Labour Force Survey 2022, 1st Quarter

The Norwegian Labour Force Survey (NLFS) began in 1972 and shows how many people are employed, unemployed or outside the workforce. It provides information on, among other things, occupations, working hours and working time arrangements for those who are employed, search length for the unemployed, and age and education for all.

In 2021, many changes were implemented in the NLFS. The sampling plan was changed to better reflect the main output goals for the survey. It included moving to an individual sampling unit, allowing new stratification variables and allocations. The weighting methodology for the NLFS was changed together with the practical and technical details behind the calculation of monthly and quarterly individual weights and yearly household weights. The number of persons in employment increased by 22 000 and the number of unemployed increased by 5 000, as a consequence of the new EU LFS regulation.

In connection with the survey's 50th anniversary in 2022, an article was published about why and how the NLFS was established in 1972: https://www.ssb.no/arbeid-og-lonn/sysselsetting/statistikk/arbeidskraftundersokelsen/artikler/hvordan-arbeidskraftundersokelsen-ble-til