Survey description
The objective of the survey is to prepare and publish comparable statistical information on employment, based on population survey data; to estimate the number of employed and unemployed persons, their distribution by age, sex, place of residence, economic activity, main occupational group, educational attainment, to produce employment and unemployment rate indicators on a quarterly basis.
Employment statistics are required for the estimation of changes in the country’s labour market, social and economic policy formation, social decision-making, estimation of the country’s economic development level, production of economic development forecasts, comparison of international labour market indicators.
Employment is surveyed in all EU member states. In Europe, statistical information on employment has been collected since 1983; in Lithuania, the labour force survey has been conducted since 1998.
Survey type and coverage
The survey is carried out constantly; a rotation sampling method is applied.
Survey population – all usual residents of Lithuania.
Statistical unit – private household member. Individuals residing in institutional households (care homes, imprisonment institutions, monasteries, convents, seminaries, etc.) are not surveyed.
A simple random sample of 8 thousand households is drawn, using Population Register data as a basis. Individuals are sampled; later, all individuals living at the address of the individual sampled are included in the preliminary list from the Population Register. If several households live at the address specified, only the members of the household of the individual sampled are left in the sample. If the household sampled does not live at the address specified, the members of another household living at that address are included in the sample.
Household members participate in the survey four times over a year and a half.
Survey process
Each household sampled is informed thereof with an official letter. The letter invites to participate in the survey and fill in an e-questionnaire, having logged in to the electronic survey system on the website of State Data Agency. If the household sampled has not filled in the e-questionnaire, it is questioned by phone or by an interviewer at home. Subsequent interviews may be conducted by phone or electronically.
Data are collected using a quarterly statistical labour force survey questionnaire GU-01.
Dissemination of information
News release Employment and Unemployment is published in March, after the end of the reference year.
More information is available on the Official Statistics Portal, in statistical publications Labour Market in Lithuania, Lithuania in Figures, Regions of Lithuania.
Legal basis
Regulation (EU) 2019/1700 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 10 October 2019 establishing a common framework for European statistics relating to persons and households, based on data at individual level collected from samples, amending Regulations (EC) No 808/2004, (EC) No 452/2008 and (EC) No 1338/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council, and repealing Regulation (EC) No 1177/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council and Council Regulation (EC) No 577/98.
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2240 of 16 December 2019 specifying the technical items of the data set, establishing the technical formats for transmission of information and specifying the detailed arrangements and content of the quality reports on the organisation of a sample survey in the labour force domain in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2019/1700 of the European Parliament and of the Council.