. "Appendix A Overview of Current Data Collections." Understanding Business Dynamics: An Integrated Data System for America's Future. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, 2007.
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Understanding Business Dynamics: An Integrated Data System for America’s Future
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR, BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS (BLS)
Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) [formerly the Business Establishment List (BEL)]
Purpose/uses
Serves as the sample frame for most BLS establishment surveys. Used to publish a quarterly count of employment and wages reported by employers (covers about 98% of U.S. jobs) available at the county, MSA, state and national levels, by industry. Used as benchmarking source for CES and OES. Used by BEA in calculating personal income components of GDP.
Design basics
Constructed mainly from UI system administrative records maintained by SESAs.
Frequency
Microdata continuously updated. County wage and employment data are published quarterly, 6 to 7 months after end of quarter.
Unit level
Establishment (EIN provides ability to aggregate to firm and industry levels and from county to national levels).
Coverage
Includes all establishments and workers covered by UI and UCFE programs. This amounts to about 8.4 million establishments—a near census—and 98% of all nonfarm wage and salary employment.
Content
Master file includes establishment names; full mailing and physical address; federal EIN; monthly employment; and quarterly wages by NAICS industry, county, ownership sector.
Limitations or lag time
Excludes nonemployer firms; no ownership characteristics; no government and only partial farm coverage; ownership links for multistate firms not comprehensive.
Accessibility of data
Microdata available only for statistical purposes and must be accessed onsite at the BLS research center in Washington, DC. Publicly available files include data on the number of establishments, monthly employment levels and quarterly wages, aggregated by NAICS industry, county, or ownership sector.
Business Employment Dynamics (BED)
Purpose/uses
Program produces a quarterly series of gross job gains and gross job losses statistics based on the universe of establishments covered in the QCEW. Used in CES to track establishment-level expansions, contractions, openings, and closings.
Design basics
Data are constructed using a multistep procedure to link QCEW microdata across periods; about 6.7 million private-sector employers are covered. Data become available about 8 months after the end of a given quarter.
Frequency
Quarterly, panel (1992 to present).
Unit level
Establishment (can be aggregated to firm level with EIN).
Coverage
All establishments subject to state UI laws and federal agencies subject to the UCFE program (about 98% of all employment).
Content
Monthly employment and wages; full address; and number and percent of gross jobs gained by opening and expanding establishments, gross jobs lost by closing and contracting establishments, establishments that are classified as openings, closings, expansions, and contractions.
Limitations or lag time
Excludes government employees, certain nonprofit employees, self-employed, private households, and establishments with zero employment. UI coverage differs by state and may change over time. EINs are imperfect for creating record linkages.
Accessibility of data
As with QCEW, public-use microdata are not available. Researchers must submit proposals and data can only be used at the BLS research center in Washington, DC.
