Employment and unemployment

Labour force survey (LFS) Purpose and short description The Labour Force Survey (LFS) is a household sample survey, conducted throughout the year. It is based on the responses of approximately 110,000 persons aged 15-89. Its main objective is to classify the population of 15-89 years into three groups (employed, unemployed and inactive persons on the labous market) and to provide descriptive and explanatory data on every category. This survey is also carried out in the other EU Member States and is coordinated by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. In Belgium, the LFS is organised by Statbel. The objective is to obtain comparable information at European level, in particular as regards employment and unemployment rates as defined by the International Labour Office (ILO), but also to collect and disseminate data that are otherwise not available, for example about the mobility of workers, the reasons for working part-time, the various forms of part-time employment, the occupation, the educational level of the working age population, ... . Survey population Members of private households aged 15-89. Sample frame Demographic data from the National Register. Data collection method and sample size Data are collected through face-to-face interviews for the first wave of the survey. Since 2017, there have been three (shorter) follow-up waves to which households respond online or by telephone. Households with only inactive persons older than 64 can also be interviewed by telephone. Every year, around 34,000 households take part in this survey. Response rate On average, the response rate in the first wave of the survey is around 68% and in the follow-up waves between 90% and 95%. Periodicity Quarterly Release calendar Results availability: around 3 months after the end of the reference period. Forms Labour Force Survey 2024 (PDF, 1 Mb) Definitions regarding employment and unemployment The survey is harmonised at European level. The definitions regarding employment and unemployment that are mentioned are those of the International Labour Office (ILO) to allow international comparison. People with a job (employed people) comprise all people who during the reference week performed some work ‘for wage or salary’ or ‘for profit’ regardless of the duration (even if this was only one hour), or who had a job but were temporarily absent. For example, one can be temporarily absent for holidays, illness, technical or economic reasons (temporary unemployment),.... Family workers are also included in the category ‘employed’. Since 2021, people who have been temporarily unemployed for an uninterrupted period of more than three months are counted as unemployed or inactive, and no longer as employed. The unemployed comprise all people who: (a) during the reference week were without work, i.e. were not in paid employment or self-employment; (b) were available for work, i.e. were available for paid employment or self-employment within two weeks after the reference week; (c) were actively seeking work, i.e. had taken specific steps during the last four weeks including the reference week to seek paid employment or self-employment, or who had found a job to start within a maximum period of three months. Please note: The ILO unemployment figures are unrelated to any possible registration with the VDAB, Actiris, FOREM or the ADG, or to the receipt of unemployment benefits from ONEM (National Employment Office). As a result, they cannot be compared with administrative unemployment figures. The labour force is made up of the employed and the unemployed. The economically inactive population comprises all people who were not considered as employed or unemployed. The employment rate represents employed persons as a percentage of the same age population. The employment rate as part of the Europe 2020 Strategy represents the share of persons employed in the population aged 20 to 64. The unemployment rate represents the share of unemployed people in the labour force (employed + unemployed) within a given age group. The economic activity rate represents the share of the labour force (employed + unemployed) in the total population within a given age group. The above indicators (employment rate, unemployment rate and economic activity rate) are the most important indicators for international comparisons of the labour market evolution. Low-skilled people are people who have at best a lower secondary education diploma. Medium-skilled people have obtained an upper secondary education diploma, but no higher education diploma. High-skilled people have a higher education diploma. Metadata Employment, unemployment, labour market (NL-FR) Labour force survey (LFS) (NL-FR) Survey methodology Modifications to the Labour Force Survey (LFS) in 2021 LFS: Methodological improvements to the Labour Force Survey 2017 (PDF, 99 Kb) LFS: Presentation of the survey until 2016 (NL-FR) LFS: Presentation of the survey from 2017 (NL-FR) Note on the occasion of the publication of the data of Q4 2024 and the annual 2024 results (.pdf) Regulations Royal Decree of 10 January 1999 on the organisation of a labour force sample survey (NL-FR) Royal decree amending the royal decree of 10 January 1999 on the organisation of a labour force sample survey (NL-FR)