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) 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)

劳动力调查（Labour Force Survey, LFS） 目的与简要说明

劳动力调查（LFS）是一项全年开展的家庭抽样调查，基于约11万名15至89岁人群的反馈实施。其核心目标是将15至89岁人口划分为劳动力市场三大群体：就业者、失业者与非活动人口，并为每一类群体提供描述性与解释性统计数据。该调查同步在欧盟其他成员国开展，由欧盟统计局（Eurostat）统筹协调。在比利时，该调查由Statbel负责组织实施。本次调查的目标是在欧洲层面获取可比较的统计信息，尤其是符合国际劳工组织（International Labour Office, ILO）定义的就业与失业率；同时也用于收集并发布其他渠道难以获取的数据，例如劳动者流动情况、兼职工作的动因、各类兼职用工形式、职业类别、劳动年龄人口的受教育水平等。

调查人群
15至89岁的私人家庭住户成员。

抽样框
来自国家登记处的人口统计数据。

数据收集方法与样本规模
调查首轮数据通过面对面访谈采集。自2017年起，增设三轮时长更短的追踪调查波次，受访住户可通过线上或电话方式参与。仅包含64岁以上非活动人口的住户也可通过电话接受访谈。每年约有3.4万户家庭参与本次调查。

应答率
调查首轮的平均应答率约为68%，追踪调查波次的应答率则介于90%至95%之间。

周期性
季度性。

发布日程
调查结果通常于参考期结束后约3个月对外公布。

调查表
2024年劳动力调查表（PDF, 1 Mb）

就业与失业相关定义
本次调查在欧洲层面实现了统一协调。所采用的就业与失业定义源自国际劳工组织（ILO），以支持国际间的统计比较。
有工作者（就业人员）指所有在参考周内为获取薪酬或利润开展过工作（无论时长，哪怕仅1小时），或虽有工作但临时缺勤的人群。例如，临时缺勤的情况包括休假、患病、技术或经济原因导致的临时失业等。家庭帮工也被纳入“就业者”范畴。自2021年起，连续失业超过3个月的人员不再被归类为就业者，而是划分为失业者或非活动人口。
失业人员指同时满足以下全部条件的人群：(a) 在参考周内无工作，即未从事有偿就业或自营职业；(b) 具备工作能力，即可在参考周结束后的两周内开展有偿就业或自营职业；(c) 积极求职，即在参考周及此前四周内采取了具体行动寻求有偿就业或自营职业，或已找到将在最多三个月内入职的工作。
请注意：国际劳工组织（ILO）的失业统计数据与在VDAB、Actiris、FOREM或ADG进行的失业登记，或从国家就业办公室（National Employment Office, ONEM）领取失业救济金的情况无关。因此，该数据无法与行政统计的失业数据进行比较。
劳动力由就业者与失业者共同构成。经济非活动人口指所有未被归类为就业者或失业者的人群。
就业率指就业人员占同年龄段人口的百分比。作为欧洲2020战略的组成部分，就业率特指20至64岁人口中就业人员的占比。
失业率指失业人员占特定年龄段劳动力（就业者+失业者）的比例。
经济活动率指特定年龄段劳动力（就业者+失业者）占该年龄段总人口的比例。
上述三项指标（就业率、失业率与经济活动率）是开展劳动力市场演进国际比较的核心指标。
技能水平划分如下：低技能人群指至多仅持有初中及以下教育文凭的人员；中等技能人群指持有高中文凭但未接受高等教育的人员；高技能人群指持有高等教育文凭的人员。

元数据
就业、失业、劳动力市场（荷语-法语）
劳动力调查（LFS）（荷语-法语）
调查方法学
2021年劳动力调查（LFS）修订说明
2017年劳动力调查方法学改进（PDF, 99 Kb）
2016年及之前的调查概况（荷语-法语）
2017年及之后的调查概况（荷语-法语）
法规
1999年1月10日关于组织劳动力抽样调查的皇家法令（荷语-法语）
修订1999年1月10日劳动力抽样调查组织皇家法令的修正案（荷语-法语）