next for the state pension?
13 December 2023
Social mobility and wealth
12 December 2023
Autumn Statement 2023: IFS analysis
23 November 2023
Policy analysis
Recent trends in public sector pay
26 March 2024
Living standards since the last election
21 March 2024
Major challenges for education in Wales
21 March 2024
Academic research
Social skills and the individual wage growth of less educated workers
27 March 2024
House price rises and borrowing to invest
27 March 2024
Household responses to trade shocks
26 March 2024