Measuring Change in Employment Characteristics: the Effects of Dependent Interviewing

This article is concerned with measurement error in estimates of change in employment characteristics based upon panel survey data. Our aim is to assess the potential for measurement error in estimates of change in employment characteristics to be reduced by the use of dependent interviewing (DI) techniques. We conclude that PDI is an effective questioning method for the reduction of measurement error associated with measures of change in employment characteristics. Additionally, we find that measurement error in measures of change from traditional independently collected interviews is likely to be greater amongst occupations that are difficult to describe consistently.