EMPLOYMENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT DOMAIN - dissemination structure

Last update: 31/08/2009

The statistics on Employment and Unemployment are disseminated on Eurostat website in the following data categories:

1. LFS main indicators

This section collects the main results related to the labour market. It is based on the EU LFS series adjusted in various ways according to the specificities of an indicator. In general, the LFS adjusted series is the result of correction of main breaks in series, estimation of missing values and reconciliations of the LFS data with other sources, mainly National Accounts and national statistics on monthly unemployment.

In particular, the section of LFS Main Indicators consists of :

- Population, activity and inactivity indicators –LFS adjusted series (including also the structural indicators Average exit age and Population in jobless households)

- Employment – LFS adjusted series (including main characteristics, employment rates, employment growth and activity branches)

- Unemployment – LFS adjusted series (including also Harmonised long-term unemployment)

-  Education and Training – LFS adjusted series (including the structural indicators: Lifelong Learning, Education Attainment Level and Early School Leavers)

2. LFS – detailed quarterly survey results

This series includes the detailed quarterly results from the Labour Force Survey. No adjustments or corrections are conducted.  

3. LFS – detailed annual survey results

This series presents the detailed annual results of the Labour Force Survey. Up until 2005, due to the limited availability of the quarterly data, the series is based on the 'Spring data' which for the most countries is Q2, except Austria and France which is Q1, Q4 in IT in 1992 and Q1 in PL in 1999. From 2005 on, this series presents annual averages of quarterly data with the exception of:

- 3 tables presenting reasons for temporary work and reasons for part time work, 5 tables presenting employment during asocial hours, 1 table on reasons for not seeking employment for inactive persons. These tables are based on the best sample available for variables required only on an annual basis - see bullet (iii) Yearly data in annex 1 below.

- All results for Croatia (average of two quarters) and Switzerland (quarter2).

4. LFS specific topics

The section refers to specific results which are not be based on the same reference periods or sample as those available in the quarterly or annual domain. Up-dates are usually less frequent than for the quarterly and annual domain. It covers the following topics:

- Households: additional tabulations by marital status of the tables presented in the annual domain. Details on household compositions are in preparation. Up-dates are made on the same basis as the annual domain.

- Regional series: cross tabulations of the main annual domain by the regional levels I and II of the classification NUTS. The domain also contains estimates for the level NUTS III. Up-dates are made twice a year. From 2005, the results are based on the same reference period and sample as for the annual domain. However, France and EU results include the French overseas departments while the annual domain does not.

5. LFS ad-hoc modules

Since 1999 an inherent part of the European Union Labour Force Survey are the so called 'ad-hoc modules'. The Council Regulation No 577/98 specifies that a further set of variables may be added to supplement the information from the core questionnaire of the LFS. The modules for years 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006 are already available on the Eurostat website, at

Data / Population and social conditions / Labour market / Employment and unemployment / LFS ad-hoc modules

- 2000 – Transition from school to working life

- 2002 – Employment of disabled people

- 2003 – Lifelong learning

- 2004 – Work organisation and working time arrangements

- 2005 – Reconciliation between work and family life:

- 2006 – Transition from work into retirement

In addition, results of the 1999 module are available at the following location:

- 1999 – Accidents at work and occupational diseases: Data / Population and social conditions / Health / Health and safety at work / Work related health problems and accidental injuries

The tables for the ad-hoc modules for years 2001 and 2007 are currently in preparation.

For detailed information about the structure and the contents of the Employment and Unemployment domain, please follow this link.

Annex 1: description of the EU LFS database

Beside the codification schemes described in the section 'regulations', the EU-LFS series can be described as set of 3 types of datasets:

1. From 1983 to 1997, the EU-LFS data is available for quarter 2 only (quarter 1 in Austria and France for all years, quarter 4 in Italy in 1992). These series were also called 'spring series' in the past.

2. Between 1998 and 2005, quarterly data become progressively available in all Member States. All variables are surveyed each quarter. 'Spring series' are still used to allow time series analyses, i.e. quarter 2 for all countries, except quarter 1 for Austria and France for all years, quarter 1 for Poland in 1999.

3. From 2006, the structure of the EU-LFS changes in order to decrease the burden on respondents. The survey is still a quarterly survey but providing quarterly results for a reduced set of variables only. The remainder of variables is collected on annual basis, i.e. on a part of the sample and not on the set of the 4 full quarterly samples. The list of quarterly or annual variables is given in the LFS user guide.

This structure is implemented in various ways by Member States:

a) Some countries (especially the smallest) survey all variables on all quarters.

b) Some countries survey annual variables on a reduced sample each quarter which is not of sufficient size to provide quarterly results. The annual sample is the set of the 4 quarterly reduced samples, of sufficient size for annual results.

c) Some countries survey annual variables only on quarter 2 on a provisional basis, before moving to option (a) or (b).

Dissemination of EU results

Three types of results are available:

i) Quarterly data covering only quarterly variables

ii) Annual averages of these 4 quarters (still for quarterly variables only)

iii) Yearly data (for all variables).

The results (i) and (ii) correspond to the collections "Detailed quarterly survey results" and "Detailed quarterly survey results" (see annex 2 below).

The yearly data (iii) concern a limited number of tables on Eurostat website (see section 3 above). They are used should be considered as the best sample available to cover all variables and allow all cross-tabulations:

- Until 2005 included, this corresponds to the so-called 'spring series' (quarter 2 for all countries, except quarter 1 in France and Austria for all years, quarter 1 for Poland in 1999 and quarter 4 for Italy in 1992).

- From 2006, this corresponds to options (a), (b) and (c) described above, i.e. (a) set of the 4 quarters for the small countries, (b) set of certain waves of the survey in 5 countries (DE, ES, NL, FR, NO) or (c) spring data in UK, FI, IE, CH, set of quarter 2 and quarter 4 in HR.

This new structure introduces a small break in 2006 due to the change in reference period, i.e. spring sample to an annual sample (i.e. covering all weeks of the year). However, the spring survey was rather representative of the year and the impact should be rather limited.

Annex 2: changes introduced in the domain 'Labour Force Survey – detailed tables' in March 2007

1. Modification of the quarterly domain:

- Series available from 1998

- Europeans aggregates based on the spring survey1 until 2004 (as before), on the quarterly data from 2005.

- Suppression of the tables based on variables which are now annual.

2. Creation of an annual domain:

- Series available from 1983 (spring until 2004, annual average of quarterly data from 2005).

- Europeans aggregates based on the spring survey until 2004 (as before), on the annual average of quarterly data from 2005.

- List of tables very similar to the former quarterly domain

3. Creation of a domain for specific topics

- Household data: annual results

- Copy of the regional series, without changes.

For all the tables, the available age groups are harmonised and in certain case, restricted to take account of the topic (education) or the reliability of cross-tabulations in case of smaller sample size (unemployment). Certain data based on ISCED are revised between 1998 and 2005.