1. Reason for Revisions

The National Statistics Office is publishing revised Labour Force Survey (LFS) estimates. The revisions are in line with the updated population figures published by this Office on 26 January 2024 (Intercensal Population Revisions: 2012-2021, News release 015/2024). The content includes annual (2018-2022) and quarterly (Q1 2018-Q3 2023) revised data for the main LFS indicators. 

The LFS weights are computed using a calibration technique and is based on the total population of persons living in private households. The benchmarks used for calibration are represented by individuals as follows:

The NSO has carried out LFS reweighting following the publication of intercensal benchmark revisions of population and migration statistics for the time-series 2012-2022. The main aim of this exercise is to produce a consistent, break-free time-series and to align LFS results to updated population figures. The primary outcome will be a revised set of LFS aggregates covering the period January-March (Q1) 2018 up to July-September (Q3) 2023. No revisions were deemed necessary prior to 2018 since the difference in LFS estimates before and after the reweighting exercise was not statistically significant.

A working paper entitled ‘The Impact of 2021 Census of population and housing on the Labour Force Survey headline indicators‘  has been prepared explaining the effect of the revisions on the LFS employment and unemployment time series.

2.  The Labour Force Survey (LFS) is carried out on an ongoing basis using a quarterly gross sample of 3,200 private households. The objective is to have a continuous assessment of labour market trends given that the reference weeks are evenly spread throughout the 13 weeks of the quarter. One-fourth of the sample is made up of households who have been selected to participate in the LFS for the first time. Three-fourths of the quarterly sample is made up of households who were selected to participate in the survey in previous instances, either one quarter before, or one year before, or one year and a quarter before (2-(2)-2). Unless otherwise indicated, figures provided in this release refer to persons aged 15 and over and living in private households during the reference period. All criteria used for this survey match international methodologies used by the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

The LFS is designed to satisfy the concepts and definitions as outlined by Eurostat, which is the EU Statistical Agency. This allows the comparability of results with other EU member states and countries following ILO definitions of employment and unemployment. Occupations are classified according to the ISCO-08 classification (International Standard Classification of Occupations) whereas the economic activity is classified according to NACE Rev. 2 (Nomenclature générale des Activités économiques dans les Communautés Européennes).

● Activity rate: labour force (15-64 years) as a percentage of the population of working age (15-64 years).

● Educational Attainment:

– low: comprising persons with no schooling, primary education, special schools for disabled, and persons who attained a secondary level education and have less than 2 ordinary level qualifications or equivalent. In the context of the ISCED classification, low includes ISCED 0 to 2.

– medium: comprising persons with a secondary level education and having 2 ordinary level qualifications or equivalent or more, persons with a post secondary level attainment who have at least obtained 1 intermediate or advanced level qualification or equivalent. In the context of the ISCED classification, medium refers to ISCED 3 and 4.

– high – comprising persons with a tertiary level education and with qualifications ranging from diploma to doctorate level. In the context of the ISCED classification, high refers to ISCED 5 to 8.

● Employees: are defined as persons who work for a public or private employer and who receive compensation in the form of wages, salaries, fees, gratuities, payment by results or payment in kind.

● Employed persons: comprises of persons aged 15 to 89 who, during the reference week, were in one of the following categories:

– worked for at least 1 hour for pay or profit, including contributing family workers and paid casual work

– persons with a job or business who were temporarily not at work during the reference week but had an attachment to their job, including:

(a) persons not at work due to holidays, working time arrangements, sick leave, maternity or paternity leave;
(b) persons in job-related training or formal education;
(c) persons on parental leave, either receiving and/or being entitled to job-related income or benefits, or whose parental leave is expected to be 3 months or less;
(d) seasonal workers during the off-season, where they continue to regularly perform tasks and duties for the job or business, excluding fulfilment of legal or administrative obligations;
(e) persons temporarily not at work for other reasons where the expected duration of the absence is 3 months or less.

● Employment rate: persons in employment (15-64 years) as a percentage of the population of working age (15-64 years).

● Inactive persons: all persons who are not classified as employed or unemployed are defined as inactive.

● Labour force: all persons in employment and unemployed persons.

● Part-time employment: a part-time worker is an employed person whose normal hours are less than those of comparable full-time workers. Persons employed on a full-time with reduced hours basis are included in this category.

● Reference week: the week to which the collected data relate.

● Unemployment: all persons above 15 years of age who, during the reference week, satisfied the following criteria:

– without work

– actively seeking work during the previous 4 weeks: i.e. had either carried out activities in the four-week period ending with the reference week to seek paid employment or self-employment or found a job to start within a period of at most 3 months from the end of the reference week. Examples of active job search include contacting Jobsplus, studying job advertisements or placing or updating CVs online.

– currently available for work: i.e. available for paid employment or self-employment before the end of the 2 weeks following the reference week.

● Unemployment rate: unemployed persons (15-74 years) as a percentage of the labour force (15-74 years).

5. Sampling variability

Data included in this release are based on sample data and are therefore subject to sampling error. Sampling error is measured by a quantity known as the margin of error, which in turn, expresses the variability between the true population parameters and their corresponding sample estimates.

Key
: Unreliable – less than 20 sample observations.
^U Under represented – between 20 and 49 sample observations.

6. Percentage totals may not add up due to rounding.

7. Absolute changes between one survey estimate and another must be treated with caution since minor changes (i.e. less than 2,100 persons) might be the result of sampling error.

8. More information relating to this news release may be accessed at:

Sources and Methods
Statistical Concepts 
Metadata 
ISCO Classification 
NACE Classification 
ISCED Classification 

9. References to this news release are to be cited appropriately. For guidance on access and re-use of data please visit our dedicated webpage.

10. A detailed news release calendar is available online.

11. For more information please submit a request for information through the online form.