Work and employment are not synonyms
Work and employment may be used indistinctly in everyday language, but for the labour market they mean very different things. Employment is a very specific form of work. Other forms of work include own-use production work, volunteer work and unpaid trainee work.
Forms of work: An overview of the new statistical standards
An introduction to the conceptual frameworks for forms of work and labour force statistics, including labour underutilization.
LFS research and development
Learn more about the ILO’s programme of methodological research to identify and promote good practices in the collection and reporting of labour statistics.
Labour force survey (LFS) questionnaire toolkit
Online resources for data producers to build or improve their labour force survey, such as PAPI and CAPI model questionnaires.
Measuring women’s paid and unpaid work under ICLS 19
Why did the definitions of work and employment change and why is this change important for women? Find out in this policy brief.
Measuring working time and time-related underemployment in labour force surveys: Main findings from the ILO LFS pilot studies
This report presents the main findings on the measurement of working time and time related underemployment drawn from the ILO LFS pilot studies. The report is part of the ILO statistical methodology series that describe in detail the main findings of the project.
Measuring main activity in labour force surveys: Main findings from the ILO LFS pilot studies
This report presents the main findings on the measurement of main activity drawn from the ILO LFS pilot studies. The report is part of the ILO statistical methodology series that describe in detail the main findings of the project.
Measuring unemployment and the potential labour force in labour force surveys: Main findings from the ILO LFS pilot studies
This report presents the main findings on the measurement of unemployment and the potential labour force drawn from the ILO LFS pilot studies. The report is part of the ILO statistical methodology series that describe in detail the main findings of the project.
ILO LFS pilot studies experimental field tests: Methodology, process and outcomes
The focus of this report is to provide a more detailed description of the field testing stage of the process including the design, implementation and lessons learned. The report is part of the ILO statistical methodology series that describe in detail the main findings of the ILO LFS pilot studies.
ILO LFS pilot studies cognitive interviewing tests: Methodology, process and outcomes
This report describes the cognitive testing methodology used as first stage of evaluation in the ILO LFS pilot studies. The main focus is on country practices in implementing the cognitive tests to assess the model questionnaires. The report is part of the ILO statistical methodology series that describe in detail the main findings of the project.