Reference metadata describe statistical concepts and methodologies used for the collection and generation of data. They provide information on data quality and, since they are strongly content-oriented, assist users in interpreting the data. Reference metadata, unlike structural metadata, can be decoupled from the data.
Zelenih beretki 26, 71000 Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina; bhas@bhas.gov.ba
1.6. Contact email address
Confidential because of GDPR
1.7. Contact phone number
Confidential because of GDPR
1.8. Contact fax number
Confidential because of GDPR
2.1. Metadata last certified
31 December 2024
2.2. Metadata last posted
31 December 2024
2.3. Metadata last update
31 December 2024
3.1. Data description
The Labour Force Survey (LFS) is a household-oriented survey created with the aim of gathering the necessary information on the labour market and labour force characteristics, ie. about three basic, mutually exclusive contingents of the population: employed, unemployed and persons outside the labour force. LFS is carried out in accordance with the standards and recommendations of the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the regulations of the EUROSTAT when it comes to methodology, organization, sample selection, questionnaire design and definitions of employment and unemployment, thus enabling that a large amount of data obtained from LFS can be compared with equivalent data from other countries. Based on the data collected by the LFS, economic and social developments in Bosnia and Herzegovina are monitored, measured and evaluated. When it comes to employed persons, LFS registers their professional status, the form of ownership in which they work, the rights they exercise at work, occupation and activity, the number of working hours, etc. In the case of the unemployed persons, LFS examines job search methods, length of job search, previous work experience, etc. For persons outside the labor force, data are collected on the reasons for not looking for a job as well as their relationship to the labour market. In addition to the above categories, demographic, socio-economic, educational and other characteristics of the population are also investigated. The results of the LFS are published in an aggregated form, which, in accordance with the provisions of the Law on Statistics, fully ensures the confidentiality of individual data on households and persons. Data obtained by the survey are published quarterly and annually.
Abbreviation
Explanation
CV
Coefficient of variation (or relative standard error)
Y/N
Yes / No
H/P
Households/Persons
M?
Member State doesn’t know
NA
Not applicable/ Not relevant (used for textual data)
NaN
Not applicable (used for numerical data)
UNA
Information unavailable
NR
Non-response: Member State doesn’t answer to Eurostat request for information. Blank is allowed only in boxes with comments
LFS
Labour Force Survey
NUTS
Nomenclature of territorial units for statistics or corresponding statistical regions in the EFTA and candidates countries
3.2. Classification system
The classifications applied in the Labour Force Survey are harmonized with the international classifications in terms of economic activities, occupations, levels of education. The following classifications were used in the encoding and processing of data obtained by the Labour Force Survey:
Classification of Economic Activities KD BiH 2010 that is, in its content and structure, comparable to the EU Classification of Economic Activities NACE Rev.2 and to the United Nations Classification of Activities (ISIC Rev.4);
Classification of Occupation KZ BiH 2008 that is, in its content and structure, comparable to the International Classification of Occupations (ISCO-08);
International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED 2011);
Classification of the Field of Education (ISCED-F 2013), which complements the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED - 2011);
International Classification of Status in Employment (ISCE – 93).
3.3. Coverage - sector
The economic activity refers to the production or services that are performed / provided in the local unit of the business entity in which the surveyed person is employed.
LFS in Bosnia and Herzegovina covers all economic sectors.
The activities are coded according to the EU Classification of Economic Activities (NACE Rev.2). The results of the Labour Force Survey presented in the Release refer to the main activity groups:
Agricultural activities (A);
Non-agricultural activities (B, C, D, E, F);
Service activities (G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U)
3.3.1. Coverage
The Labor Force Survey (LFS) covers whole territory of country. The LFS covers total population that resides in the Bosnia and Herzegovina or intend to stay in Bosnia and Herzegovina for at least 12 months.
3.3.2. Inclusion/exclusion criteria for members of the household
Excluded are persons in institutional households (students’ homes, homes for children and young people with developmental disability, homes for socially imperiled children, old / retired people homes, homes for adults with disability, monasteries, nunneries, etc.). For the temporary absent persons (less than 1 year) data are obtained from other family member. Persons absent more than one year are excluded. For students who live in other town/village within country data are obtained from original households in the case when they are economic dependent from that household.
3.3.3. Questions relating to labour status are put to all persons aged
The population interviewed about the employment status coves people aged 15-89.
3.4. Statistical concepts and definitions
The methodology of the Labour Force Survey used definitions and recommendations published in Eurostat regulations: Regulation (EU) 2019/1700 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 10 October 2019 (Integrated European Social Statistics Framework Regulation - IESS FR) and Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2240 of 16 December 2019 (Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2240 for the labour force domain).
The observation unit in the Labour Force Survey is a household living in a housing unit selected in the sample, and the survey unit is a member of a randomly selected household.
Basic sociodemographic data were collected on all persons in the selected household, while data on work activity were collected only for persons aged 15-89.
The target population in the Labour Force Survey is:
- persons who live or intend to live in the surveyed private household on the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina for a year or longer;
- persons who are members of the surveyed private household, who live abroad, but intend to return and live in the surveyed household on the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina for a year and longer.
The working age population includes all persons aged 15-89 and is divided into two categories: active population or labour force (employed and unemployed persons) and persons outside the labour force.
The labour force or active population consists of all employed persons aged 15-89 and unemployed persons aged 15-74.
Persons outside the labour force are persons aged 15 to 89 who are not classified as employed or unemployed, ie all persons who did not perform any paid work in the reference week, did not actively look for a job or were not able to start working within two weeks after the end of the reference week.
Employed persons comprise persons aged 15 to 89 (in completed years at the end of the reference week) who, during the reference week, were in one of the following categories:
(a) persons who during the reference week worked for at least 1 hour for pay or profit, including contributing family workers;
(b) persons with a job or business who were temporarily not at work during the reference week but had an attachment to their job, where the following groups have a job attachment:
- persons not at work due to holidays, working time arrangements, sick leave, maternity or paternity leave,
- persons in job-related training,
- persons on parental leave, either receiving and/or being entitled to job-related income or benefits, or whose parental leave is expected to be 3 months or less,
- seasonal workers during the off-season, where they continue to regularly perform tasks and duties for the job or business, excluding fulfilment of legal or administrative obligations,
- persons temporarily not at work for other reasons where the expected duration of the absence is 3 months or less, and
(c) persons that produce agricultural goods whose main part is intended for sale or barter.
Persons in own-use production work, voluntary workers, unpaid trainees and individuals involved in other forms of work are not included in employment on the basis of those activities.
The Labour Force Survey does not take into account the formal status of the person being interviewed, but the employment status of that person is determined on the basis of the actual activity performed in the reference week.
According to the International Classification of Status in Employment, they are divided into self-employed persons, employees and contributing family workers.
Self-employed persons are persons who work independently in their own company, institution, private shop or on an agricultural farm, as well as persons who perform independent professional activity or some other job for their own account. Self-employed persons determine the conditions of their work (as well as the work of their employees) and bear the risk for their work.
