Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union

F3: Labour market and lifelong learning (ESTAT-LFS-user-support@ec.europa.eu)

European Commission
Eurostat Directorate F
Labour Market Statistics (F3) methodology and analysis team
Bâtiment Joseph Bech D3/723
5, Rue Alphonse Weicker
L-2771 Luxembourg

The European Union Labour Force Survey (EU-LFS) provides population estimates for the main labour market characteristics, such as employment, unemployment, being outside the labour force, hours of work, occupation and much else, as well as important socio-demographic characteristics, such as sex, age, education, households and regions of residence. Since 1999, an inherent part of EU-LFS has been the modules. These were called 'ad hoc modules' until 2020. From 2021 onwards, they are called either '8-yearly modules' when the variables have an 8-yearly periodicity or 'modules on an ad hoc subject' for variables not included in the 8-yearly datasets. Commission delegated regulation (EU) 2020/256 specifies a multiannula rolling plan for the period 2021-2028.

The EU-LFS results are produced in accordance with relevant international classification systems.

Main classifications used are NACE Rev. 1 (NACE Rev. 1.1 from 2005) and NACE Rev. 2 (from 2008) for economic activity, ISCO 88 (COM) and ISCO 08 (from 2011) for occupation, ISCED 2011 for level of education (from 2014) and ISCED-F 2013 for field of education (from 2016), replacing the former ISCED 1997 codes.

For sub-national data, the EU-LFS uses the NUTS (Eurostat Nomenclature of territorial units for statistics) and the classification of degree of urbanisation.

Actual coding in the EU-LFS may deviate to some extent from those general standards; for more details on classifications (including the comparability between the revised classifications) and levels of aggregation, please consult: EU-LFS (Statistics Explained) - Documentation >> Classification.

As a general rule the LFS ad hoc modules cover all economic sectors.

Detailed information on the relevant methodology for the ad-hoc module (including the Commission regulation and explanatory notes) as well as to national documentation (national questionnaires and interviewers instructions) can be found on EU-LFS (Statistics Explained) - Modules.

The statistical units consist of the individuals living in private households, and, for some modules and countries, also the household.

The statistical population depends on the module. Please refer to the ESMS page of the corresponding ad hoc module or to EU-LFS (Statistics Explained) - Modules.

The reference area depends on the module. Please refer to the ESMS page of the corresponding ad hoc module or to EU-LFS (Statistics Explained) - Modules.

Six module topics are repeated every 8 years (8-yearly variables) and two are on ad hoc subjects and can vary each time. The topic of the module is repeated with a periodicity fixed in multiannual rolling plan and with some changes (in the list of variables included, the target population, the definitions, etc.).

Not applicable.

The EU-LFS is based on European legislation since 1973. Its implementation is governed by legislative acts of the Council and Parliament, as well as of the Commission. The principal legal act is the Regulation (EU) 2019/1700, also called the Integrated European Social Statistics Framework Regulation (IESS FR), and its Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2240, which came into force on 1 January 2021.

These are main regulations with provisions on definitions, design, survey characteristics and data transmission and dissemination. For more details on the regulations, please consult: EU-LFS (Statistics Explained) - Main features and legal basis.

Not applicable

Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 on European statistics (recital 24 and Article 20(4)) of 11 March 2009 (OJ L 87, p. 164), stipulates the need to establish common principles and guidelines ensuring the confidentiality of data used for the production of European statistics and the access to those confidential data with due account for technical developments and the requirements of users in a democratic society.

EU-LFS microdata as received by Eurostat from the National Statistical Institutes do not contain any administrative information such as names or addresses that would allow direct identification. Access to this microdata is nevertheless strictly controlled and limited to specified Eurostat staff.

After data treatment, records are aggregated for further use. Each dataset is complemented by the transmission of metadata, in particular confidentiality/reliability limits. These limits establish estimated sizes of population groups below which figures have to be suppressed or published with warning.. Aggregated data published in the online database follow these confidentiality/reliability rules, and data are blanked or flagged according to the confidentiality/reliability limits.

Researchers may access to anonymised LFS microdata available at Eurostat for scientific purposes only, also referred to as scientific use files. The available datasets are disseminated free of charge.), To avoid disclosure of confidential data, these data are "anonymised", on the basis of a list of anonymisation criteria agreed with the National Statistical Institutes. For more details, please refer to access to microdata.

