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Labour Force Survey (LFS), 1998 – 2023

Study number (SN): 0061-00

CITATION

ABOUT THE STUDY

The Labour Force Survey (LFS) is a large-scale, nationwide survey of households in Ireland conducted by the Central Statistics Office. It is designed to produce quarterly labour force estimates that include the official measure of employment and unemployment in the state (ILO basis). This survey replaced the Quarterly National Household Survey (QNHS) from Q3 2017. The QNHS began in September 1997, replacing the annual April Labour Force Survey (LFS).

Each quarter the LFS produces data among others on:

• Numbers unemployed
• Persons in employment
• Labour force participation rates
• Inactive population (not in the labour force)
• Sectoral breakdown (Nace Rev. 2) of those in employment
• Breakdown of headline data by age, sex and region
• Persons in employment classified by occupation
• Seasonally adjusted headline series
• Data on family composition

New Regulatory framework from January 2021

The survey meets the requirements of Regulation (EU) 2019/1700 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 10 October 2019. This is a new framework regulation governing the production of European Statistics on persons and households (Integration European Social Statistics framework regulation – IESS FR) which came into force on 1 January 2021. The IESS FR regulation replaces Council Regulation (EC) No. 577/98, adopted in March 1998 and covers various domains of social statistics including labour market statistics. It aims to ensure that social statistics based on sample surveys such as the Labour Force Survey (LFS), are produced in a more harmonised and coordinated manner across Europe.

See sections 1.2-1.4 of the latest Codebook 0061-00_lfs_codebook_q32023 for further details.

MAIN TOPICS

• Labour Market
• Economic Activity
• Employment History
• Industries
• Occupations
• Status in Employment

COVERAGE, UNIVERSE, METHODOLOGY

Population

All households in the State.

Time dimension

Information is collected continuously throughout the year from households surveyed each week in each quarter. The reference quarters for survey results are: Q1 - January to March, Q2 - April to June, Q3 - July to September and Q4 - October to December. Households are surveyed in five successive quarters.

Geographical coverage

Country: Ireland

Methods of data collection

• CAPI (Computer Aided Personal Interviewing)
• CATI (Computer Aided Telephone Interviewing)

Please note that in the context of the COVID-19 Pandemic and the associated public health measures, all face-to-face interviews for Social Surveys have been suspended by the CSO. As a result, all LFS interviews are now being carried out using CATI. Please see the following press release for further details:

CSO press release Covid-19

Sampling procedures

A new sample based on the 2011 Census of Population was selected for the LFS and this was introduced incrementally from Q1 2016. The sample is stratified using administrative county and the Pobal HP (Haase and Pratschke) Deprivation Index. A two-stage sample design is used. In the first stage 1,300 blocks are selected using Probability Proportional to Size (PPS) sampling. In the second stage households are selected using Simple Random Sampling (SRS). This ensures each household in the sample frame has an equal probability of selection.

To account for the additional attrition resulting from the introduction of mixed mode data collection, the LFS sample was increased incrementally from Q3 2017. An additional 1,300 households were included in Wave 1 for each quarter up to Q3 2018 and this has resulted in a total sample of 32,500 from Q3 2018 onwards. The actual achieved sample varies over time depending on the level of response.

A new sample based on the 2016 Census of Population was introduced on a phased basis (over five quarters) from Q2 2019 and will be fully operational by Q2 2020. As with the expiring sample, the new sample is stratified using administrative county and the Pobal HP (Hasse and Pratschke) Deprivation Index and consists of 32,500 households per quarter.

Households are asked to take part in the survey for five consecutive quarters and are then replaced by other households in the same block. Thus, one fifth of the households in the survey are replaced each quarter and the QNHS/LFS sample involves an overlap of 80% between consecutive quarters and 20% between the same quarter in consecutive years. It is important to note that there is no overlap in sample between the QNHS and the LFS.

The survey results are weighted to agree with population estimates broken down by age, sex and region and are also calibrated to nationality control totals. The LFS results also contain a non-response adjustment to make the results from the achieved sample representative of the target sample and the population. The population estimates for April of each year are published in a separate release.

New samples, both based on the 2011 Census of Population, were introduced incrementally for the QNHS in Q4 2012 and in Q3 2016. The former was stratified using administrative county and population density while the latter was stratified using administrative county and the Pobal HP (Haase and Pratschke) Deprivation Index. The quarterly sample in each case was 26,000 households. The actual achieved sample varied over time depending on the level of response.

DATA AND DOCUMENTATION: FILES’ DESCRIPTION

Data (available through ISSDA application process)

Documentation (available for download)

LINKS

Releases & publications: http://www.cso.ie/en/statistics/labourmarket/

QNHS Special Modules: http://www.cso.ie/en/qnhs/releasesandpublications/qnhs-specialmodules/

Statbank – CSO’s online dissemination tool: http://www.cso.ie/px/pxeirestat/statire/SelectTable/Omrade0.asp?Planguage=0

Eurostat – Labour Market Statistics: http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/labour-market/statistics-illustrated

Information Notice - Changes to CSO Labour Market Statistics http://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/in/qnhs/informationnoteonchangestocsolabourmarketstatistics/

Information Notice - Labour Force Survey Quarter 3 2017 http://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/in/lfs/informationnotice-labourforcesurveyquarter32017/

Information Notice - Labour Force Survey Quarter 1 2018
https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/in/lfs/informationnotice-labourforcesurveyquarter12018/

ACCESS INFORMATION

Accessing the data

To access the data, please complete a ISSDA Data Request Form for Research Purposes - Pseudonymised Datasets, sign it, and send it to ISSDA by email.

Data will be disseminated on receipt of a fully completed, signed form. Incomplete or unsigned forms will be returned to the data requester for completion.

Acknowledgements

Any work based in whole or part on resources provided by the ISSDA, should  acknowledge: “Labour Force Survey (LFS), 1998 – 2023" and also ISSDA, in the following way: “Accessed via the Irish Social Science Data Archive - www.ucd.ie/issda”.

Citation requirement

The data and its creators shall be cited in all publications and presentations for which the data have been used. The bibliographic citation may be in the form suggested by the archive or in the form required by the publication.

Bibliographical citation

Central Statistics Office (CSO). (2024). Labour Force Survey (LFS), 1998-2023. [dataset]. Version 2. Irish Social Science Data Archive. SN: 0061-00. http://www.ucd.ie/issda/data/lfs

Notification

The user shall notify the Irish Social Science Data Archive of all publications where she or he has used the data.