Carrying out a Labour Force Survey (LFS) in alignment with international statistical standards is a daunting but noble endeavour. Whether conducting an LFS for the first time in many years or adjusting a regular LFS to be in line with latest standards, the ILO has created enough tools and materials to guide National Statistical Offices 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.
General resources on the LFS undertaking
- Minimum requirements to implement a LFS (statistical infrastructure and capacities)
- LFS responsibility matrix: main tasks to be conducted by the NSO and corresponding ILO support available
- Benefits of using the ILO model LFS toolkit
- Do’s and don’ts working with the ILO model LFS toolkit
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
- Checklist for 19th ICLS standards application
- Guidance on ISCO
- Tips for communicating new standards implementation
- Template survey schedule
- Template list of focal points
Build
Collect
- Template to record changes to model questionnaire
- Code to assign households to interviewers and prefill questionnaire (STATA)
Process
- STATA code to validate microdata (available on request)
- STATA code to derive aggregates and indicators (available on request)
- Flow charts on deriving aggregates and indicators from model questionnaire
Analyse
- Code to create standard tables (STATA)
- Quick guide on interpreting the unemployment rate
Disseminate
Evaluate
Quick CAPI and PAPI downloads
CAPI documentation
Overview of CAPI and PAPI resources
The ILO model LFS resources provided here include:
- Modular questionnaires
- Accompanying national adaptation guides
- Variable derivation flow-charts and syntax
- LFS integration guide (for special add-on modules)
- Basic demographics, education, international migration status, disability status to support essential disaggregations needed to monitor Decent Work, SDGs and other national and global goals.
- Labour force status, labour underutilization including time-related underemployment, unemployment, long-term unemployment, discouragement, potential labour force, previous employment experience;
- Special add-on modules covering emerging work-related topics for use on a less frequent basis, including volunteer work, skills mismatches, barriers to the labour market entry of persons with disabilities, return migrant works, and others.
- Current employment, including multiple job holding, occupation, industry, institutional sector, status in employment, informal sector employment and informal employment, contract characteristics, job-related social protection; identification of policy priority groups such as domestic workers, home-based workers, dependent contractors and others.
- Own-use production of goods in agriculture, fishing, fetching water, collecting firewood, manufacture of other household items, and own-dwelling construction or renovation, as per national relevance.
PAPI resources are provided for reference, but they are no longer being updated to reflect new developments and improvements to the ILO model LFS questionnaire. Therefore, for the latest version of the ILO model LFS questionnaire, please refer to CAPI resources.
CAPI resources
Computer Assisted Interview methods are being increasingly used in survey implementation. Questionnaires implemented in this way can utilise in-built features to improve the flow of the questionnaire for the interviewer and respondent versus pen and paper questionnaires. This not only lowers respondent burden, but it also increases the ability to create more varied and wide-ranging questionnaires, which is more difficult to manage through PAPI. Furthermore, the ability to capture data electronically creates both data quality and efficiency gains given the possibility to implement improved real-time validations and the removal of the need for manual data entry. As such, CAPI and other computer assisted interviewing methods offer a wide range of benefits both for data quality but also in efficiency, flexibility and adaptability of surveys.
Computer-Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI) is transforming survey data collection, employing computer or tablet technology for in-person questionnaire administration. With CAPI, interviewers interact directly with respondents, leveraging advanced tools to streamline the interview process. These resources enhance questionnaire delivery, enable real-time data validation, and ensure accurate data capture, marking a significant advancement in survey methodology.
CAPI LFS documentation
CAPI Questionnaire “Job-type start” (2024 Edition)
A model questionnaire for CAPI interviews fully aligned to the 19th , 20th and 21st ICLS Resolutions I on labour statistics
Household information and characteristics, Household roster with essential background for household members, Individual core LFS modules (Current employment, main and second job characteristics, working time, job search and availability, own-use production of goods.
Basic syntax for variable derivation using STATA
Download all documents (zip file)
Previous version of CAPI Questionnaire “Job-type start” (v3 June 2019) can be downloaded here
CAPI data collection tools
CAPI tools for data collection have been developed using CSPro and Survey Solutions, both can be deployed for use on android devices.
These tools are completely aligned to the ILO model questionnaire Job-type Start, 2024 Edition. They can be further adapted to national specificities and integrated with new questions and modules needed for national purposes.
Please contact us at [email protected] to know more.
PAPI resources
Paper and pencil interviewing (PAPI) remains an important method of LFS data collection in many countries and regions around the world. Updating LFS questionnaires implemented through PAPI to incorporate the latest international standards in labour statistics can be an important challenge.
The ILO model LFS for PAPI is designed using a modular approach to facilitate selection of topics relevant to the national context and simplified skip instructions to enable interviewers to manage a good quality interview flow using paper questionnaires.
LFS questionnaire viewer
This viewer allows users to take a close look at questions in the ILO model LFS questionnaires for PAPI.
LFS model modules, documentation, and guidance
Household module
(required)
Core LFS modules
(select one)
Add-on modules
(optional)
For countries with low prevalence of small-scale own-account farming or fishing
For countries with high prevalence of small-scale own-account farming or fishing
For countries wishing to capture main activity as self-declared in addition to labour force status
Guides:
National adaptation guide for ILO Model LFS Questionnaires for PAPI (2024)
Variable derivation guide for ILO Model LFS Questionnaires for PAPI (2024)
Previous versions:
Self-perceived mismatches by level of education, field of study and type of skills among employed persons
Participation and time spent in volunteer work, including organization-based and direct volunteering, and essential characteristics of the volunteer work activities
Guidance on implementing the add-on module for own-use provision of services in national labour force surveys
Different barriers to the labour market integration of persons with disabilities
Occupational accidents, occupational injuries, work-related health problems, and exposure to risk factors at workplace
FAQs
This will depend on your resources. Both can be used to successfully carry out a labour force survey. However, please note that PAPI resources presented in this page are no longer being updated to reflect changes and improvements to the ILO model LFS questionnaire. For the latest version of the questionnaire, please refer to CAPI resources.
As of 2024, almost half of ILO Member States have adopted the standards from the 19th ICLS. We can provide examples of LFS questionnaires on demand, selecting those countries that have the most similar labour market situation as in your country.
The short answer is no. Please refer to the Note on the implementation of statistical standards from the 19th, 20th and 21st ICLS through household surveys for more details, or contact us to discuss.
The steps will depend on your current situation, such as the existence, frequency and contents of an existing LFS questionnaire. The ILO does not necessarily need to be involved but it would be a missed opportunity not to rely on our expertise to implement a revised LFS questionnaire or carry one out for the first time.
You can check out ILO resources available to guide you in making and communicating the changes related to new standards implementation here. Please don’t hesitate to contact us for more guidance.
COVID-19 data collection guidance
COVID-19
This page discusses the impact of the pandemic on labour markets and the collection of labour statistics. It features guidance for data producers.