Version: 7.1.2 | Published: 19 May 2026 | Updated: 2 days ago
Labour Force Survey Household - UK
Dataset
Summary
Citation:
Office for National Statistics, released 19 May 2026, ONS SRS Metadata
Catalogue, dataset, Labour Force Survey Household - UK,
https://doi.org/10.57906/kpcj-gt08
DOI Name:
Documentation
Associated Media:
https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/methodologies/labourforcesurveylfsqmi
https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/methodologies/labourforcesurveyuserguidance
https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/articles/impactofreweightingonlabourforcesurveykeyindicators/2022
Description:
The LFS (and the APS) are the sources recommended for employment-related statistics, such as estimates of the number of people in employment or unemployed. They are also a unique source of comprehensive, coherent information about economic inactivity, as it separates information about people who want a job and those who do not.
The primary purpose of the Labour Force Survey (LFS) is "providing good quality point in time and change estimates for various labour market outputs and related topics” (National Statistics Quality Review (NSQR) of Labour Force Survey 2014).
The labour market covers all aspects of people's work, including the education and training needed to equip them for work, the jobs themselves, job-search for those out of work and income from work and benefits. Output from the LFS is quarterly since 1992. Each quarters sample is made up of 5 waves. The sample is made up of approximately 40,000 responding UK households and 100,000 individuals per quarter (pre-covid).
Respondents are interviewed for 5 successive waves at 3-monthly intervals and 20% of the sample is replaced every quarter. The LFS is intended to be representative of the entire population of the UK.
There are three types of LFS datasets (person, household and longitudinal), this agreement covers the LFS Household datasets. Please see User Guide 10 for information on each and which to use for your analysis.
Coverage
Spatial
Spatial Coverage:
United Kingdom
Geographical Levels:
- country
- county
- ITL221
- ITL321
- LAU1
- LEP
- LGD2014
- lsoa11
- msoa11
- national parks
- NUTS1
- oa11
- region
- ttwa11
- ward
- Westminster parliamentary constituency
Temporal
Start Date:
01 April 2002
Latest Data:
31 December 2025
Frequency:
QUARTERLY
Distribution Release Date:
19 May 2026
Provenance
Source:
Survey
Access and Governance
Usage
Condition of Access:
Standard access conditions for the use of data in the SRS
Condition of Use:
Standard conditions for the use of data in the SRS
Resource Creator:
Office for National Statistics
Access
Access Service:
- Safe Rooms, SafePods
- Assured Organisational Connectivity – office based
- Assured Organisational Connectivity – remote access
Jurisdictions:
- GB-EAW
- GB-SCT
- GB-NIR
Data Controller:
Office for National Statistics
Access Level:
Access Level 3
Format and Standards
Languages:
en
Formats:
SPSS
Enrichment and Linkage
Related Datasets:
- Labour Force Survey Person - UK
- Labour Force Survey Longitudinal - UK
Origin
Name:
ONS SRS Metadata Catalogue