INTRODUCTION FROM THE EDITOR
Methods of Analysis: Using Survey Data and Administrative Data to Explore Similar Ideas
This month’s articles, “Wage Change Analysis Among Exiting Wyoming Executive Branch Employees” and “Factors that Influence Job Changing: An Examination of Demographic Differences,” both discuss wages in relation to state employees changing jobs. However, each article presents different sets of data and a different method of analysis.
The article “Wage Change Analysis Among Exiting Wyoming Executive Branch Employees” explores wages of workers who left state employment during 2005. “Factors that Influence Job Changing: An Examination of Demographic Differences” discusses various factors that may influence workers’ stated intent to leave state employment, as well as factors that could encourage them to stay.
A mail questionnaire sent to Wyoming state employees in 2008 (a precursor
to the 2008 Succession Planning Report: A Survey of Employees, http://doe.state.wy.us/LMI/SPR_08/cover.htm) asked whether they intended to
leave their current jobs. Collectively, the questionnaire responses became survey data, while subsequently gathered administrative data (e.g., employer, industry, wages) could show whether those employees did in fact leave their jobs. Higher wages might have been a factor in an employee’s stated intent on the questionnaire to leave a job and, following a job change, administrative data could show if the new job pays higher wages.
These articles are just two examples of what can be done with survey data, administrative data, and various methods of analysis.
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by April Szuch.
