Introducing the Tunisia Labor Market Panel Survey 2014

Ragui A Assaad,Dominique J Rolando,Caroline Krafft,Samir Ghazouani

doi:10.2139/ssrn.3868304

Ragui A Assaad, Dominique J Rolando + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3868304

Copy DOI

Abstract

This paper introduces the Tunisia Labor Market Panel Survey (TLMPS) of 2014, the first round of a publicly-available nationally representative longitudinal household survey. We provide a description of the sample and questionnaires. We discuss a number of data collection issues, such as non-response, as well as what was done to address these issues. The construction of sample weights is detailed. A comparison of the TLMPS to other Tunisian datasets is conducted to illustrate the representativeness of the data in terms of key demographic and labor market measures. Key features of the Tunisian labor market and potential avenues for research using the TLMPS are discussed.

Highlights

The Egypt Labor Market Panel Surveys (ELMPSs) of 1998, 2006, and 2012 and Jordan Labor Market Panel Survey (JLMPS) of 2010 have become well-recognized data sources for labor market studies in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
These problems can be further explored through analyses of the education data provided by the Tunisia Labor Market Panel Survey (TLMPS) 2014, analyses akin to those undertaken for Egypt and Jordan using the ELMPS and JLMPS (Assaad and Krafft 2015a; Assaad and Saleh 2015; Krafft and Alawode 2016)
Since we are primarily interested in individual labor market phenomena, rather than household outcomes, we further adjusted our weights to correctly represent the number of individuals in each stratum by 5-year age group, g, and sex, x, using the data from the 2014 census

Summary

Introduction

The Egypt Labor Market Panel Surveys (ELMPSs) of 1998, 2006, and 2012 and Jordan Labor Market Panel Survey (JLMPS) of 2010 have become well-recognized data sources for labor market studies in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The TLMPS 2014 includes detailed information on the socio-economic status of individuals, such as parental background (education and employment when the individual was 15 years of age), as well as information on the assets and resources of the household This information permits researchers to explore intergenerational dynamics even after individuals have left their natal households. Previous research has shown that Tunisia has substantial problems with education equity, quality, accountability, and efficiency (Milovanovitch 2014; Ben-Ayed et al 2016) These problems can be further explored through analyses of the education data provided by the TLMPS 2014, analyses akin to those undertaken for Egypt and Jordan using the ELMPS and JLMPS (Assaad and Krafft 2015a; Assaad and Saleh 2015; Krafft and Alawode 2016).

The survey design

Findings

Conclusions