Impact of the Collection Mode on Labor Income Data. A Study in the Times of COVID-19

The strict confinement implemented by the National Government of Colombia to contain the expansion of the pandemic caused by COVID-19 generated challenges in data collection operations through household surveys. As a result, the surveys with face-to-face collection methods migrated to a remote mode, through telephone surveys, which could have changed the possible reporting biases of variables, such as income. This paper studies the effect of the change in the information collection model in the Great Integrated Household Survey (Gran Encuesta Integrada de Hogares) of Colombia on the report of labor income. To do this, we exploit the geographical variation in implementing collection methods and an integration of the survey with a social security administrative record to quantify the variation on the report.