This Regulation specifies the technical items of the data set, the technical formats for the transmission of information from Member States to the Commission (Eurostat) and the detailed arrangements for transmission and the content of the quality reports in the labour force domain.
For the purposes of this Regulation, the following definitions apply:
‘main variable’ means a variable with a quarterly periodicity;
‘structural variable’ means an annual, biennial, eight-yearly variable or a variable collected on an ad hoc subject;
‘minimum set of variables’ means the variables to be collected for all household members to allow analyses both at household level and at individual level broken down by specific household characteristics;
‘sample rotation scheme’ means the split of the total sample into sub-samples of observation units similar in size and design, used to specify the number of times and the exact reference quarters of the year for which an observation unit shall provide information in the survey;
‘wave’ means the sub-sample of observation units due to be interviewed for the same nth time according to the sample rotation scheme in a reference quarter;
‘uniform sample distribution of the annual sample’ with regards to all the reference quarters of the year means that each quarterly sample is the total annual sample divided by four;
‘uniform sample distribution of the quarterly sample’ with regards to all the reference weeks of the quarter means that each weekly sample is the total quarterly sample divided by the number of the weeks of the quarter; the acceptable variation as specified in Article 6(2) and (3) applies to both distribution;
‘sample of independent observations’ means a sample where each observation unit occurs only once according to the sample design;
‘reliability limits’ mean estimated sizes of population groups below which figures have to be suppressed or published with warning;
‘employed persons’ comprise persons aged 15 to 89 (in completed years at the end of the reference week) who, during the reference week, were in one of the following categories:
persons who during the reference week worked for at least 1 hour for pay or profit, including contributing family workers(1);
persons with a job or business who were temporarily not at work during the reference week but had an attachment to their job, where the following groups have a job attachment:
persons not at work due to holidays, working time arrangements, sick leave, maternity or paternity leave;
persons in job-related training;
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;
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;
persons temporarily not at work for other reasons where the expected duration of the absence is 3 months or less;
persons that produce agricultural goods whose main part is intended for sale or barter.
Persons in own-use production work, voluntary workers, unpaid trainees and individuals involved in other forms of work (6) are not included in employment on the basis of those activities;
‘unemployed persons’ comprise persons aged 15 to 74 (in completed years at the end of the reference week) who were:
during the reference week not employed according to the definition of employment described in paragraph 10; and
currently available for work, i.e. were available for paid employment or self-employment before the end of the 2 weeks following the reference week; and
actively seeking work, 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.
For the purposes of identifying active job search, such activities are:
studying job advertisements;
placing or answering job advertisements;
placing or updating CVs online;
contacting employers directly;
asking friends, relatives or acquaintances;
contacting a public employment service;
contacting a private employment agency;
taking a test, interview or examination as part of a recruitment process; and
making preparations to set up a business.
Seasonal workers not at work during the reference week (off-season) but who expect to return to their seasonal job are to be considered as having ‘found a job’;
‘persons outside the labour force’ comprise persons who were in one of the following categories:
aged below 15 (in completed years at the end of the reference week);
aged above 89 (in completed years at the end of the reference week); or
aged 15 to 89 (in completed years at the end of the reference week) and neither employed nor unemployed during the reference week according to the definitions of employment and unemployment described in paragraphs 10 and 11.
1.The description and technical format of the quarterly, annual, biennial variables and the eight-yearly variables on the detailed topic ‘labour market situation of migrants and their immediate descendants’ and the coding to be used for the data transmission and the variables to be included in the minimum set of variables are set out in Annex I of this Regulation.
2.The number of eight-yearly variables to be collected in a given year shall not exceed 11, except in the case of:
(a)the detailed topic on ‘work organisation and working time arrangements’, for which the number of variables shall not exceed 10 in a given year; and
(b)the detailed topics on ‘young people on the labour market’ and on ‘educational attainment — details, including education interrupted or abandoned’, for which the combined number of eight-yearly variables shall not exceed seven in a given year.
3.The number of structural variables to be collected on an ad hoc subject every 4 years shall not exceed 11 in a given year.
1.The target population for the labour force domain shall be all persons usually residing in private households in the territory of the Member State.
2.The data collection for the labour force domain shall be carried out for a sample of private households or a sample of persons belonging to private households as observation units.
