Lithuania - Labor Force

Data are disseminated in thousands of persons (period average) on the estimated number of employed persons, the estimated number of economically active persons (the labour force), the labour force participation rate, and the employment rate. These are broken down by gender and age group, and by urban/rural population.

The target population of the Labour force survey consists of the residents of aged 15 and older as of the 1st of January of the year. The data is compiled on the basis of the Labour Force Survey (LFS), which was first launched in November 1998. Until 2002 it had been conducted twice a year, in May and November. From 2002 LFS is a continuous survey providing quarterly and annual results. The reference weeks are spread uniformly throughout the entire year.

A total of 100,152 persons or 0.5 percent of the population aged 15 years and older per year, selected from the population register is subject of the LFS from 2008. The size of the sample is 25,038 persons per quarter. Till 2007 the sample size was 40,000 persons, or 0.3 per cent of the population aged 15 years and older per year.

All population categories and geographic areas are covered. The survey performed is in compliance with the ILO methodology. The data is not seasonally adjusted.

• Definitions: 
• Employed persons are the persons doing any kind of work, for which they are remunerated in cash or in kind, or have income or profit. They are the persons having the professional status of employers, owners, farmers, employees, contributing family workers, self-employed persons. 
• The Labour Force Survey covers persons aged 15 and older, who have been working during the reference week for no less than an hour and for which they were remunerated or had profit (income), as well as those who were ill during the reference week, had vacation, did not work due to short-term or long-term idle time, took care of children under 3 years of age and maintained official ties with their workplace.
• International standards: The employment concepts applied generally conform to ILO standards.

Classifications:

• Branch of economic activity (industry) of employed: Seventeen groups of economic activities are used for coding industry of previous employer in the LFS. Coding is performed according to the European Communities' Classification of Economic Activities (NACE), Rev. 1. (that is based on the International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities (ISIC), Rev. 3 (1988)). From 1^st January 2008 NACE Rev.2 was introduced.
• Occupation: The Lithuania Standard Classification of Occupations is used, coded at the 4-digit level. The classification corresponds to the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO-88) at the 4-digit level.
• Status in employment: International Classification of Status in Employment (ISCE-93) is used. Following groups are used for coding: employee, employer, own account worker, unpaid family worker. The classification of these groups corresponds to the International Classification of Status in Employment (ICSE) 1993.
• Education: National Classification of Education of the Republic of Lithuania, which is comparable with the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED-97) 1-digit level, is used. Educational attainment is coded to four groups as follows: 
1. Unskilled
2. Vocational
3. College level (special secondary)
4. Higher

Scope of the data

• Industrial coverage: All industries are covered.
• Occupational coverage: All occupations are covered.
• Geographical coverage: The whole country is covered.
• Population coverage: Employed are permanent residents of the Republic of Lithuania who are employed on the basis of a direct employment contract, for a fixed or indefinite period of time. They may include young workers between 15 and 16 years of age provided a written agreement has been signed with one of the parents or tutors.
• Topical coverage:
• Employment
• Hours of work (both actual hours and usual hours)
• Absence from work (reasons and duration)
• Economic activity
• Occupation
• Status in employment
• Number of persons working at the local unit of the establishment, ownership of the establishment, year/month in which person started working in current employment
• Full-time/part-time distinction
• Shift work
• Evening/night work
• Saturday/Sunday work
• Working at home
• Looking for another job and reasons for doing so
• Permanency of the job
• Total duration of temporary job
• Demographic data (age, sex, marital status, ethnic nationality, citizenship)
• Education (highest completed level)
• Training or education received during previous four weeks
• Second jobs

Recording basis

• Reference period: One week. From 2002 LFS in Lithuania is continuous and all 52 weeks of the year are covered.
• Frequency: The survey is continuous, with employment estimates produced on a quarterly basis as an average for the period.

Source data collection programs

• The data are compiled on the basis of the Lithuanian Labour Force Survey (LFS), which was first conducted in 1998. Until 2002, the LFS was conducted twice a year, in May and November. From 2002, the LFS is a continuous survey providing quarterly and annual results.
• Collection unit: The sampling units for the Labour Force Survey are the sampled persons and their household members. Quarterly Labour Force Surveys are conducted according to the international employment statistics standards. The scope of LFS actually involves all economic activities, all categories of employees, including those employed in their own enterprises, and employers.
• Collection frame: The collection frame is drawn from the Population Register.
• Data collection: The collection is carried out by face-to-face interview following the questionnaires, prepared according to the Eurostat recommendations.  From 2007 interviewers group was establish, which interviews in the first wave are carried out face-to-face with the help of portable computers (CAPI). Interviews in the next three waves are carried out by CAPI. Interviews are conducted during the week following the reference week.

Source data timeliness

The LFS is a continuous quarterly survey. The reference weeks are spread uniformly throughout the entire year.

Source data statistical techniques

Since July 2002 the Labour Force Survey has been carried out permanently, each quarter, with survey coverage accounting for 4000 households. From 2008 the survey sample has been expanded up to 8000 households per quarter. Each quarter 25 per cent of the sampled households are replaced. The selection of households is accomplished applying a sampling method and using the Population Register. The sample includes the population of all cities and some villages. LFS results are recalculated for the entire population.

Population series

For the purpose of LFS, Statistics Lithuania used number of population at the beginning of the year for all four quarters (Q1-Q4) until 2010.  From 2010 to 2011 number of population at the beginning of the year was used for the first two quarters (Q1-Q2) and number of population as of 1 July was used for the second two quarters (Q3-Q4).  From 2012, the population series refer to number of population at the beginning of the quarter, for example Q1 refers to number of population as of 1 January, Q2 refers to number of population as of 1 April, and so on.

Other statistical procedures

• Treatment of missing values: For cases of total non-response for households, data are not imputed.
• Seasonal adjustments: The survey results are not adjusted for seasonal variations.

For the preparation of statistical information for 2011–2012, population figures have been revised using data from the 2011 Population and Housing Census.

Revision schedule

The data are preliminary when first published in the press release, Unemployment rate (survey data).

The data for the first, second and third quarters become final 9 weeks after the end of the reference quarter and are published in the relevant issue of the monthly Economic and Social Development in Lithuania.

Final annual data, from which the final fourth quarter data can be derived, are published 11weeks after the end of the reference year in the relevant issue of the monthly bulletin, Economic and Social Development in Lithuania. The final annual data are also published in the annual Labour Force, Employment and Unemployment (usually in June) and the Statistical Yearbook of Lithuania (October).

For more information, please visit the link: http://dsbb.imf.org/Pages/SDDS/CtyCtgBaseList.aspx?ctycode=LTU&catcode=EMP00.