Self-employed persons with employees are defined as persons who work in their own enterprise, institution, private shop or on an agricultural farm for the purpose of making a profit from the goods or services produced and who employ at least one other person.
Self-employed persons without employees are defined as persons who work in their own enterprise, institution, private shop or on an agricultural farm for the purpose of making a profit from the goods or services produced and who do not employ any other person.
Self-employed persons working in their own enterprise, institution, private shop or on an agricultural farm will be considered employed if during the reference week:
- worked in their own company, institution, private shop or on an agricultural farm for the purpose of making a profit, even if the company does not make a profit;
- spent time in their own company, institution, private shop or farm, even if no sales were made, no professional services were provided or nothing was produced;
- attended a congress or seminar;
- were in the process of establishing a company, private shop, institution or agricultural farm, taking the initiative to purchase or install equipment, rent business premises in preparation for starting a new business.
Employees are persons who work for an employer in any form of ownership (public or private), regardless of whether they have a formal employment contract or work on the basis of an oral agreement. Household members who help with family work and who are paid for their work are considered employees.
Contributing family workers (unpaid) are persons who assist another household member in running a family business or farm without being paid for the work. These persons are considered employed regardless of the fact that they are not paid for their work, because they benefit from their work in the form of certain benefits (accommodation, food, etc.).
Unemployed persons comprise persons aged 15 to 74 who were:
- during the reference week not employed;
- currently available for work, i.e. were available for paid employment or self-employment before the end of the 2 weeks following the reference week and
- actively seeking work, i.e. had either carried out activities in the four-week period ending with the reference week to seek paid employment or self-employment or found a job to start within a period of at most 3 months from the end of the reference week.
Active job search includes activities such as studying job advertisements, placing or answering job advertisements, placing or updating CVs online, contacting employers directly, asking friends, relatives or acquaintances, contacting a public employment service, contacting a private employment agency, taking a test, interview or examination as part of a recruitment process and making preparations to set up a business.
Only a person who has taken one of the active steps in the previous four weeks with the aim of finding a job can be considered an unemployed person.
Basic indicators that are derived from the Labour Force Survey are:
The activity rate is the share of the active population (labour force) in the total working age population.
The inactivity rate is the share of persons outside the labour force (inactive population) in the total working age population.
The employment rate is the share of employed persons in the total working age population.
Unemployment rate is the share of unemployed persons in the total active population.
3.4.1. Household concept
The LFS covers persons in private households.
3.4.2. Definition of household for the EU-LFS
A household is considered to be any family or other group of persons who declare that they live together and jointly spend their income to meet basic life needs, regardless of whether all members are permanently in the place where the household is located or some of them stay for a long time in another settlement, that is, to a foreign country for work, education or for other reasons.
A household can be:
• Single-member private household - a private household in which a person usually lives alone in a separate housing unit or lives as a tenant in a separate room (or rooms) of the housing unit, but does not join with other tenants of the housing unit with the aim of forming a multi-member household and
• Multi-member private household - a private household in which a group of two or more persons who usually live together in a housing unit or part of a housing unit and share the household's income or expenses with other household members.
The survey does not include collective households (a home or hotel for singles, a student dormitory, a home for developmentally disabled children and youth, a home for socially vulnerable children, a home for pensioners, the elderly and infirm, other nursing homes, monasteries, monasteries, boarding schools, etc.).
3.4.3. Population concept
Usually residence : -persons who live or intend to live in the private household on the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina for a year or longer; -persons who are members of the private household and who live abroad, but intend to return and live in the private household on the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina for a year and longer.
3.4.4. Specific population subgroups
Population concept
Specific population subgroups
Primary/secondary students
Tertiary students
People working out of family home for an extended period for the purpose of work
People working away from family home but returning for weekends
Children alternating two places of residence
The target population consists of individuals who intend to live in the selected household for at least 12 months, as well as those currently living abroad but planning to return to Bosnia and Herzegovina and reside there for at least the next 12 months.
Primary students are all persons who responded that they attended primary school in the previous four weeks.
Secondary students are all persons who responded that they attended secondary school/gymnasium in the previous four weeks.
Tertiary students are all persons who responded that they attended specialization after high school, academic studies lasting 4-4.5 years, first cycle studies, academic studies lasting 5-6 years, specialist and master's studies, integrated first and second cycle and second cycle studies, and doctoral studies or studies of the third cycle in the previous four weeks.
People working out of the family home for an extended period for the purpose of work are determined on the basis of question the about country in which the respondent performs the main job.
UNA
UNA
3.5. Statistical unit
The observation unit in the Labour Force Survey is a household living in a housing unit selected in the sample, and the survey unit is a member of a randomly selected household. Basic sociodemographic data were collected on all persons in the selected household, while data on work activity were collected only for persons aged 15-89.
3.6. Statistical population
The target statistical population in the Labour Force Survey is: - persons who live or intend to live in the surveyed private household on the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina for a year or longer; - persons who are members of the surveyed private household, who live abroad, but intend to return and live in the surveyed household on the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina for a year and longer. The target statistical population is not persons who stay or intend to stay in the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina for less than a year, nor persons who are absent or intend to be permanently absent from the surveyed household for a year or longer.
3.7. Reference area
Not requested for the LFS quality report.
3.8. Coverage - Time
In the period from 2006 to 2019, the Labour Force Survey in Bosnia and Herzegovina was conducted once a year, in April, and the fieldwork lasted two weeks.
Since January 2020, the Labour Force Survey in Bosnia and Herzegovina has been conducted continuously, throughout the year, with a quarterly release of data.
In order to harmonize with EU regulations and Eurostat requirements, from 2020 the procedure of weight calibration according to population estimates by five-year age groups and sex is carried out.
From January 2021, statistical institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina began to apply the new, redesigned methodology of the Labour Force Survey. The redesign of the survey took place on the basis of and in accordance with the new Regulation of the European Parliament and the Council, which entered into force on 1th January 2021.
3.9. Base period
Not requested for the LFS quality report.
The results of the Labor Force Survey are expressed through:
number of persons in thousands ('000) or
rates in percent (%).
Most of the data refer to the economic activity of a person in a specific calendar week, from Monday to Sunday, which is called the reference week. Some data refer to other periods (four weeks or one year versus the reference week).
The reference week is assigned to the observation unit prior to the fieldwork and interviewing week is a week after the reference week (INTWEEK=REFWEEK+1).
We follow the rule of interviewing all people in the week immediately following the reference week. Only in exceptional cases (due to the interviewer's illness and inability to go to the field due to some other reasons) we allow interviews 2 weeks after the reference week (REFWEEK+2).
The observation period for the first quarter of 2024 consists of 13 reference weeks and lasts from January 1, 2024 to March 31, 2024. The observation period for the second quarter of 2024 consists of 13 reference weeks and lasts from April 1, 2024 to June 30, 2024. The observation period for the third quarter of 2024 consists of 13 reference weeks and lasts from July 1, 2024 to September 29, 2024. The observation period for the fourth quarter of 2024 consists of 13 reference weeks and lasts from September 30, 2024 to December 29, 2024.