3.Information shall be provided for:
(a)every person of whatever age on the topics ‘technical items’ and ‘person and household characteristics’;
(b)every person aged 15 to 74 on the ‘participation in education and training’ topic;
(c)every person aged 15 to 89 for quarterly, annual and biennial variables on all other topics;
(d)every person aged 15 to 74 for the eight-yearly variables of the detailed topics on ‘labour market situation of migrants and their immediate descendants’ and ‘accidents at work and other work-related health problems’;
(e)every person aged 50 to 74 for the eight-yearly variables of the detailed topic on ‘pensions and labour market participation’;
(f)every person aged 15 to 34 for the eight-yearly variables of the detailed topics on ‘young people on the labour market’ and ‘educational attainment — details, including education interrupted or abandoned’;
(g)every person aged 18 to 74 for the eight-yearly variables of the detailed topic on ‘reconciliation of work and family life’;
(h)every employed person aged 15 to 74 for the eight-yearly variables of the detailed topic on ‘work organisation and working time arrangements’.
All age groups include the limit ages specified therein.
4.Proxy interviews are allowed but their number shall be as limited as possible.
1.The information collected for the labour force domain shall generally relate to the situation during the course of a single week, running from Monday to Sunday, which constitutes the reference week.
2.The age of a person shall be the age in completed years at the end of the reference week.
3.Reference quarters shall be as follows:
(a)quarters of each year refer to the 12 months of the year divided by four so that January, February and March belong to the first quarter, April, May and June to the second quarter, July, August and September to the third quarter and October, November and December to the fourth quarter;
(b)the reference weeks are allocated to the reference quarters so that a week belongs to the quarter as defined in point (a) to which at least four days of that week belong (called ‘Thursday rule’), unless this results in the first quarter of the year consisting of only 12 weeks. In that case, the quarters of the year in question will be formed by consecutive blocks of 13 weeks;
(c)where, in accordance with point (b), a quarter consists of 14 weeks instead of 13 weeks Member States should attempt to spread the sample over all 14 weeks; that includes the option to divide the sample usually assigned to one week over 2 weeks;
(d)if it is not feasible to spread the sample to cover all 14 weeks of the quarter, the Member State concerned may skip one week of that quarter by not covering it;
(e)the weeks with a divided sample and the week to be skipped should be typical with regard to unemployment, employment and average actual hours worked and should be part of a month containing five Thursdays;
(f)the first quarter of 2021 shall begin on Monday, 4 January 2021.
4.A reference year shall be the combination of the four reference quarters of that year.
1.The data collection shall refer to one reference week for each observation unit. The reference week shall be assigned to the observation unit prior to the fieldwork.
2.In addition to the quarterly requirements set out in point 1 of Annex III of Regulation (EU) 2019/1700, the full national sample for the reference year shall be uniformly distributed between all the reference quarters of the year. In each reference quarter the full quarterly sample shall be uniformly distributed between all the reference weeks of the quarter, except in the case of quarters consisting of 14 weeks where the sample may first be uniformly distributed in 13 reference weeks and then further treated in accordance with one of the following:
(a)the sample assigned to one reference week shall be further divided over two typical reference weeks to cover all 14 weeks;
(b)one typical week shall be skipped in line with Article 5(3) of this Regulation.
3.The full sample distributions referred to in paragraph 2 and in point 1 of Annex III of Regulation (EU) 2019/1700 shall not deviate more than 10 % from the exact shares at national level, except in the case of Member States producing monthly unemployment statistics for which, for no more than 5 weeks a quarter, a 15 % difference from the exact weekly share is allowed. Those Member States are required to apply a deterministic correction to the quarterly weights assuring that in applying those weights all weeks of the quarter are equally represented. At NUTS 2 regional level, the threshold of 10 % shall be respected to the fullest extent possible.
4.Sub-samples of independent observations which refer to all weeks of the reference year shall fulfil the distributional requirements as laid down in paragraphs 2 and 3 to the fullest extent possible.
5.All distributional requirements referred to in paragraphs 2 to 4 shall be fulfilled either for the gross sample or for the net sample.
6.All main variables shall be transmitted for the full sample in every quarter.
7.All structural variables shall be transmitted for each quarter of the reference year, for at least one wave per quarter and not less than one eighth of the full quarterly sample. Specifically,
(a)all annual and all biennial structural variables, for which only annual averages are needed, shall be transmitted, alternatively:
for the full sample in every quarter;
for one sub-sample of independent observations that refer to all weeks of the reference year.
