Labour force survey 

LFS

Sources
Paru le :Paru le05/06/2023
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The Employment, Unemployment and Inactivity Survey (known as the Continuous Employment Survey), aims to observe the labour market in a structural and cyclical manner.

It is the only source providing a measure of the concepts of activity, unemployment and employment as defined by the International Labour Office (ILO).

It corresponds to the French version of the Labour Force Survey (LFS) defined at the European level.

The French Labour Force Survey was established in 1950 to provide a regular measure of employment and unemployment.

Over the decades, the survey has incorporated numerous changes of questionnaire and concept (in particular to comply with the guidelines of the International Labour Office (ILO) and of Eurostat), but also methodological developments on sampling methods and non-response processing, or technical improvements on collection methods, computerization of data processing, etc.

The main recent developments are as follows:

  • From 2003 onwards, the annual French Labour Force Survey in metropolitan France becomes continuous; it is conducted every week of the year;

  • In 2009, its sample has been gradually increased by 50%;

  • In 2013, the questionnaire has been redesigned to facilitate the handover, particularly over the telephone, improve the coding of occupation and diploma, improve knowledge of the labour market with the introduction of new questions and comply with Eurostat guidelines on some indicators (training, halo around unemployment);

  • From 2014, the French overseas departments (excluding Mayotte) have joined the continuous employment survey process;

  • In 2021, a full renovation of the French LFS is implemented : renovation of the questionnaire in order to be in line with the new European regulation, new protocole with possibility of answering on Internet for re-interviewing.

Each year, a complementary module, designed at European level focuses on a specific theme. From 2021 onwards, the complementary modules are fully integrated into the French Labour Force Survey.

Documentation par millésimes

Annual employment survey

Survey

Continuous

Localised unemployment rates (by region, department and employment area)

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