Description:
This indicator measures the proportion of employees whose pay and conditions are affected by agreements between trade unions and their employer.
Source of Data:
The data for this indicator are gathered using the Labour Force Survey (LFS). LFS data are collected by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and are available from 1992.
Headline data from the Labour Force Survey are published each month on a rolling 3 month basis by the Office for National Statistics. The October to December quarter is used for this indicator.
https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes
This indicator is calculated as the proportion of people aged 16 and above who are employees whose pay and conditions are affected by agreements between trade unions and their employer.
The current confidence interval around the estimate from the LFS is ±2.2 percentage points.
Definitions:
The number of people in employment in Scotland consists of people aged 16 years and over who did one hour or more of paid work per week and those who had a job that they were temporarily away from. Employees are those who are in employment and are paid a wage by an employer for the work that they do.
Criteria for Change:
This evaluation is based on: any difference within +/- 1.5 percentage points of last year's figure suggests that the position is more likely to be maintaining than showing any change. An increase of 1.5 percentage points or more suggests the position is improving; whereas a decrease of 1.5 percentage points or more suggests the position is worsening.
Future Issues or Reviews:
Labour market statistics are revised periodically in line with the release of more up-to-date mid-year population estimates. The most recent revision took place on 15 July 2021, when LFS quarterly data from Jan-Mar 2020 through to Jan-Mar 2021 was reweighted. At the time when this data was originally released, survey responses were weighted to 2018-based official population projections and therefore reflected demographic trends which pre-dated the COVID-19 pandemic. These estimates have now been reweighted to new populations using growth rates from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) Real Time Information. Further information on this reweighting can be found at https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/methodologies/labourforcesurveyweightingmethodology
This indicator was previously updated on 15th March 2021, using data which has subsequently been reweighted as above. Although there has been a minor revision to the overall proportion on which the indicator is based, there is no change to indicator performance between the last two data points in 2019 and 2020.