Carrying out a Labour Force Survey (LFS) in alignment with international statistical standards is a daunting but noble endeavour. Whether you are conducting an LFS for the first time in many years or you are adjusting your regular LFS to be in line with latest standards, the ILO has created enough tools and materials to guide you through the entire process, from the early survey planning stages to the communication and dissemination of results.
This page brings together all ILO guidance and tools for aligning a national LFS with statistical standards adopted by the 19th and subsequent sessions of the International Conference of Labour Statisticians (ICLS) and globally-recognized best practices. All these materials result from an extensive ILO methodological research programme that has piloted survey methods and identified best practices in the collection of labour statistics through LFS.
The lists below summarize the materials available by Generic Statistical Business Process Model (GSBPM) phase. The map at the end of the page shows the state of implementation of latest ICLS standards around the globe.
- Download all materials here
PLANNING AND DESIGN
COLLECTION AND PROCESSING
ANALYSIS, DISSEMINATION AND EVALUATION
Specify needs
- Why to implement the 19th ICLS resolution
- How to implement the 19th ICLS resolution
- GSBPM Survey process modernization
Design
- Implementation of statistical standards from the 19th, 20th and 21st ICLS
- Liste de contrôle pour la 19e demande de normes ICLS
- Guidance on ISCO
- Tips for communicating new standards implementation
- Template survey schedule
- Template list of focal points
Build
Collect
Process
- Code to validate microdata (STATA)
- Code to derive aggregates and indicators (STATA)
- Flow charts on deriving aggregates and indicators from model questionnaire
Analyse
- Code to create standard tables (STATA)
- Guide rapide sur l'interprétation du taux de chômage
Disseminate
Evaluate
Implementation of latest standards around the world
Since the adoption of the 19th ICLS resolution in 2013 and especially once ILO guidance based on research and pilot tests was ready, its implementation rate has been rapidly growing, to the point that it can now be considered the norm around the world. Given that they are more recent, the resolutions adopted by the 20th ICLS in 2018 and by the 21st ICLS in 2023 are not as widely implemented yet, but their implementation rates are also quickly rising.