The sample for biennial structural variables shall be part of the sample for annual structural variables;
(b)eight-yearly variables and variables on an ad hoc subject shall be transmitted for one sub-sample of independent observations that refer to all weeks of the reference year. That sub-sample shall be part of the sample for annual and biennial structural variables;
(c)sub-sampling as defined in points (a) and (b) shall always be applied using complete waves.
8.Member States using a sample of persons belonging to private households can transmit the information concerning the other members of those households (called ‘the minimum set of variables’) for a sub-sample of independent observations (called ‘household sub-sample’) constructed in such a way that:
(a)the household sub-sample consists of independent observations that refer to all weeks of the reference year. The resulting annual sample shall, for the persons forming part of both the sample of persons belonging to private households and the household sub-sample, fulfil the distributional requirements as laid down in paragraphs 2 and 3 to the fullest extent possible;
(b)the household sub-sample comprises at least one wave per quarter or at least 15 000 households.
9.Member States that use:
(a)a sample of persons;
(b)a household sub-sample as defined under paragraph 8; and
(c)a sub-sample for the eight-yearly detailed topics different than the household sub-sample;
shall transmit, for all members of households to which the persons selected for answering in a given year the eight-yearly detailed topic belong, and for the same reference periods, all parts of the topics ‘technical items’ and ‘persons and household characteristics’ which also form part of the minimum set of variables.
This transmission shall apply to the eight-yearly detailed topics ‘labour market situation of migrants and their immediate descendants’, ‘pensions and labour market participation’ and ‘reconciliation of work and family life’.
1.The interviews collecting information for the labour force domain shall take place during the week immediately following the reference week, and no more than 5 weeks after it.
2.In duly justified cases and only to the necessary extent, the interview period may be further extended.
3.The interviews shall be conducted by computer-assisted interviewing methods, like the computer-assisted personal interviewing (CAPI), the computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) and the computer-assisted web interviewing (CAWI), except in duly justified cases.
1.The flowcharts on the order of questions for the detailed topics ‘employment status’, ‘search for employment’, ‘willingness to work’, ‘availability’, ‘second or multiple job(s)’ and ‘main activity status (self-defined)‘ shall be as specified in Annex II of this Regulation.
2.Information on the variables WKSTAT, ABSREAS, JATTACH, SEEKWORK, ACTMETNE and AVAILBLE referred to in Annex I of this Regulation shall be obtained by interview.
3.Administrative records and any other sources and methods can be used for all other variables provided that the data obtained are of equivalent coverage and at least equivalent quality. Relevant quality dimensions include comparable and coherent definitions and concepts, correct reference periods, and timeliness of data availability.
1.Administrative or register data, results from previous interviews, and results from interviews of another person shall not be used to replace or impute information on the variables WKSTAT, ABSREAS, JATTACH, SEEKWORK, ACTMETNE and AVAILBLE referred to in Annex I of this Regulation. Simplified rules may be applied for certain groups of persons, as specified in Annex II of this Regulation.
2.Where information on other variables is missing, invalid or inconsistent, methods of statistical imputation may be applied where appropriate, except for the variable INCGROSS referred to in Annex I of this Regulation, to which statistical imputation shall always be applied when non-response exceeds 5 %.
3.The reference population for weighting shall be the (real or estimated) population usually residing in private households.
4.Weighting factors for estimates at individual level based on quarterly, annual, and biennial variables shall fulfil the following requirements:
(a)the weighting factors shall be calculated taking into account the probability of selection and external data on the distribution of the population being surveyed, by sex, age groups and region (NUTS 2 level). Five-year age groups shall be the standard. However, given the sample size and the quality and availability of the external data, aggregations that include more than one five-year age group are allowed only to the necessary extent;
(b)consistency between annual totals of sub-samples for annual and biennial structural variables and full-sample annual averages shall be ensured for employment, unemployment and outside the labour force by sex and for the following age groups: 25-34, 35-44, and 45-54. Consistency for the groups of persons aged 15-24, 55-64, and 65 and over shall be achieved to the fullest extent possible.
