Evaluation of the Australian Wage Subsidy Special Youth ...

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Australia/Tasmania. Amongst those variables where fewer than 140 cases remained after
the missing data were accounted for, the variables for which a different profile was
observed were parental background where the mother had a post-school qualification,
where the father or mother was manager, professional or para-professional. It can be seen
that the pattern of statistical differences is different for those dropped for item nonresponse
in comparison to those lost through attrition shown in table 5.5. Thus different
processes might be behind these distinct sources of missing data.
Panel 2 of Table 5.5a shows a different pattern of statistical differences for those 264
cases dropped for other analytical reasons. It should be noted that amongst these, all cases
are observed for all variables. The variables for which those dropped had a different
profile to those remaining in the final sample were SYETP treatment, those married in
1984, partner employed, children, those with apprenticeship, year 12, year 10 or year 9 as
their highest qualification, those who had never held a job and those who had held a job
for 3 years or more, those in employment in 1986, and those in South Australia/Northern
Territory and Western Australia /Tasmania, and all locations other than Capital City. The
differing profiles meant that those dropped for other analytical reasons had less often had
SYETP treatment, were less often married or with children, had less often highest
qualifications of apprenticeship, year 10 or year 9 and more often year 12, had more often
never held a job, and less often had a job for 3 years or more, were less often in
employment in 1986, lived less often in South Australia/Northern Territory and Western
Australia /Tasmania, less often lived in country towns and rural areas and more often in
‘other towns’. The pattern of profile differences is distinct from that found for those lost
through attrition shown in Table 5.5.
Both groups of cases dropped for analysis had different profiles for the key variables used
to model SYETP treatment and employment in 1986. This indicates that as for attrition,
further examination of the impact on analysis of the dropping of these cases is warranted.
In the analysis so far, these cases have been treated in the same way, and so dropped for
the analysis. Before continuing it is worth readdressing the reasons why these cases were
dropped.