What is the LFS
The Labour Force Survey (LFS) is a large-scale, nationwide survey of households in Ireland. It is designed to produce quarterly labour force estimates that include the official measure of employment and unemployment in the state (ILO basis). The survey began in January 2016 and will replace the Quarterly National Household Survey (QNHS) from January 2017. It is expected that the LFS will also conduct special modules on different social topics each quarter.
A fieldforce comprising 10 field co-ordinators and 100 field interviewers conduct initial interviews each quarter on tablet computers using Computer-Assisted Personal Interview (CAPI) software. All CSO fieldstaff working on household surveys carry a CSO identity card. The CSO will contact you by telephone to conduct follow-up interviews and the number 021 6018989 will appear when you receive the call. In all, 26,000 households will be surveyed each quarter. The survey meets the requirements of Council Regulation (EC) No. 577/98 (PDF 42KB) adopted in March 1998, which requires the introduction of quarterly labour force surveys in EU member states.
Core LFS Outputs
Each quarter the LFS will produce data on:
LFS Social Modules
While the main purpose of the LFS is the production of quarterly labour force estimates, it is also expected to collect data on social topics through the inclusion of special survey modules. The selection of the major national modules undertaken to date in the QNHS has been largely based on the results of a canvas of users (over 100 organisations) that was conducted by the CSO in 1996, 2002, 2008 and most recently in 2011. The results of the 2011 canvas were presented to the National Statistics Board and they were asked to indicate their priorities for the period 2012-2014.
The schedule for social modules in any given year is based on the following structure:
| Quarter 1 |
Annual update module |
| Quarter 2 | EU module (always covered under EU legislation) |
| Quarter 3 | National module |
| Quarter 4 | National module |
The following link outlines the social modules undertaken to date in the QNHS:
Anonymised Microdata
The CSO make anonymised microdata files relating to the core QNHS data and selected ad-hoc social modules available free of charge to students and researchers for non-commercial purposes through the Irish Social Science Data Archice (ISSDA) . The same practice will be extended to the LFS.
Research access to Microdata files
Research Microdata files (RMFs) for the LFS will be made available to persons authorised to access such files under the Statistics Act, 1993 subject to strict criteria. Please see the following link for information on the application procedure and assessment criteria.
Legal Basis
The core QNHS and LFS are conducted in accordance with EU regulations.
Data collection
A fieldforce comprising 10 field co-ordinators and 100 field interviewers conduct initial interviews each quarter on tablet computers using computer-assisted personal interview (CAPI) software. All CSO fieldstaff working on household surveys carry a CSO identity card. The CSO will contact you by telephone to conduct follow-up interviews and the number 021 6018989 will appear when you receive the call.