6.1. Institutional Mandate - legal acts and other agreements
The Labour Force Survey is conducted on the basis of the Law on Statistics of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Official Gazette of BiH No. 26/04 and 42/04), the Law on Statistics of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Official Gazette of FBiH No. 63/03 and 9/09) and the Law on Statistics of the Republika Srpska (Official Gazette of RS 85/03). The Labour Force Survey is conducted in accordance with the standards and recommendations of the International Labour Organization (ILO), as well as with the regulations of the European Statistical Office (EUROSTAT): Regulation (EU) 2019/1700 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 10 October 2019 (Integrated European Social Statistics Framework Regulation - IESS FR) and Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2240 of 16 December 2019 (Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2240 for the labour force domain), when it comes to methodology, organization, sampling procedure, questionnaire design and definitions of employment and unemployment. The compliance of methodologies, definitions and classifications with international standards allows a large number of data obtained from the Labour Force Survey to be compared with equivalent data from other countries, especially European ones.
6.2. Institutional Mandate - data sharing
Entity statistical institutions, the Federal Institute of Statistics and the Republic Institute of Statistics of RS, submit data (databases) of the Labour Force Survey to the Agency for Statistics of Bosnia and Herzegovina for further processing and publication of the results of the Survey for the level of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
7.1. Confidentiality - policy
The confidentiality of statistical data is regulated by law, and the staff conducting statistical research has the obligation to protect confidentiality on the same legal basis. The Law on Statistics of BiH (Official Gazette of BiH 26/04 and 42/04 - Chapter XI - Articles 23-29) establishes the principle of confidentiality as one of the main principles. The Agency for Statistics of BiH distributes statistics in accordance with the statistical principles of the European Statistics Code of Practice and in particular with the principle of statistical confidentiality.
7.2. Confidentiality - data treatment
The document "Ordinance on the protection of statistical data in the Agency for Statistics" lists the procedures for ensuring confidentiality during collection, processing and dissemination - which includes protocols for ensuring individual data to be accessed, rules for defining confidential cells in output tables and procedures for the detection and prevention of subsequent disclosures, as well as access to microdata for research purposes.
By signing the Memorandum of Understanding, data users who have access to individual data undertake:
treat individual anonymised data as confidential in accordance with rules, regulations and procedures
ensure adequate protection of individual data in accordance with rules, regulations and procedures
protect the transfer of microdata and destroy the media on which the data are, as well as the accompanying documentation five days after the publication of the results.
8.1. Release calendar
At the end of December every year, BHAS announces the Release Calendar with the precise date and time of publication of the statistics for the following year.
Quarterly data is published 10 weeks after the end of the quarter, while annual data is published 13 weeks after the end of the reference year.
Data from the Labour Force Survey can be found in the publications of BiH in figures, Women and Men in BiH and Statistics for Indicators of Sustainable Development of BiH. Also, on the website of the Agency for Statistics of BiH (Labour Market category -Time series section), 25 web tables of the Labour Force Survey are available, which contain a time series of basic labor market indicators.
10.3. Dissemination format - online database
Data from the Labor Force Survey are not available in the online database.
10.3.1. Data tables - consultations
Not requested for the LFS quality report.
10.3.2. Web link to national methodological publication
Short methodology is available on the following links:
Published data are made available to all interested institutions and media. Also, data can be sent to all interested parties at their request by email or phone.
10.3.4. Accompanying information to data
All requests for information about the LFS are answered within agreed period of time.
10.3.5. Further assistance available to users
Further assistance is available via phone or e-mail to LFS department.
10.4. Dissemination format - microdata access
Access to microdata for research purposes is permitted for registered scientific research institutions and registered researchers.
Anonymized microdata databases can be obtained under certain conditions prescribed by Article 18 of the Rulebook on the Protection of Statistical Data of the Agency for Statistics of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Chapter VI – Regulated Access to Microdata for Research Purposes which is available at the following link:
All available documentation regarding quality in BHAS statistics is available on following link: Quality
11.1. Quality assurance
Not requested for the LFS quality report.
11.2. Quality management - assessment
Not requested for the LFS quality report.
12.1. Relevance - User Needs
LFS data are used by national and international users.
The key users of the survey data are:
Internal users: statisticians from other statistical domains;
National beneficiaries: governments at all levels, ministries, other state institutions and local authorities, various academic and research institutions (universities and institutes), enterprises, journalists and individual users such as students, scientists, researchers and others;
International users: Eurostat ,World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF), International Labor Organization (ILO), UNDP, UNESCO, UNECE, UNICEF, OECD, European Training Foundation (ETF), USAID, embassies and others.
12.2. Relevance - User Satisfaction
Not requested for the LFS quality report.
12.3. Completeness
Since 2021, the Labour Force Survey has been carried out based on Regulation (EU) 2019/1700 of the European Parliament and the Council from 10 October 2019 and covers all mandatory variables.
12.3.1. Data completeness - rate
Not requested for the LFS quality report.
12.3.2. NUTS level of detail
The proposal for the nomenclature of statistical territorial units in Bosnia and Herzegovina (NUTS) has not yet been agreed upon.
12.3.2.1. Regional level of an individual record (person) in the national data set
In LFS individual data are collected at unofficial regional level (two entities and district).
12.3.2.2. Lowest regional level of the results published by NSI
The quarterly and annual data are published at the level of Bosnia and Herzegovina (country level), entities level (Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska) and district Brcko of Bosnia and Herzegovina. For Republica Srpska only basic indicators such as rates of activities, employment, unemployment and inactivity are published.
12.3.2.3. Lowest regional level of the results delivered to researchers by NSI
Unofficial regional level (two entities and district).
13.1. Accuracy - overall
Not requested for the LFS quality report.
13.2. Sampling error
Sampling errors are presented for the following statistics and / or variables: working age population, labour force, employed persons, unemployed persons, inactive persons, persons aged 15-64, activity rate, employment rate and unemployment rate. Sampling errors occur as a fact that the Survey is not conducted on full coverage, ie. on the entire target population, which in the case of the Survey would include all persons in BiH aged 15 and over. Conducting the Survey on full coverage would require much more time, as well as significantly higher financial resources for implementation. The survey is conducted on a sample, ie on a part of households. It is also known that it is possible to select a large number of samples for one study, where each sample would give certain estimates of key indicators that would be more or less different. It is the sampling errors, which, unlike non-sampling errors, are measurable, that indicate how reliable our obtained indicators are.
13.2.1. Sampling error - indicators
In surveys where the observation unit is household and where the results are often presented as a proportion or percentage, it is not appropriate to present the error in a random sample only in the form of a coefficient of variation but also over a confidence interval. Signs for the level of reliability in the Survey are:
() the data is less reliable if the coefficient of variation (CV) is less than 0.20 and equal to or greater than 0.10 or, expressed as a percentage, 10% ≤ CV <20%,
(()) the data is uncertain, if the coefficient of variation (CV) is less than 0.30, and equal to or greater than 0.20 or, expressed as a percentage, 20% ≤ CV <30% ,,
· the data is extremely uncertain, if the coefficient of variation (CV) is equal to or greater than 0.30 or, expressed as a percentage of CV ≥ 30%.
