FORCE: an innovative data matching for the evaluation of the Skills Investment Plan

As part of the evaluation of the “Skills Investment Plan” (PIC), DARES has set up a data matching programme: the FORCE (Training, Unemployment and Employment) scheme, in association with Pôle Emploi.

The challenge is to match four databases in order to link information on active individuals, year after year: the historical files (FH – Pôle Emploi), which gather data on working life (eligibility for benefits, training, actions); the Labour Force Movement database (MMO – DARES), which contains information on employment contracts, their status and duration in particular the regionalised database of vocational training trainees (BREST – DARES), which gathers the characteristics of the training courses followed by jobseekers; the I-MILO file of young people followed by local missions (DARES), which provides information on young people’s contacts with the local mission and the schemes followed by the local mission.

The recent law for a digital Republic, via the principle of the “hashed NIR”, allows a very precise matching of FH and MMO data, using the unique NIR identifier (Registration Number) previously encrypted in the form of a Non-Significant Search Code (NSC). Datastorm is a trusted third party for identity management, while CASD is a trusted third party for matching. The BREST and I-MILO databases are then matched, again by the CASD, on other identification information, based on the Levenstein and Jaro-Winckler distances on the previously reworked variables.

The FORCE files are then made available to CASD research teams. After approval by the Statistical Confidentiality Committee, these teams can, if necessary, work on a more precisely identified population and reconcile the FORCE matching data with complementary data obtained from other partners (Regional Council, etc.).