Evaluation of the Australian Wage Subsidy Special Youth ...

168
been higher, and the location of the interview differed to those remaining with fewer
from South Australia and the Northern Territory, Western Australia and Tasmania, more
from cities and fewer from country towns and rural areas.
The group of observations lost due to analytical selection had different features from both
those remaining and from those lost by natural attrition. For those lost for analytical
reasons, the means of more characteristics were affected than for those lost through
natural attrition. Compared to those remaining, fewer of those lost were married, had
employed spouses, apprenticeships, year 10 of school, mothers in the managerial
occupations, or had held a job for 3 years or more, while on the other hand more had
work limiting health problems and year 12 of school. The key outcome variable,
employment in 1986, was significantly lower for those lost by analytical selection.
The effects of analytical selection reinforced those of natural attrition for three variables,
SYETP treatment, South Australia and the Northern Territory and rural areas. For each of
these aspects, fewer cases were observed for those lost by natural attrition. The process of
analytical selection worked in the same direction as that of natural attrition, and so of
those lost, fewer had taken part in SYETP, fewer were from South Australia and the
Northern Territory and fewer were from rural areas.
There is a weak suggestion that among those lost due to natural attrition, the average
proportion of unemployment in 1984 is lower, and of those dropped by analytical
selection fewer were observed in employment in 1986. However, it is considered that this
is not sufficient evidence to support the hypothesis that key subgroups are
disproportionately affected in terms of the dependent variable labour market status. This
question is readdressed in the multivariate analysis that follows.
Drawing together the findings of the univariate analysis of sample reduction, it can be
said that profiles of some important regressor variables, and the key treatment variable
SYETP, show evidence of being statistically different after sample reduction. Segregation
by the two types of sample reduction, shows natural attrition and analytical selection are