Access to microdata for empirical research in social security and employment
CCSS collaborates with the Institute for Employment Research (IAB) of the German Federal Employment Agency, enabling approved researchers to access confidential administrative microdata on labor markets securely. These resources are available to any researcher approved by IAB, no affiliation with Cornell is required.
Access is available in person at the IAB Research Data Center at CCSS. See the Data Access page here for details on data access.
The data files contain detailed information on employment, unemployment benefit receipts, participation in labor market programs and registered job search, and many socio-economic characteristics.
The scheme image/description on this page depicts the different data sources and how they are combined in the available data products.
The most restrictive data may be accessed in person at the IAB Research Data Center located in the CCSS offices at 738 Rhodes Hall. Access to confidential administrative microdata is provided through a thin client connection directly to the IAB servers in Germany. In addition to Cornell University, other locations in the U.S. where this access is possible include: University of Michigan; University of California at Berkeley; Harvard University; University of California Los Angeles; and Princeton University.
Access to the IAB’s less restrictive confidential microdata, referred to as Scientific Use Files (SUF), are available. These files are similar in origin to the highly restrictive files but have been factually anonymized, enabling wider access. IAB will check for each specific case if and under what conditions a SUF file can be stored and accessed from a personal workplace. Potential users will have to complete a data security concept, as described on the Scientific Use page.
To learn more about the FDZ and IAB data in detail, please visit the Research Data Centre (FDZ) of the Federal Employment Agency at the Institute for Employment Research.
All data products available are provided free of charge. For instructions on applying for the data, visit the Data Access: On-site Use page. For help accessing these data, contact IAB via electronic mail (iab.fdz@iab.de) or call IAB in Nuremberg, Germany (+49-911-179-1752).
The IAB-FDZ data access site at Cornell University is located in the CCSS offices at 738 Rhodes Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853. Contact Info: email: iab@cornell.edu; telephone: 607-255-4089.