Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0
Author-Name: Richard Fabling
Author-X-Name-First: Richard	
Author-X-Name-Last: Fabling
Author-Email: richard.fabling@xtra.co.nz
Author-Workplace-Name: Independent Researcher
Author-Name: David C. Maré
Author-X-Name-First: David C.	
Author-X-Name-Last: Maré
Author-Email: dave.mare@motu.org.nz
Author-Workplace-Name: Motu Economic and Public Policy Research
Title: Measuring commute patterns over time: Using administrative data to identify where employees live and work
Abstract: We use administrative and survey data in the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI) to allocate 
workers to job locations (plants), which enables the production of over a decade of commute 
distance population statistics for New Zealand employees. We find that average commute distance (meshblock centroid-to-centroid) fell from 2005 to 2009 before rising again through to 
2018 (the final analysis year), with most regions displaying this general temporal pattern. Census 2013 place of residence and work is used to test our methodology against the alternative 
of using pre-existing plant allocations from the Linked Employer-Employee Data (LEED) 
production system. For a consistent set of individuals, our estimate of the commute distance distribution closely matches the corresponding distribution in Census. In contrast, LEED-based 
estimates tend to significantly overestimate commute distances, including radically overestimating the likelihood of inter-island commuting. Our more plausible results are 
primarily due to re-engineering the job allocation process, as opposed to exploiting better 
administrative data, though we make marginal improvements to residential address identification through a new prioritisation method, allowing us to use a broader set of 
residential address sources than available in LEED.
Length: 74 pages
Creation-Date:  2020-07
File-URL: https://motu-www.motu.org.nz/wpapers/20_05.pdf
Number: 20_05
Classification-JEL: R40; R41; M21
Keywords: commuting patterns; linked employer-employee data (LEED); Integrated Data Infrastructure 
(IDI); administrative data 
Handle: RePEc:mtu:wpaper:20_05