5.Weighting factors for estimates at household level, using the average weight of the household members, and at individual level by specific household characteristics shall fulfil the following requirements:
(a)the weighting factors shall be calculated taking into account the probability of selection and data on the distribution of the private households being surveyed, namely the (real or estimated) number of households and the (real or estimated) household size (household level), and the distribution of the population being surveyed, by sex and at least age groups 0-14 and 15+ (individual level). Estimates of the number of households and the household size shall be based on the best sources and concepts available;
(b)consistency between annual full-sample or sub-sample totals using the household weighting factors and full-sample annual averages using the individual weighting factors defined in paragraph 4 shall be ensured for employment, unemployment and outside the labour force by sex and for the following age groups: 25-34, 35-44, and 45-54. Consistency for the groups of persons 15-24, 55-64, and 65 and over shall be achieved to the fullest extent possible.
6.Weighting factors for estimates at individual level based on eight-yearly/ad hoc subject variables shall fulfil the following requirements:
(a)the weighting factors shall be calculated taking into account the probability of selection and data relating to the distribution of the population being surveyed, by sex and eight-yearly target population age groups as defined in paragraph 3 of Article 4 of this Regulation. Five-year age groups shall be the standard. However, given the sample size and the quality and availability of the data, aggregations which include more than one five-year age group are allowed only to the necessary extent;
(b)consistency between annual sub-sample totals using the eight-yearly weighting factors and annual sub-sample totals or, if not applicable, full-sample annual averages using individual weighting factors referred to in paragraph 4 shall be ensured for the eight-yearly target population defined in paragraph 3 of Article 4 of this Regulation and for employment, unemployment and outside the labour force by sex;
(c)the requirements shall apply accordingly to ad hoc subjects and their target populations.
7.Information on the variables WKSTAT, ABSREAS, JATTACH, SEEKWORK, ACTMETNE and AVAILBLE referred to in Annex I of this Regulation shall not be used in the weighting process.
1.Member States shall transmit to the Commission (Eurostat), as part of the quarterly accuracy report described in paragraph 2 of Annex III of this Regulation, two reliability limits. The Commission (Eurostat) shall use those reliability limits for data dissemination.
2.To produce back-calculated break-free time series of main indicators starting from the first quarter of 2009, Member States shall transmit to the Commission (Eurostat), by 31 December 2021, one of the following:
(a)correction factors to be applied to the back data for each indicator listed in paragraph 3 of this Article;
(b)the full time series covering the time period from the first quarter of 2009 to the fourth quarter of 2020 for each indicator listed in paragraph 3 of this Article.
3.The indicators for which back-calculated break-free time series are required are the employment and unemployment levels in thousands broken down by sex and age groups 15-24, 25-64, 65+ and, for employment only, age group 20-64.
4.Correction factors for back-calculation, full break-free time series, and relevant metadata for back-calculated break-free time series required according to paragraph 2 of this Article shall be sent using the format provided by the Commission (Eurostat).
1.Member States shall transmit to the Commission (Eurostat) quarterly and annual datasets with pre-checked microdata that comply with validation rules according to the specification of variables for their coding and filter conditions set out in Annex I of this Regulation. Member States and the Commission shall agree on additional validation rules that shall be fulfilled as a condition for transmitted data to be accepted.
2.Quarterly datasets shall contain all main variables for the quarterly samples. Including variables with an annual reference period for the respective samples or sub-samples in these datasets shall be optional.
3.Annual datasets shall include all structural variables as well as main variables for the respective samples or sub-samples.
4.The main and structural variables of the quarterly and annual datasets shall comply with the requirements described in Article 4(3) of this Regulation.
5.Revised data shall be transmitted in complete datasets covering all variables, regardless of the number of revised observations and variables.
6.The contents of the quarterly variables transmitted in the quarterly datasets shall be consistent with the contents of the variables transmitted in the annual datasets.
7.Member States shall make available to the Commission (Eurostat) the data and metadata required under this Regulation using the statistical data and metadata exchange standards specified by the Commission (Eurostat) and the Single Entry Point.
In addition to the requirements laid down in Article 13(6) of Regulation (EU) 2019/1700, quarterly and annual quality reports by Member States shall comply with the requirements listed in Annex III of this Regulation.
This Regulation shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
It shall apply from 1 January 2021.
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.
Done at Brussels, 16 December 2019.
For the Commission
The President
Ursula von der Leyen