13.2.1.1. Coefficient of variation (CV) Annual estimates %
References to Annex File.
13.2.1.2. Coefficient of variation (CV) Annual estimates at NUTS-2 Level %
References to Annex File.
13.2.1.3. Description of the assumption underlying the denominator for the calculation of the CV for the employment rate
Coefficient of variation for the number of employed persons (aged 15-74) and the employment rate (aged 15-74) are identical. Since the denominator of the employment rate is the total population and for this particular age group (individuals aged 15-74) it is one of the population totals used in the calibration procedure. Thus the only source of sampling variability is the numerator.
13.2.1.4. Reference on software used
ReGenesees.
13.2.1.5. Reference on method of estimation
Taylor linearization
13.3. Non-sampling error
Not requested for the LFS quality report.
13.3.1. Coverage error
References to Annex File.
13.3.1.1. Over-coverage - rate
See in the 13.3.1. Coverage error section in Annex.
13.3.1.2. Common units - proportion
Not requested for the LFS quality report.
13.3.1.3. Misclassification errors – detection of mismatches of identifiers
See in the 13.3.1. Coverage error section in Annex.
13.3.1.4. Misclassification errors –description of the main misclassification problems encountered in collecting the data and the methods used to process misclassifications
References to Annex File.
13.3.2. Measurement error
See below.
13.3.2.1. Errors due to the media (questionnaire)
References to Annex File.
13.3.2.2. Main methods of reducing measurement errors
References to Annex File.
13.3.3. Non response error
Not requested for the LFS quality report.
13.3.3.1. Unit non-response - rate
See below.
13.3.3.1.1. Methods used for adjustments for statistical unit non-response
References to Annex File.
13.3.3.1.2. Non-response rates. Annual averages (% of the theoretical yearly sample)
References to Annex File.
13.3.3.1.2.1. Non-response rates. Annual averages (% of the theoretical yearly sample) – NUTS-2 level
References to Annex File.
13.3.3.1.3. Units who did not participate in the survey
References to Annex File.
13.3.3.2. Item non-response - rate
See below.
13.3.3.2.1. Item non-response (INR) in % * - Quarterly data (Compared to the variables defined by the Commission Regulation (EC) No 2019/2240)
References to Annex File.
13.3.3.2.2. Item non-response (INR) in % * - Annual data (Compared to the variables defined by the Commission Regulation (EC) No 2019/2240)
References to Annex File.
13.3.3.2.3. Item non-response for INCGROSS variable
References to Annex File.
13.3.4. Processing error
Changes and editing of data are possible during the survey. If the interviewer wants to change the respondent's answer, when he concludes that an error has occurred, he can do so on the spot. When the interviewers send the data to the headquarters, the subsequent control is performed, as well as the coding of occupations, activities and areas of education. Editing and processing phases refer to locating logically inconsistent information and correcting it. Logical-computational controls implemented in the application software prevent the entry of illogical data, so errors are minimized. No estimates of the number of processing errors are available.
13.3.4.1. Editing and imputation process
References to Annex File.
13.3.5. Model assumption error
Not requested for the LFS quality report.
14.1. Timeliness
References to Annex File.
14.1.1. Time lag - first result
Not requested for the LFS quality report.
14.1.2. Time lag - final result
Not requested for the LFS quality report.
14.2. Punctuality
LFS data were transmitted to Eurostat within 10 weeks of the end of the reference period.
14.2.1. Punctuality - delivery and publication
Not requested for the LFS quality report.
15.1. Comparability - geographical
The comparability of data from the Labour Force Survey in the other European countries is provided, because the LFS was made on the basis of Regulation (EU) 2019/1700 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 10 October 2019 (Integrated European Social Statistics Framework Regulation - IESS FR) and Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2240 of 16 December 2019 (Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2240 for the labour force domain), when it comes to methodology, organization, sampling procedure, questionnaire design and definitions of employment and unemployment.
15.1.1. Asymmetry for mirror flow statistics - coefficient
Not requested for the LFS quality report.
15.1.2. Divergence of national concepts from European concepts
(European concept or National proxy concept used) List all concepts where any divergences can be found
Is there any divergence between the national and European concepts for the following characteristics?
(Y/N)
Give a description of difference and provide an assessment of the impact of the divergence on the statistics
Definition of resident population (*)
N
NA
Identification of the main job (*)
N
NA
Employment
N
NA
Unemployment
N
NA
15.2. Comparability - over time
The Labour Force Survey, as a pilot survey, was first conducted in 2005. From 2006 to 2019, the survey was conducted once a year, in April. During this period, there was a change in the sampling framework in 2009 (a new updated Master Framework for sampling was introduced), harmonization of the Classification of Occupations with the ISCO-08 classification (2011), harmonization of the Classification of Activities of BiH with NACE Rev. 2 classification (2012), harmonization of the Classification of Levels of Education with the ISCED 2011 classification (2015), which affected the comparability of annual data.
From 2020, the survey is conducted as a continuous survey on the new Main Framework for Sample Selection.
In order to harmonize with EU regulations and Eurostat requirements, from 2020 the procedure of weight calibration according to population estimates by five-year age groups and sex is carried out.
From January 2021, the Labour Force Survey is conducted on the basis of Regulation (EU) 2019/1700 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 10 October 2019, which establishes a common framework for European statistics on persons and households based on data on individuals collected on the basis of a sample, and on the basis of the Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2240 of 16 December 2019, which introduced a new, redesigned methodology of the Labour Force Survey, and interrupted the data series in relation to 2020.
15.2.1. Length of comparable time series
See below
15.2.1.1. Length of time series
Not requested for the LFS quality report.
15.2.1.2. Length of comparable time series
Not requested for the LFS quality report.
15.2.2. Changes at CONCEPT level introduced during the reference year and affecting comparability with previous reference periods (including breaks in series)
References to Annex File.
15.2.3. Changes at MEASUREMENT level introduced during the reference year and affecting comparability with previous reference periods (including breaks in series)
References to Annex File.
15.3. Coherence - cross domain
Not requested for the LFS quality report.
15.3.1. Coherence - sub annual and annual statistics
Not requested for the LFS quality report.
15.3.2. Coherence - National Accounts
Description of difference in concept
Description of difference in measurement
Give an assessment of the effects of the differences
Give references to description of differences
Total employment
The LFS covers all employed persons who are residents in Bosnia and Herzegovina (national concept).
National Accounts meet the domestic concept including all employed, which are in production boundary activities.
