Information on data
Country availability
Eurostat currently publishes EU-LFS results for 34 participating countries. These countries are the 27 EU countries, 3 EFTA countries Iceland, Norway, and Switzerland, and 4 EU candidate countries Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Türkiye.
Data collection
Countries are responsible for collecting the data. They provide Eurostat with data from their national labour force surveys. Each quarter, more than 1.7 million interviews for about 100 variables are conducted. The EU-LFS data collection is carried out mainly through four modes:
- computer-assisted personal interviewing
- computer-assisted telephone interviewing
- computer-assisted web interviewing
- paper and pencil interviewing
Most participating countries use only computerised questionnaires.
To ensure that the statistical results are comparable across countries and over time, the EU-LFS:
- uses the same concepts and definitions
- follows International Labour Organization guidelines
- uses common classifications (NACE, ISCO, ISCED, NUTS)
- records the same set of characteristics in each country.
Release calendar
New results for the LFS main indicators are scheduled for dissemination according to a release calendar.
LFS database folders
You can find the following folders and information in the EU-LFS detailed database:
This folder presents a set of specific EU-LFS results which are updated quarterly. The ‘main indicators’ are based on the EU-LFS results, but provide seasonally adjusted data. In addition to seasonal adjustment, the most common adjustments cover the estimation of values for quarters for which data are missing and the correction of the main breaks in the data series.
The folders with quarterly data series and the annual data series include the detailed results from the EU-LFS. No adjustments or corrections are applied.
Specific topics refer to statistics on
- households, like the number, size, composition
- regional data series
- labour mobility
- recent migrants.
Modules have been an inherent part of the EU-LFS since 1999. They provide statistics on a particular topic concerning the labour market by adding each year a set of variables to supplement the core EU-LFS. For more information, please see the article EU labour force survey – modules.
For more information on the data, especially on the EU-LFS publication guidelines (publication thresholds), please see the article EU labour force survey – data and publication.
Importance of labour force data
The EU-LFS is an important source of information on the situation and trends of the EU and national labour markets. It helps monitoring the main European employment policies and goals, like the the employment target of the European pillar of social rights and the European employment strategy, including the employment guidelines.
Additionally, the EU-LFS forms the basis for the EU's monthly harmonised unemployment rate, one of Eurostats key short-term indicators. Due to its diverse information and large sample size, the LFS is also a source for other European statistics, such as education or regional statistics.
For a detailed overview of the EU-LFS, please see our article EU labour force survey.
EU-LFS user guide
The LFS user guide is addressed to users who receive tailor-made extractions or anonymised microdata. It helps them in defining the requests and analysing the data. The guide presents the structure of the EU-LFS, the available variables, and the rules for dissemination.
Anonymised datasets for researchers
For scientific purposes only access to anonymised microdata is possible under specific conditions.
Tailor-made extractions for tables
Tabulations not readily available from Eurostat's online database can be requested via the user support.