| Summary: | The Industry Wage Survey conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is used to study occupational wages by industry. The program currently encompasses about 25 manufacturing and 15 nonmanufacturing studies representing about 65 industries. The BLS conducts about eight surveys each year, most of which are performed in either a three- or five-year cycle. Average wages and wage distributions for employees in selected occupations are published nationally, regionally, or locally for each survey. Because sampling errors are unavoidable in such surveys, a variance estimation procedure is often used. Variances are calculated to evaluate the quality of survey data, to publish information on the reliability of survey estimates, and to make sample allocations more efficient. The use of the variance estimation procedure in five manufacturing and two nonmanufacturing surveys conducted in 1985 and 1986 is discussed.
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