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.
Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union
1.2. Contact organisation unit
Unit F3: Labour market and lifelong learning
1.3. Contact name
Confidential because of GDPR
1.4. Contact person function
Confidential because of GDPR
1.5. Contact mail address
2920 Luxembourg LUXEMBOURG
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 October 2018
2.2. Metadata last posted
31 January 2019
2.3. Metadata last update
28 January 2020
3.1. Data description
The section 'LFS series - detailed annual survey results' reports annual results from the EU-LFS. While LFS is a quarterly survey, it is also possible to produce annual results. There are several ways of doing it, see section '18.5 Data compilation' below for details.
This data collection covers all main labour market characteristics, i.e. the total population, activity and activity rates, employment, employment rates, self-employed, employees, temporary employment, full-time and part-time employment, population in employment having a second job, population in employment working during unsocial hours, working time, total unemployment, inactivity and quality of employment.
General information on the EU-LFS can be found in the ESMS page for 'Employment and unemployment (LFS)', see link in related metadata. Detailed information on the main features, the legal basis, the methodology and the data as well as on the historical development of the EU-LFS is available on the EU-LFS (Statistics Explained) webpage.
3.2. Classification system
Please refer to the ESMS page on 'Employment and unemployment (LFS)' (see link below in section 'related metadata').
3.3. Coverage - sector
As a general rule the EU-LFS covers all economic sectors.
3.4. Statistical concepts and definitions
The European Union Labour Force Survey (EU-LFS) provides population estimates for the main labour market characteristics, such as employment, unemployment, inactivity, hours of work, occupation, economic activity and other labour related variables, as well as important socio-demographic characteristics, such as sex, age, education, household characteristics and regions of residence.
The definitions of employment and unemployment, as well as other survey characteristics follow the definitions and recommendations of the International Labour Organisation. The definition of unemployment is further precised in Commission Regulation (EC) No 1897/2000.
Please refer to the ESMS page on 'Employment and unemployment (LFS)' (see link below in section 'related metadata').
3.7. Reference area
Please refer to the ESMS page on 'Employment and unemployment (LFS)' (see link below in section 'related metadata').
3.8. Coverage - Time
Data are available from 1983 onwards for the annual series.
3.9. Base period
Not applicable.
Please refer to the ESMS page on 'Employment and unemployment (LFS)' (see link below in section 'related metadata').
Please refer to the ESMS page on 'Employment and unemployment (LFS)' (see link below in section 'related metadata').
6.1. Institutional Mandate - legal acts and other agreements
Please refer to the ESMS page on 'Employment and unemployment (LFS)' (see link below in section 'related metadata').
6.2. Institutional Mandate - data sharing
Not applicable.
7.1. Confidentiality - policy
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.
7.2. Confidentiality - data treatment
Please refer to the ESMS page on 'Employment and unemployment (LFS)' (see link below in section 'related metadata').
8.1. Release calendar
Please refer to the ESMS page on 'Employment and unemployment (LFS)' (see link below in section 'related metadata').
8.2. Release calendar access
Not applicable
8.3. Release policy - user access
Please refer to the ESMS page on 'Employment and unemployment (LFS)' (see link below in section 'related metadata').
For a detailed description of methods and concepts used, as well as for other documents related to the EU-LFS, please consult the EU-LFS (Statistics Explained) webpage.
Please refer to the ESMS page on 'Employment and unemployment (LFS)' (see link below in section 'related metadata').
11.2. Quality management - assessment
Please refer to the ESMS page on 'Employment and unemployment (LFS)' (see link below in section 'related metadata').
12.1. Relevance - User Needs
Please refer to the ESMS page on 'Employment and unemployment (LFS)' (see link below in section 'related metadata').
12.2. Relevance - User Satisfaction
Please refer to the ESMS page on 'Employment and unemployment (LFS)' (see link below in section 'related metadata').
12.3. Completeness
Please refer to the ESMS page on 'Employment and unemployment (LFS)' (see link below in section 'related metadata').
13.1. Accuracy - overall
Please refer to the ESMS page on 'Employment and unemployment (LFS)' (see link below in section 'related metadata').
13.2. Sampling error
Please refer to the ESMS page on 'Employment and unemployment (LFS)' (see link below in section 'related metadata').
13.3. Non-sampling error
Please refer to the ESMS page on 'Employment and unemployment (LFS)' (see link below in section 'related metadata').
14.1. Timeliness
There are two ways of calculating LFS annual results (see section 18.5 for details)
1) Annual averages are published along with quarter 4 data, i.e. approximately 14 weeks after the end of the year. A common Council regulation ((EC) No 577/98) establishes the timeliness of data transmissions from the National Statistical Institutes to Eurostat. This timeliness is 12 weeks after the end of the reference period, and it determines the release of data to users. The timeliness of quarterly data release to users is approximately 14 weeks after the end of reference quarter.
2) Other annual results which require further processing are published around 6 months after the end of the year.
14.2. Punctuality
Please refer to the ESMS page on 'Employment and unemployment (LFS)' (see link below in section 'related metadata').
15.1. Comparability - geographical
Please refer to the ESMS page on 'Employment and unemployment (LFS)' (see link below in section 'related metadata').
15.2. Comparability - over time
Please refer to the ESMS page on 'Employment and unemployment (LFS)' (see link below in section 'related metadata').
15.3. Coherence - cross domain
Please refer to the ESMS page on 'Employment and unemployment (LFS)' (see link below in section 'related metadata').
15.4. Coherence - internal
Please refer to the ESMS page on 'Employment and unemployment (LFS)' (see link below in section 'related metadata').