LFS samples only persons living in private households, while National Accounts cover all persons regardless of their type of residence. LFS does not consider conscripts and unpaid trainees as employed whereas these are explicity or implicity accounted for in the NA. LFS estimates represent the average on all weeks of the year (for annual results) oro f the quarter (for quarterly results). National Accounts stock estimates refer to the mid of the year (for annual accounts) or the mid of the quarter (for quarterly accounts). The employment estimates based on LFS data usually lie somewhat below the estimates of employment calculated by National Accounts. National accounts combine data from all available sources in the country. This method allows a better coverage of the non-observed economy. National Accounts estimates are frequently higher than LFS employment estimates. LFS estimates are subject of the sampling errors, both with regard to levels and changes between periods. National Accounts may use sources different from LFS to estimate employment. National Accounts may introduce adjustments to reach a consistency between the employment reported by its sources and other related variables, like salaries and production. The National Accounts approach i salso more prone than LFS to identify and address underreporting or systematic biases. National Accounts are judged more suitable to measure employment levels, employment growth and industry breakdowns while LFS is more adequate to measure participation in the labour marke tor analyse the situation of specific socio-economic groups of the population.
National Accounts (NA) estimate number of employed from different sources such as: official statistical data on the number of formal employed, data on employed persons from financial statement and tax records.
National Accounts use estimate of NA employment for own work tables.
NA
Total employment by NACE
UNA
UNA
UNA
UNA
Number of hours worked
UNA
UNA
UNA
UNA
15.3.3. Which is the use of EU-LFS data for National Account Data?
Which is the use of LFS data for National Account Data?
Country uses LFS as the only source for employment in national accounts.
Country uses mainly LFS, but replacing it in a few industries (or labour status), on a case-by-case basis
Country doesn’t make use of LFS, or makes minimal use of it
Country combines sources for labour supply and demand giving precedence to labour supply sources (i.e. LFS)
Country combines sources for labour supply and demand not giving precedence to any labour side
Country combines sources for
labour supply and demand
giving precedence to labour
demand sources (i.e. employ-
ment registers and/or enterprise
surveys)
N
UNA
LFS data is not used in NR.
UNA
UNA
UNA
15.3.4. Coherence of EU-LFS data with Business statistics data
Description of difference in concept
Description of difference in measurement
Give an assessment of the effects of the differences
Give references to description of differences
Total employment
SBS focus on production-related variables, but they also produce estimates of employment.
Number of entrepreneurs includes all entrepreneurs that had employment data from Unique System of Registration, Control and Collection of Contribution in the Statistical business register in observed populationThe number of persons employed is defined as the total number of persons who work in the observation unit (including working proprietors, partners working regularly in the unit and unpaid family workers working regularly in the unit), as well as persons who work outside the unit who belong to it and are paid by it (e.g. sales representatives, delivery personnel, repair and maintenance teams).It includes persons absent for a short period (e.g. sick leave, paid leave or special leave), and also those on strike, but not those absent for an indefinite period. It also includes parttime workers who are regarded as such under the laws and who are on the pay-roll, as well as seasonal workers, apprentices and home workers on the pay-roll. Unpaid family workers refer to persons who live with the proprietor of the unit and work regularly for the unit, but do not have a contract of service and do not receive a fixed sum for the work they perform. The number of persons employed excludes manpower supplied to the unit by other enterprises. The number of employees is defined as those persons who work for an employer and who have a contract of employment and receive compensation in the form of wages, salaries, fees, gratuities, piecework pay or remuneration in kind. The number of employees includes part-time workers, seasonal workers, and persons on strike or on short-term leave, but excludes those persons on long-term leave. The number of employees does not include voluntary workers
In LFS employed persons comprise persons aged 15 to 89 who, during the reference week, were in one of the following categories:
(a) persons who during the reference week worked for at least 1 hour for pay or profit, including contributing family workers (paid casual work is also included);
(b) persons with a job or business who were temporarily not at work during the reference week but had an attachment to their job, where the following groups have a job attachment:
persons not at work due to holidays, working time arrangements, sick leave, maternity or paternity leave;
persons in job-related training or formal education;
persons on parental leave, either receiving and/or being entitled to job-related income or benefits, or whose parental leave is expected to be 3 months or less;
seasonal workers during the off-season, where they continue to regularly perform tasks and duties for the job or business, excluding fulfilment of legal or administrative obligations;
persons temporarily not at work for other reasons where the expected duration of the absence is 3 months or less.
Busines surveys gather information on production units oerating in the territory. LFS gathers information on people living in the country. lFS does not collect information for people living in collective households, while Business statistics do not exclude this information. LFS covers all economic activities and all firm sizes. Business statistics do not geather information on agriculture, government or some service activities. Business registers may not include small enterprises below a certain threshold or may leave out employment not included in the payroll or in the accounting books like family workers. Busines statistics estimate the number of jobs. LFS counts jobholders. Business surveys rarely have access to jobholders' features (like age, gender) for which the LFS is the only source.
LFS employment 2024:
Total: 1.234.641
SBS employment 2023 (preliminary data):
Number of entrepreneurs: 50.923
Number of Employed persons: 614.048
Notes on methodology
Total employment by NACE
Registered employment- cover sections of activity from A to S, according to NACE Rev.2. LFS – cover all the sections of activity according to NACE rev2 classification.
Definition of registered employment: the term employed comprises persons who have formal legal employment contract, i.e. who entered into employment with an employer for definite or indefinite period of time and persons who work on the basis of contract on performing temporary or occasional jobs, persons performing occupations/activities independently or who are founders of enterprises or unincorporated enterprises, as well as persons performing agricultural activities up to 65 years old, and are in the personnel records of the reporting unit or registered in tax authorities databases.
In LFS employed persons comprise persons aged 15 to 89 who, during the reference week, were in one of the following categories:
(a) persons who during the reference week worked for at least 1 hour for pay or profit, including contributing family workers (paid casual work is also included);
(b) persons with a job or business who were temporarily not at work during the reference week but had an attachment to their job, where the following groups have a job attachment:
persons not at work due to holidays, working time arrangements, sick leave, maternity or paternity leave;
persons in job-related training or formal education;
persons on parental leave, either receiving and/or being entitled to job-related income or benefits, or whose parental leave is expected to be 3 months or less;
seasonal workers during the off-season, where they continue to regularly perform tasks and duties for the job or business, excluding fulfilment of legal or administrative obligations;
persons temporarily not at work for other reasons where the expected duration of the absence is 3 months or less.
Registered employment – based on administrative data. Observation period- the next to last working day in the month. Quarterly data are calculated as the arithmetic mean of the number of employees for three months of the reference quarter; annual average as the arithmetic mean of the number of employees for 12 months. Data are taken from the tax administration and part of the data are collected filling the reports by legal entities according to the records of persons in emploxment.
LFS - survey based on the sample of private households. Observation unit for the LFS is each member of random selected household. Data source for the LFS is the statement which the interviewers collect from interviewed
LFS employment 2024:
Total: 1.234.641
Male: 769.533
Female: 465.108
Registered employment 2024:
Total: 855.764
Male: 466.671
Female: 389.094
Notes on methodology
Number of hours worked
Administrative sources: Hours actually worked include actually worked hours (effective hours of work) in full-time and in working time shorter or longer than full-time. It also includes hours in cases when employees were present at their working place and were paid, but did not work because of damages, cleaning the machines, preparation or cleaning of tools, momentary lack of work, breaks shorter than 30 minutes, writing reports, job stop caused against a person’s will and on no fault of his or her own.