For more information on publications guidelines, thresholds and microdata availability for researchers, please consult: EU-LFS (Statistics Explained) - Data and publications.

LFS data for modules are released after the end of the reference period once data processing and validation is terminated. This is not scheduled in a release calendar.

Not applicable.

In line with the EU legal framework and the European Statistics Code of Practice Eurostat disseminates European statistics on Eurostat's website (see section 10 - 'Accessibility and clarity') respecting professional independence and in an objective, professional and transparent manner in which all users are treated equitably. The detailed arrangements are governed by the Eurostat protocol on impartial access to Eurostat data for users.

Not applicable.

A final evaluation report of each module summarises the main findings. For more details, please consult EU-LFS (Statistics Explained) - Modules.

See Eurostat database

Eurostat also produces tailor-made tables not available online at the request of users (please refer to Eurostat user support).

EU-LFS anonymised microdata are available for research purposes. Please refer to access to microdata.

See the Eurostat website.

For a detailed description of methods and concepts used from 2021 onwards, please consult: EU Labour Force Survey - new methodology from 2021 onwards - Statistics Explained (europa.eu).

The methodology before 2021 can be found at: EU labour force survey - methodology - Statistics Explained (europa.eu)

Publications on the methodology of the survey are also available at: Quality reports and methodological publications.

See "Publications" section (10.2) above.

The concern for the quality of the EU-LFS is expressed in Regulations and reflected in harmonised definitions and discussed in working groups (such as the Labour Markey Statistics Working Group and its predecessor the Employment Statistics Working Group), workshops and seminars within the European Statistical System (ESS).

Annual quality reports were introduced in 2002. In addition, quarterly accuracy reports and quality reports for the modules were introduced in 2004.

The last milestone in the improvement of the EU-LFS quality is the adoption of the Commission Implementing Regulation 2019/2240 specifying the technical items of the data set, establishing the technical formats for transmission of information and specifying the detailed arrangements and content of the quality reports on the organisation of a sample survey in the labour force domain in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2019/1700 of the European Parliament and of the Council, and of the Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2180 on the detailed arrangements and content for the quality reports.

Eurostat and the Member States are continuously working to improve the quality of the survey on a voluntary basis beyond legal obligations. In 2009, a Task Force on the Quality of the EU-LFS reviewed the quality of the survey along the dimensions of the Eurostat's quality framework. It issued recommendations that have paved the way for future improvement regarding the relevance of the ILO concept of employment and unemployment, sampling design and sampling errors, weighting schemes, non-response, interviewers and fieldwork organization, survey modes, information for users, quality assessment and, more in general, quality assurance, coherence, cross-country comparability and change management. Most of these recommendations were translated in the latest regulations in force from 2021 onwards. Also, at the initiative of Member States, a programme of annual EU-LFS methodological workshops has been launched in 2005.

EU-LFS statistics have overall high quality. National LFS are considered as reliable sources applying high standards with regard to the methodology. However, the EU-LFS, like any survey, is based upon a sample of the population. The results are therefore subject to the usual types of errors associated with random sampling. Based on the sample size and design in the various Member States, Eurostat implements basic guidelines intended to avoid publication of figures that are unreliable and to give warning for low reliability.

EU-LFS results are used by DG Employment and a number of other Directorates-General of the Commission mainly for measurement and monitoring of policy agenda purposes. The European Central Bank (ECB) uses short term EU-LFS statistics related to Euro area. Key users include NSI's, international organizations, news agencies and researchers which use various aspects of EU-LFS data for international or intra EU comparisons. Finally, EU-LFS data are used by Eurostat for compiling detailed regional indicators, for estimates on current education and educational attainment, higher education and research, and for accurate estimates of labour input of National Accounts.

Several indicators stemming from the EU-LFS are used for monitoring and measurement of core policy objectives of the EU, for example in the context the European Pillar of Social Rights, the Sustainable Development Goals and the Macroeconomic Imbalance Procedure. For more information and a complete list of indicators, please consult EU policy indicators.

