ILO LFS pilot studies experimental field tests: methodology, process and outcomes

The latest international recommendations on how to measure some of the key headline labour market indicators, including the labour force participation rate, employment-to-population ratio and unemployment rate, are contained in the Resolution I concerning statistics of work, employment and labour underutilization adopted in 2013 by the 19th International Conference of Labour Statisticians (ICLS). These standards introduced a number of important advances that will impact the way work and labour force statistics are collected and disseminated by countries around the world in the years to come. To support their wide implementation, the 19th ICLS called on the ILO to 'conduct further conceptual and methodological work including testing' and develop 'technical manuals and model data collection instruments' aligned with the latest standards (ILO, 2013). As follow-up, in 2015, the ILO launched a global project of labour force survey (LFS) pilot studies. The Project had as main aim to develop and test alternative survey questionnaires to collect statistics on high priority topics such as employment, labour underutilization (comprising time-related underemployment, unemployment and the potential labour force), and own-use production work, in line with the 19th ICLS standards. The ultimate objective is to develop evidence-based guidance to support countries in adopting the new standards.

The focus of this report is to provide a more detailed description of the field testing stage of the process including the design, implementation and lessons learned.

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