LFS – Usual hours of work – which are the modal of actual hours of work over a long reference period (at least four weeks), excluding weeks of absence. For those with an employment contract are accepted contractual hours plus regular overtime.
Actual hours of work presents number of hours actually worked during the reference week, which exclude the main meal breaks, absence from work for personal reasons, education or training hours which are not connected with job.
UNA
UNA
UNA
15.3.5. Coherence of EU-LFS data with registered unemployment
Description of difference in concept
Description of difference in measurement
Give references to description of differences
LFS –ILO definition of unemployed persons: Unemployed persons comprise persons aged 15 to 74 who were:
- during the reference week not employed;
- currently available for work, i.e. were available for paid employment or self-employment before the end of the 2 weeks following the reference week and
- actively seeking work, i.e. had either carried out activities in the four-week period ending with the reference week to seek paid employment or self-employment or found a job to start within a period of at most 3 months from the end of the reference week.
Active job search includes activities such as studying job advertisements, placing or answering job advertisements, placing or updating CVs online, contacting employers directly, asking friends, relatives or acquaintances, contacting a public employment service, contacting a private employment agency, taking a test, interview or examination as part of a recruitment process and making preparations to set up a business.
Only a person who has taken one of the active steps in the previous four weeks with the aim of finding a job can be considered an unemployed person.
Registered unemployment: Unemployed persons are persons aged 15-65 years, who are registered at employment office. Administrative data on unemployed persons include the total number of unemployed who are kept in the records of the Employment Bureau in BiH, while unemployment data from LFS are derived from the data which were collected by interviewing people in households, according to international definitions.
According to the LFS, some persons are employed (because they met the definition of work of the International Labour Organization (ILO) - performing activities at least one hour in the reference week), but the same individuals were formally unemployed or inactive. A person who is registered with the Employment Bureau in BiH is formally unemployed person, while at the same time he/she can informally to perform occasional and temporary jobs, and for this work receives a salary, and the Labour Force Survey records such persons as employed. Therefore, data on the total number of employed and unemployed persons differ significantly from the Labour Force Survey and other statistical data sources.
LFS unemployment 2024 (15-74):
Total: 178.552
Male: 86.401
Female: 92.211
LFS unemployment 2024 (15-64):
Total:177.801
Male:85.718
Female:92.083
Registered unemployment 2024:
Total: 328.623
Male: 134.494
Female: 194.129
15.3.6. Assessment of the effect of differences of EU-LFS unemployment and registered unemployment
Give an assessment of the effects of the differences
Overall effect
Men under 25 years
Men 25 years and over
Women under 25 years
Women 25 years and over
Regional distribution (NUTS-3)
Total unemployment persons age 15-65 in 2024:
registered 348.918
LFS 177.801
UNA
UNA
UNA
UNA
UNA
15.3.7. Comparability and deviation for the INCGROSS variable
References to Annex File.
15.4. Coherence - internal
Not requested for the LFS quality report.
The annual operating costs for carrying out the research are reflected in the material costs and costs of fees. Material costs include the cost of printing interviewer training documentation and purchasing other supporting material, while the costs of fees include the costs of payments to interviewers and code lists for data entry.The costs do not include salaries of employees and other costs of statistical institutions in BiH. As an indicator of the workload of reporting units, we estimate the time that reporting units spend to participate in the Survey. The household survey lasts approximately 35 minutes on average. Time consumption by households that did not participate in the survey is not included.
16.1. Number of staff involved in the EU-LFS in central and regional offices, excluding interviewers. Consider only staff directly employed by the NSI.
References to Annex File.
16.2. Duration of the interview by Final Sampling Unit
References to Annex File.
17.1. Data revision - policy
The Agency for Statistics of Bosnia and Herzegovina does not have an official general audit policy document.
17.1.1. Is the general data revision policy fully compliant with the ESS Code of Practice principles? (in particular see the 8th principle) (Y/N)
The Agency for statistics of Bosnia and Herzegovina does not have an official revision policy document.
17.1.2. Is the country revision policy compliant with the ESS guidelines on revision policy for PEEIs?
The Agency for statistics of Bosnia and Herzegovina does not have an official revision policy document.
17.2. Data revision - practice
Not requested for the LFS quality report.
17.2.1. Data revision - average size
Not requested for the LFS quality report.
18.1. Source data
The source of data in the Survey is a household living in a household unit, i.e. all members of the household.
18.1.1. Source data - frame population
Sampling design (scheme; simple random sample, two stage stratified sample, etc.)
Base used for the sample (sampling frame)
Last update of the sampling frame (continuously updated or date of the last update)
Primary sampling unit (PSU)
Final sampling unit (FSU)
Date of sample selection
The sample design is two-stage stratified. The sample was divided into 4 independently selected subsamples, rotating groups or panels.
The sample frame (called Main Sample Frame), which is stratified by entities/district and type of settlement (urban and other), is used as the sampling frame.
First quarter of 2023.
Primary sampling units (PSUs) in the Main sample frame are territorial units composed of one or more adjacent census enumeration areas (EAs). The sample method with probability proportional size (PPS) was used for their selection, whereby the number of housing units (inhabited and uninhabited) from the 2013 Census of Population, Households and Dwellings database was used as a measure of PSU size.
Final sampling unit in the Labour Force Survey is a household living in a housing unit selected in the sample.
Q1: 21 December 2023
Q2: 20 March 2024
Q3: 20 June 2024
Q4: 19 September 2024
18.1.2. Sampling design & Procedure method
First (and intermediate) stage sampling method
Final stage sampling method
Stratification (variable used)
Number of strata (if strata change quarterly, refer to Q4).
Rotation scheme (2-2-2, 5, 6, etc.)
Primary sampling units (compose of one or more adjucent enumeration areas), are selected systematically with probability proportional to size (PPS) within each stratum (territory and settlement type) from EAs list. Size measure for each PSU was number of housing units (inhabited and uninhabited) from the 2013 Census of Population, Households and Dwellings database. EAs were sorted within each stratum according to the municipality and serial numbers. Using systematic selection on the sorted list, high level of implicit geographical stratification and effective sample distribution were provided.
Final stage units - households were randomly selected, from household list, obtained for each EA.
PSUs for each rotation group are stratified according to the type of settlement (urban and other) and 3 areas (two entities and one district).
Number of strata: 6
Sample for each quarter consists of 4 rotation groups (sub-samples), with 2-2-2 rotation scheme. The overlap between two consecutive quarters is 50%.
18.1.3. Yearly sample size & Sampling rate
References to Annex File.
18.1.4. Quarterly sample size & Sampling rate
References to Annex File.