All reported errors (once validated) result in corrections of the disseminated data. Reported errors that are deemed to be significant are corrected in the disseminated data as soon as the correct data have been validated. Corrections for other errors are carried out in connection with the regular scheduled data dissemination.
Data are only published once they are deemed to be sufficiently complete for all data providers contributing to the aggregate.
Whenever new data are provided and validated, the already disseminated data are updated with next regular production cycle. 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.
Annual data are updated with the same periodicity as quarterly data.
Please refer to the ESMS page on 'Employment and unemployment (LFS)' (see link below in section 'related metadata').
18.2. Frequency of data collection
Please refer to the ESMS page on 'Employment and unemployment (LFS)' (see link below in section 'related metadata').
18.3. Data collection
Please refer to the ESMS page on 'Employment and unemployment (LFS)' (see link below in section 'related metadata').
18.4. Data validation
Please refer to the ESMS page on 'Employment and unemployment (LFS)' (see link below in section 'related metadata').
18.5. Data compilation
For each country and period, there are two ways of calculating LFS annual data:
1) Variables collected every quarter lead to quarterly results which can be averaged through the year, hence producing so-called 'annual average results'.
2) Variables collected only yearly lead directly to so-called 'annual results'.
Due to different weighting scheme used for annual and quarterly results, annual averages and annual results might slightly differ. Annual average results are preferable because they have smaller (or exceptionally the same) sampling errors. Therefore, Eurostat publishes annual average results whenever possible, as follows: annual tables consisting exclusively of quarterly variables are always published as annual averages; annual tables consisting of a combination of annual and quarterly variables are always published as annual results.
EU and Euro area aggregates are calculated aggregating totals from Member States. For the data expressed in absolute values for each quarter (i.e. number of persons) no weighting is used. Rates/Ratios are subsequently calculated from the data expressed in absolute values (i.e. number of persons).
18.6. Adjustment
No adjustments are made to the EU-LFS data. Please note that Eurostat also publishes LFS adjusted series under the collection 'LFS main indicators'.
No notes.
employ_esms - Employment and unemployment (Labour force survey)
The section 'LFS series - detailed annual survey results' reports annual results from the EU-LFS. While LFS is a quarterly survey, it is also possible to produce annual results. There are several ways of doing it, see section '18.5 Data compilation' below for details.
This data collection covers all main labour market characteristics, i.e. the total population, activity and activity rates, employment, employment rates, self-employed, employees, temporary employment, full-time and part-time employment, population in employment having a second job, population in employment working during unsocial hours, working time, total unemployment, inactivity and quality of employment.
General information on the EU-LFS can be found in the ESMS page for 'Employment and unemployment (LFS)', see link in related metadata. Detailed information on the main features, the legal basis, the methodology and the data as well as on the historical development of the EU-LFS is available on the EU-LFS (Statistics Explained) webpage.
28 January 2020
The European Union Labour Force Survey (EU-LFS) provides population estimates for the main labour market characteristics, such as employment, unemployment, inactivity, hours of work, occupation, economic activity and other labour related variables, as well as important socio-demographic characteristics, such as sex, age, education, household characteristics and regions of residence.
The definitions of employment and unemployment, as well as other survey characteristics follow the definitions and recommendations of the International Labour Organisation. The definition of unemployment is further precised in Commission Regulation (EC) No 1897/2000.
Please refer to the ESMS page on 'Employment and unemployment (LFS)' (see link below in section 'related metadata').
Please refer to the ESMS page on 'Employment and unemployment (LFS)' (see link below in section 'related metadata').
Please refer to the ESMS page on 'Employment and unemployment (LFS)' (see link below in section 'related metadata').
Please refer to the ESMS page on 'Employment and unemployment (LFS)' (see link below in section 'related metadata').
Please refer to the ESMS page on 'Employment and unemployment (LFS)' (see link below in section 'related metadata').
For each country and period, there are two ways of calculating LFS annual data:
1) Variables collected every quarter lead to quarterly results which can be averaged through the year, hence producing so-called 'annual average results'.
2) Variables collected only yearly lead directly to so-called 'annual results'.
Due to different weighting scheme used for annual and quarterly results, annual averages and annual results might slightly differ. Annual average results are preferable because they have smaller (or exceptionally the same) sampling errors. Therefore, Eurostat publishes annual average results whenever possible, as follows: annual tables consisting exclusively of quarterly variables are always published as annual averages; annual tables consisting of a combination of annual and quarterly variables are always published as annual results.
EU and Euro area aggregates are calculated aggregating totals from Member States. For the data expressed in absolute values for each quarter (i.e. number of persons) no weighting is used. Rates/Ratios are subsequently calculated from the data expressed in absolute values (i.e. number of persons).
Please refer to the ESMS page on 'Employment and unemployment (LFS)' (see link below in section 'related metadata').
Annual.
There are two ways of calculating LFS annual results (see section 18.5 for details)
1) Annual averages are published along with quarter 4 data, i.e. approximately 14 weeks after the end of the year. A common Council regulation ((EC) No 577/98) establishes the timeliness of data transmissions from the National Statistical Institutes to Eurostat. This timeliness is 12 weeks after the end of the reference period, and it determines the release of data to users. The timeliness of quarterly data release to users is approximately 14 weeks after the end of reference quarter.
2) Other annual results which require further processing are published around 6 months after the end of the year.
Please refer to the ESMS page on 'Employment and unemployment (LFS)' (see link below in section 'related metadata').
Please refer to the ESMS page on 'Employment and unemployment (LFS)' (see link below in section 'related metadata').
