The Labour Force Survey (LFS) is a continuous household survey conducted in England, Scotland and Wales. The LFS is a large sample survey in which 60,000 households are interviewed each quarter.
The survey provides information on the labour market, including employment, unemployment and economic activity rates. It also covers a range of related topics, such as income, qualifications, training and disability. Data collected are then used to develop, manage, evaluate and report on labour market policies.
LFS data are available for biannual data for 1979 to 1984, annual data for 1984 to 1991, quarterly data since spring 1992 and local area tabulations from spring 1992 onwards for a limited set of variables.
Since 1998, headline results have been published 12 times per year for the average of three consecutive months; full results are released for seasonal quarters, that is: March to May, June to August, September to November and December to February.
The smallest spatial unit for which data are made available is by local authority districts.