18.1.5. Use of subsamples to survey structural variables (wave approach)
Only for countries using a subsample for yearly variables
Wave(s) for the subsample
Are the 30 totals for ILO labour status (employment, unemployment and inactivity) by sex (males and females) and age groups (15-24, 25-34, 35-44, 45-54, 55+) between the annual average of quarterly estimates and the yearly estimates from the subsample all consistent? (Ref.: Commission Reg. 2019/2240) (Y/N)
If not please list deviations
List of yearly variables for which the wave approach is used (Ref.: Commission Reg. 2019/2240, Annex I)
NA
NA
NA
NA
18.2. Frequency of data collection
Not requested for the LFS quality report.
18.3. Data collection
Data collection methods: brief description
Use of dependent interviewing (Y/N)?
In case of Computer Assisted Methods adoption for data collection, could you please indicate which software is used?
Two modes of data collection were used : CAPI (Computer assisted personal interviewing) and CATI (Computer assisted telephone interviewing).
CAPI was applied for households in the first wave and for the households in the later waves without phone contact. CATI was applied for the households in the 2, 3 or 4 wave with the phone contacts.
Y: Dependent interviewing is used, except for variables by which ILO status is defined and for variables which relate to the specific period.
Blaise 4.7 (for Federation of BiH and Brčko district)
IST softwaee (for Republika Srpska)
18.3.1. Final sampling unit collected by interviewing technique (%)
References to Annex File.
18.3.2. Info from registers
Are any LFS data collected from registers (Y/N)?
If Y, please indicate which variable(s) are partly collected from registers.
If Y, please indicate which variable(s) are fully collected from registers.
N
*In case of non-core variables in the EU-LFS, different percentages of imputation may come from administrative data.
18.3.3. Description of data collection and reference period for INCGROSS variable
References to Annex File.
18.3.4. Description of percentiles and bands used for INCGROSS variable
References to Annex File.
18.4. Data validation
Data collection in the field is conducted using an electronic application for manual entry (CAPI method), which ensures data validation through the implementation of logical controls (hard and soft) at the time of data entry.
The validation of the data structure before sending microdata to Eurostat is based on the description and technical formats of variables provided in Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2240 of 16 December 2019 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, while the validation of the data consistency is carried out in accordance with Eurostat's logical controls specified in "Annex 3 - LFS from 2021 - CONVAL specifications,"
Additionally, the central statistical office conducts validation and comparison of basic unweighted and weighted indicators, as well as validation and comparison of basic quarterly and annual indicators with the same indicators from previous quarters/years.
18.5. Data compilation
Not requested for the LFS quality report.
18.5.1. Imputation - rate
References to Annex File. Please note that in the Annex file the sheet related to this concept has a slightly different title, ‘Imputation - rate (item non-response)'.
18.5.1.1. Editing and imputation process for INCGROSS variable
References to Annex File.
18.5.2. Brief description of the method of calculating the quarterly core weights
Brief description of the method of calculating the quarterly core weights
Is the sample population in private households expanded to the reference population in private households? (Y/N)
If No, please explain which population is used as reference population
Gender is used in weighting (Y/N)
Which age groups are used in the weighting (e.g., 0-14, 15-19, ..., 70-74, 75+)?
Which regional breakdown is used in the weighting (e.g. NUTS 3)?
Other weighting dimensions
Initial weight for household is equal to inverse of inclusion probability (this inclusion probability is a product of inclusion probabilities from each stage), and correction for non-response. In order to obtain estimates for population that corresponds to current demographics projections, calibration procedure is perfomed, relating to the distribution of population according to sex, age (five-year age groups), at the level of territory (two entities and one district), provided that a household and each person from the relevant household have the same final weight.
N
Beside population in private households reference population also includes population in collective households.
If Yes, are you compliant with the Eurostat/ECB recommendation on Jdemetra+ as software for conducting seasonal adjustment of official statistics. (weblink) (Y/N)
If Not, please provide a description of the used methods and tools
The Labour Force Survey (LFS) is a household-oriented survey created with the aim of gathering the necessary information on the labour market and labour force characteristics, ie. about three basic, mutually exclusive contingents of the population: employed, unemployed and persons outside the labour force. LFS is carried out in accordance with the standards and recommendations of the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the regulations of the EUROSTAT when it comes to methodology, organization, sample selection, questionnaire design and definitions of employment and unemployment, thus enabling that a large amount of data obtained from LFS can be compared with equivalent data from other countries. Based on the data collected by the LFS, economic and social developments in Bosnia and Herzegovina are monitored, measured and evaluated. When it comes to employed persons, LFS registers their professional status, the form of ownership in which they work, the rights they exercise at work, occupation and activity, the number of working hours, etc. In the case of the unemployed persons, LFS examines job search methods, length of job search, previous work experience, etc. For persons outside the labor force, data are collected on the reasons for not looking for a job as well as their relationship to the labour market. In addition to the above categories, demographic, socio-economic, educational and other characteristics of the population are also investigated. The results of the LFS are published in an aggregated form, which, in accordance with the provisions of the Law on Statistics, fully ensures the confidentiality of individual data on households and persons. Data obtained by the survey are published quarterly and annually.
Abbreviation
Explanation
CV
Coefficient of variation (or relative standard error)
Y/N
Yes / No
H/P
Households/Persons
M?
Member State doesn’t know
NA
Not applicable/ Not relevant (used for textual data)
NaN
Not applicable (used for numerical data)
UNA
Information unavailable
NR
Non-response: Member State doesn’t answer to Eurostat request for information. Blank is allowed only in boxes with comments
LFS
Labour Force Survey
NUTS
Nomenclature of territorial units for statistics or corresponding statistical regions in the EFTA and candidates countries
31 December 2024
The methodology of the Labour Force Survey used definitions and recommendations published in Eurostat regulations: Regulation (EU) 2019/1700 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 10 October 2019 (Integrated European Social Statistics Framework Regulation - IESS FR) and Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2240 of 16 December 2019 (Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2240 for the labour force domain).
The observation unit in the Labour Force Survey is a household living in a housing unit selected in the sample, and the survey unit is a member of a randomly selected household.
Basic sociodemographic data were collected on all persons in the selected household, while data on work activity were collected only for persons aged 15-89.
The target population in the Labour Force Survey is:
- persons who live or intend to live in the surveyed private household on the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina for a year or longer;
- persons who are members of the surveyed private household, who live abroad, but intend to return and live in the surveyed household on the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina for a year and longer.
The working age population includes all persons aged 15-89 and is divided into two categories: active population or labour force (employed and unemployed persons) and persons outside the labour force.
The labour force or active population consists of all employed persons aged 15-89 and unemployed persons aged 15-74.
Persons outside the labour force are persons aged 15 to 89 who are not classified as employed or unemployed, ie all persons who did not perform any paid work in the reference week, did not actively look for a job or were not able to start working within two weeks after the end of the reference week.