Eurostat does not carry out regular satisfaction surveys targeted only at users of labour market statistics but a general Eurostat User Satisfaction Survey is carried out every year to collect feedback on the quality of its statistics. The survey is usually addressed to the registered Eurostat users who are mainly students, academic, private users, business government and international organizations. 

Based on users needs, the list of EU-LFS variables have been reviewed and topics have been added in the context of the new regulations in force since 1 January 2021. Additional variables namely concern the health status and disability, the migratory context, the participation in education and training activities in the last 12 months. The collection of some topics have also been further improved in terms of comparability across countries, such as the working hours and the income from work, to answer users requests.

Please consult Quality reports and methodological publications.

The overall accuracy of the EU-LFS is considered as high.

The EU-LFS is a sample survey with a relatively large sample size. The achieved quarterly sample in all participating countries concerns about 1.7 million individuals (EU: 1.4 million), corresponding to around 0.3% of the total population.

All countries apply a probability sampling. The chosen method varies across countries but most of them use multi-staged stratified random sample design, especially those that do not have central population registers available.

As the EU-LFS data are based on a population sample and are mostly collected by interview, they are subject to the usual types of errors associated with sampling techniques and interviewing. Sampling and non-sampling errors, are calculated for each country and documented in the Quality Report of the European Union Labour Force Survey. Subject to Eurostat's quality screening, figures on employment fulfil the Eurostat requirements concerning reliability.

For each module, the relevant information about sampling errors can be found in the corresponding evaluation report.

For each module, the relevant information about non-sampling errors can be found in the corresponding evaluation report.

Module data shall be delivered to Eurostat before 31 March of the year following the reference year. The release of EU-LFS modules data is not bound by an advance calendar of publication.

For each module, the relevant information about timeliness can be found in the corresponding evaluation report.

For each module, the relevant information about punctuality can be found in the corresponding evaluation report.

Comparability across countries is considered as high. It is assured in the European LFS through various regulations ensuring harmonisation of concepts, definitions and methodologies for all EU member countries, EFTA and candidate countries. However, perfect comparability among countries is difficult to achieve, even were it to be by means of a single direct survey, i.e. a survey carried out at the same time, using the same questionnaire and a single method of recording.

For each module, the relevant information about comparability can be found in the corresponding evaluation report.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

Published estimates stemming from the LFS are considered fully internally coherent, since arithmetic and accounting identities in the production of LFS datasets are observed.

The Eurostat revision policy applies to this domain.

All reported errors (once validated) result in corrections of the disseminated data. Reported errors are corrected in the disseminated data as soon as the correct data have been validated.

Data are only published once they are deemed to be sufficiently complete for all data providers contributing to the aggregate.

New data are only used to update disseminated data in the case of reported errors, or in exceptional situations, such as after new population estimates have been defined based on a population census.

The EU-LFS is a random sample survey of persons in private households. The sampling units are dwellings, households or individuals depending on the sampling frame. Different schemes are used to sample the units, ranging from the simple random sampling method to complex stratified multi-stage sampling methods of clusters. Most countries use a variant of the two-stage stratified random sampling of household units.

Participation in the survey is compulsory in Belgium, Germany, Greece, Spain, France, Italy, Cyprus, Luxembourg, Malta, Austria, Portugal, Slovakia, Norway and Turkey. Part of the data can be supplied by equivalent information from alternative sources, including administrative registers, provided the data obtained are of equivalent quality.

Data collection is quaterly. For more details, please consuilt EU-LFS (Statistics Explained) - Modules.

The EU-LFS data collection is carried out through mainly four modes: personal visits, telephone interviews, web interviews and self-administered questionnaires. About half of the participating countries conduct the first interview always or mainly via CAPI while in subsequent waves the interviews are performed by CATI, if a telephone contact is available. 

For more information please consult the corresponding evaluation report: EU-LFS (Statistics Explained) - Modules.

Prior to the dissemination of transmitted national data, Eurostat checks the data quality and consistency. Eurostat calculates aggregated EU-LFS results which are then validated by the member countries. Afterwards they are published.

EU and Euro area aggregates are calculated aggregating estimated population totals from Member States. For the data expressed in absolute values for each quarter (i.e. number of persons/households) no further Eurostat weighting is used. Rates/ratios are subsequently calculated from the data expressed in absolute values (i.e. number of persons/households).

No adjustments done.