9th Workshop on Labour Force Survey Methodology. Roma, 5-16 maggio 2014

1. j.vanderValk@cbs.nl
From Labour Force Survey to
Labour Market Statistics
The views expressed here are those of the author and do not
necessarily reflect the policies of Statistics Netherlands

2. Digital revolution is going on
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3. ‘Big’ Data
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1 Exabyte= 1018
B= (GB)2

4. Big Data for (labour market) statistics
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5. Future of surveys (Mick Couper, ESRA 2013)
– Reduce survey length or burden
‐ Use data from other sources
‐ Ask less detail
‐ Use matrix sampling (= wave approach for LFS)
– Use technology
– Better understand non-respondents
A survey is a tool, that will remain relevant!
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6. Survey as a tool for making statistics
Modern
Using new technology
Appropriate
Fit for purpose
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7. Is (Labour Force) Survey modern?
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8. The survey as a modern tool
– Digital
– Cost-effective
– Flexible
– Incorporating new technologies
– Connected to other data sets
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Modular
Design

9. ESSnet on Multi-mode data collection for
social surveys: some findings
– Web data collection is feasible for LFS
‐ Mode effects not really different from other modes
‐ Can help to cover whole population
‐ Is liked by respondents (better than CATI)
– Guidance on questionnaire design is available
– How to combine modes is still an open question
9Final workshop: 4-5 September 2014, Wiesbaden

10. Is (Labour Force) Survey appropriate?
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11. The survey as a less appropriate tool
– Preparation, management and fieldwork is
resources consuming
– Sample based: not ideal for producing
statistics on small groups
‐ Geographical areas
‐ High frequency (monthly or weekly)
‐ Information on transitions and mobility
– Not most logical way to collect facts 11

12. The survey as a more appropriate tool
– Can in principle collect private, sensitive or
subjective information
– Could be precise: enables harmonisation
(of questionnaires)
– Could be a flexible instrument (modular
design)
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13. Changing role of (LF)Survey
Past
–LFSurvey: ‘large’ scale data collection to provide data
for many labour market statistics
–Administrative sources for some employment
statistics
Future
–Administrative/Open/Machine generated/Big Data
for many statistics
–Surveys: targeted data collection for specific research
and quality assessment
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14. Consequences for LFS
– The future role of LFS will be less prominent
– Stand-alone surveys not appropriate anymore
but integrated designs are required
– System of surveys must be very flexible and
extremely efficient
‐ Includes web-based data collection
‐ Effective (modular) systems for collection and
processing of data
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15. From brick to slick!
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Redesign LFS to make it ready for the future!

16. Consequences Labour Market Statistics
– The challenge is to how combine several data
sources to make Labour Market Statistics
– This includes new diverse data sets and even
‘big’ data
– International collaboration is required to deal
with these challenges
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17. Thank you for your attention!
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