Quarterly Labour Force Survey 2013, Q3-Q4, Panel
South Africa, 2013
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zaf-statssa-qlfs-2013q3-q4-panel-v1
Quarterly Labour Force Survey 2013, Q3-Q4, Panel
QLFS 2013Q3-Q4, Panel
| Name | Country code |
|---|---|
| South Africa | zaf |
Labour Force Survey
| Type | Identifier |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.25828/8332-v636 |
The Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) is a household-based survey conducted by Statistics South Africa to collect information on the labour market activities of individuals aged 15 years and older living in South Africa. In 2013, Statistics South Africa developed the QLFS Panel dataset to support longitudinal analysis of labour market dynamics. The panel was constructed using data from the third and fourth quarters of the 2013 QLFS and was officially released in April 2014.
The QLFS panel enables researchers to track the same individuals over time, thereby providing insights into labour market transitions such as movements into and out of employment. It also allows for the analysis of employment outcomes across sectors, industries, occupations, and provinces, as well as the examination of job-search methods used by individuals.The QLFS Panel was used to prepare Labour Market Dynamics in South Africa, 2013.
The rotational design of the QLFS enables tracking of individuals across survey waves. In principle, up to three-quarters of respondents can be tracked between two consecutive quarters, while one-quarter of the sample is rotated out in the fourth quarter. The panel dataset matches individuals across quarters using identifiers such as name, surname, gender, age, and population group. Importantly, the panel tracks individuals rather than households and includes only members of private households and hostels.
Sample survey data [ssd]
Individuals
Version
v1: Edited, anonymised dataset for public distribution
2026-05
DataFirst retrieved this version from StatsSA on 15th April, 2021
Coverage
National coverage
The QLFS sample covers the non-institutional population of South Africa with one exception. The only institutional subpopulation included in the QLFS sample are individuals in worker's hostels. Persons living in private dwelling units within institutions are also enumerated. For example, within a school compound, one would enumerate the schoolmaster's house and teachers' accommodation because these are private dwellings. Students living in a dormitory on the school compound would, however, be excluded.
Provincial and metropolitan level
The QLFS sample covers the non-institutional population, except for workers' hostels. Persons living in private dwelling units within institutions are also included in the enumeration. For example, within a school compound, one would enumerate the schoolmaster's house and the teachers' accommodation, as these are private dwellings. Students living in a dormitory on the school compound would, however, be excluded.
Producers and sponsors
| Name | Affiliation |
|---|---|
| Statistics South Africa | Government of South Africa |
Study authorization
1999
| Agency name | Affiliation | Abbreviation |
|---|---|---|
| Statistics South Africa | Government of South Africa | StatsSA |
Data collection by organs of state in South Africa is authorised by the Statistics Act, 1999
Sampling
The sampling frame was based on the 2001 Population Census, where the country was divided into 80 787 enumeration areas (EAs). The survey sample, consisting of approximately 30 000 dwellings, was designed to be representative at both provincial and metro/non-metro levels, and within metropolitan areas, further representative across geographic types such as urban formal, urban informal, farms, and tribal areas.
The QLFS follows a stratified two-stage sampling design. In the first stage, PSUs were selected using probability proportional to size (PPS) sampling, while in the second stage, dwelling units were selected systematically within each PSU. A total of 3,080 PSUs were selected and divided equally into four rotation groups. Under the rotation design, sampled dwellings remain in the survey for four consecutive quarters, with one-quarter of the sample rotated out and replaced each quarter. The sampling unit is the dwelling, while the household is the unit of observation, meaning that if a household moves out, any new household occupying the dwelling is subsequently surveyed for the remaining rotation period.
Refer to the Metadata report for more details on sampling.
Data Collection
| Start | End |
|---|---|
| 2013-07 | 2013-12 |
Cross-section [cross section]
| Start date | End date |
|---|---|
| 2013-07 | 2013-12 |
| Name | Affiliation | Abbreviation |
|---|---|---|
| Statistics South Africa | Government of South Africa | StatsSA |
Access policy
DataFirst Dataportal
Statistics South Africa website
Distributor information
| Organization name | Affiliation | URL |
|---|---|---|
| DataFirst | University of Cape Town | https://www.datafirst.uct.ac.za/ |
Data Access
| Name | Affiliation | URL | |
|---|---|---|---|
| DataFirst | University of Cape Town | https://support.data1st.org/ | support@data1st.org |
Creative Commons Attribution only CC-BY license.
Statistics South Africa. Quarterly Labour Force Survey 2013, Q3-Q4, Panel [dataset]. Version 1. Pretoria: Statistics South Africa [producer], 2014. Cape Town: DataFirst [distributor], 2026. DOI: https://doi.org/10.25828/8332-v636
Users of the data must send DataFirst a copy of or link to any publication based on the data
Contacts
| Name | Affiliation | URL | |
|---|---|---|---|
| DataFirst Helpdesk | University of Cape Town | support.data1st.org | https://support.data1st.org/ |
Metadata production
zaf-statssa-qlfs-2013q3-q4-panel-v1
| Name | Affiliation | Role |
|---|---|---|
| DataFirst | University of Cape Town | Metadata producer |
2026-05
Metadata version
Version 1