Employed persons comprise persons aged 15 to 89 (in completed years at the end of the reference week) who, during the reference week, were in one of the following categories:
(a) persons who during the reference week worked for at least 1 hour for pay or profit, including contributing family workers;
(b) persons with a job or business who were temporarily not at work during the reference week but had an attachment to their job, where the following groups have a job attachment:
- persons not at work due to holidays, working time arrangements, sick leave, maternity or paternity leave,
- persons in job-related training,
- persons on parental leave, either receiving and/or being entitled to job-related income or benefits, or whose parental leave is expected to be 3 months or less,
- seasonal workers during the off-season, where they continue to regularly perform tasks and duties for the job or business, excluding fulfilment of legal or administrative obligations,
- persons temporarily not at work for other reasons where the expected duration of the absence is 3 months or less, and
(c) persons that produce agricultural goods whose main part is intended for sale or barter.
Persons in own-use production work, voluntary workers, unpaid trainees and individuals involved in other forms of work are not included in employment on the basis of those activities.
The Labour Force Survey does not take into account the formal status of the person being interviewed, but the employment status of that person is determined on the basis of the actual activity performed in the reference week.
According to the International Classification of Status in Employment, they are divided into self-employed persons, employees and contributing family workers.
Self-employed persons are persons who work independently in their own company, institution, private shop or on an agricultural farm, as well as persons who perform independent professional activity or some other job for their own account. Self-employed persons determine the conditions of their work (as well as the work of their employees) and bear the risk for their work.
Self-employed persons with employees are defined as persons who work in their own enterprise, institution, private shop or on an agricultural farm for the purpose of making a profit from the goods or services produced and who employ at least one other person.
Self-employed persons without employees are defined as persons who work in their own enterprise, institution, private shop or on an agricultural farm for the purpose of making a profit from the goods or services produced and who do not employ any other person.
Self-employed persons working in their own enterprise, institution, private shop or on an agricultural farm will be considered employed if during the reference week:
- worked in their own company, institution, private shop or on an agricultural farm for the purpose of making a profit, even if the company does not make a profit;
- spent time in their own company, institution, private shop or farm, even if no sales were made, no professional services were provided or nothing was produced;
- attended a congress or seminar;
- were in the process of establishing a company, private shop, institution or agricultural farm, taking the initiative to purchase or install equipment, rent business premises in preparation for starting a new business.
Employees are persons who work for an employer in any form of ownership (public or private), regardless of whether they have a formal employment contract or work on the basis of an oral agreement. Household members who help with family work and who are paid for their work are considered employees.
Contributing family workers (unpaid) are persons who assist another household member in running a family business or farm without being paid for the work. These persons are considered employed regardless of the fact that they are not paid for their work, because they benefit from their work in the form of certain benefits (accommodation, food, etc.).
Unemployed persons comprise persons aged 15 to 74 who were:
- during the reference week not employed;
- currently available for work, i.e. were available for paid employment or self-employment before the end of the 2 weeks following the reference week and
- actively seeking work, i.e. had either carried out activities in the four-week period ending with the reference week to seek paid employment or self-employment or found a job to start within a period of at most 3 months from the end of the reference week.
Active job search includes activities such as studying job advertisements, placing or answering job advertisements, placing or updating CVs online, contacting employers directly, asking friends, relatives or acquaintances, contacting a public employment service, contacting a private employment agency, taking a test, interview or examination as part of a recruitment process and making preparations to set up a business.
Only a person who has taken one of the active steps in the previous four weeks with the aim of finding a job can be considered an unemployed person.
Basic indicators that are derived from the Labour Force Survey are:
The activity rate is the share of the active population (labour force) in the total working age population.
The inactivity rate is the share of persons outside the labour force (inactive population) in the total working age population.
The employment rate is the share of employed persons in the total working age population.
Unemployment rate is the share of unemployed persons in the total active population.
The observation unit in the Labour Force Survey is a household living in a housing unit selected in the sample, and the survey unit is a member of a randomly selected household. Basic sociodemographic data were collected on all persons in the selected household, while data on work activity were collected only for persons aged 15-89.
The target statistical population in the Labour Force Survey is: - persons who live or intend to live in the surveyed private household on the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina for a year or longer; - persons who are members of the surveyed private household, who live abroad, but intend to return and live in the surveyed household on the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina for a year and longer. The target statistical population is not persons who stay or intend to stay in the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina for less than a year, nor persons who are absent or intend to be permanently absent from the surveyed household for a year or longer.
Not requested for the LFS quality report.
Most of the data refer to the economic activity of a person in a specific calendar week, from Monday to Sunday, which is called the reference week. Some data refer to other periods (four weeks or one year versus the reference week).
The reference week is assigned to the observation unit prior to the fieldwork and interviewing week is a week after the reference week (INTWEEK=REFWEEK+1).
We follow the rule of interviewing all people in the week immediately following the reference week. Only in exceptional cases (due to the interviewer's illness and inability to go to the field due to some other reasons) we allow interviews 2 weeks after the reference week (REFWEEK+2).
The observation period for the first quarter of 2024 consists of 13 reference weeks and lasts from January 1, 2024 to March 31, 2024. The observation period for the second quarter of 2024 consists of 13 reference weeks and lasts from April 1, 2024 to June 30, 2024. The observation period for the third quarter of 2024 consists of 13 reference weeks and lasts from July 1, 2024 to September 29, 2024. The observation period for the fourth quarter of 2024 consists of 13 reference weeks and lasts from September 30, 2024 to December 29, 2024.
Not requested for the LFS quality report.
The results of the Labor Force Survey are expressed through:
number of persons in thousands ('000) or
rates in percent (%).
Not requested for the LFS quality report.
The source of data in the Survey is a household living in a household unit, i.e. all members of the household.
The results of the Labour Force Survey are published quarterly and annually.
References to Annex File.
The comparability of data from the Labour Force Survey in the other European countries is provided, because the LFS was made on the basis of Regulation (EU) 2019/1700 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 10 October 2019 (Integrated European Social Statistics Framework Regulation - IESS FR) and Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2240 of 16 December 2019 (Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2240 for the labour force domain), when it comes to methodology, organization, sampling procedure, questionnaire design and definitions of employment and unemployment.
The Labour Force Survey, as a pilot survey, was first conducted in 2005. From 2006 to 2019, the survey was conducted once a year, in April. During this period, there was a change in the sampling framework in 2009 (a new updated Master Framework for sampling was introduced), harmonization of the Classification of Occupations with the ISCO-08 classification (2011), harmonization of the Classification of Activities of BiH with NACE Rev. 2 classification (2012), harmonization of the Classification of Levels of Education with the ISCED 2011 classification (2015), which affected the comparability of annual data.
From 2020, the survey is conducted as a continuous survey on the new Main Framework for Sample Selection.
In order to harmonize with EU regulations and Eurostat requirements, from 2020 the procedure of weight calibration according to population estimates by five-year age groups and sex is carried out.
From January 2021, the Labour Force Survey is conducted on the basis of Regulation (EU) 2019/1700 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 10 October 2019, which establishes a common framework for European statistics on persons and households based on data on individuals collected on the basis of a sample, and on the basis of the Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2240 of 16 December 2019, which introduced a new, redesigned methodology of the Labour Force Survey, and interrupted the data series in relation to 2020.
