Proposal for a Council Regulation (EC) on the organization of a labour force sample survey in the Community (97/C 364/05) COM(97) 376 final - 97/0202(CNS)

(Submitted by the Commission on 30 October 1997)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 213 thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,

Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament

Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee,

Whereas, in order to carry out the tasks assigned to it, the European Union needs comparable statistical information on the level and pattern and trends in employment and unemployment in the Member States;

Whereas the best method of obtaining such information at Community level is to conduct harmonized labour force surveys;

Whereas Council Regulation (EEC) No 3711/91 of 16 December 1991 on the organization of an annual labour force sample survey in the Community (1) laid down that, starting in 1992, a survey was to be conducted in the spring of each year;

Whereas, although a continuous survey is preferable to an annual spring survey for ensuring the availability and harmonization of data and measuring the volume of work, it is difficult to implement a continuous survey on the same dates in all the Member States;

Whereas the use of existing administrative sources should be encouraged in so far as they can usefully supplement the information obtained through interviews or serve as a sampling basis;

Whereas the data in the survey, as fixed by this Regulation, may be extended to include a further set of variables forming part of a programme of ad hoc modules which covers several years, and which the Commission is required to draw up under an appropriate procedure as part of the implementation arrangements;

Whereas the statistical confidentiality is governed by the rules set out in Council Regulation (EC) No 322/97 on Community statistics (2) and in Council Regulation (Euratom, EEC) No 1588/90 on the transmission of data subject to statistical confidentiality to the Statistical Office of the European Communities (3).

Whereas the Statistical Programme Committee established by Council Decision 89/382/EEC, Euratom (4) has been consulted by the Commission in accordance with Article 3 of the aforesaid Decision,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

Frequency of the survey

A labour force sample survey hereinafter referred to as 'the survey`, shall be conducted by the Member States each year.

The survey is a continuous survey providing quarterly and annual results; however, those Member States which are not in a position to implement a continuous survey only, to take place in the spring.

The information collected during the survey relates generally to the situation during the course of the week (taken to run from Monday to Sunday) preceding the interview, known as the reference week.

In the case of a continuous survey:

- the reference weeks are spread uniformly throughout the whole year,

- the interview normally takes place during the week immediately following the reference week. The reference week and the date of the interview may not be more than five weeks apart, except in the third quarter,

- the reference quarters and years are respectively groups of 13 or 52 consecutive weeks. A list of the weeks making up a given quarter or year is drawn up according to the procedure laid down in Article 8 of this Regulation.

Article 2

Units and scope of the survey, observation methods

1. The survey shall be carried out in each Member State in a sample of households or of persons residing in the economic territory of that State at the time of the survey.

2. The principal scope of the survey consists of persons residing in private households on the economic territory of each Member State. If possible, this main population of persons living in private households, is supplemented by persons living in collective households.

Wherever possible, collective households are covered by means of samples specially drawn to permit direct observation of the persons concerned. If this is not possible, then persons in these groups who continue to have an association with a private household are included in connection with that household.

3. The variables used to determine labour status and underemployment must be obtained by interviewing the person concerned, or, if this is not possible, another member of the household. Other information may be obtained from alternative sources, including administrative records, provided that the data obtained are of equivalent quality.

4. Regardless of whether the sampling unit is an individual or a household, information is usually collected for all individuals of the household. However, if the sampling unit is an individual, information concerning the other members of the household:

- may exclude the characteristics listed at points g, h, i and j (1) of Article 4,

- and may be collected from a subsample defined in such a way that:

- the reference weeks are uniformly distributed throughout the whole year,

- the number of observations (individuals sampled plus the members of their (household) satisfies, for the annual estimates of levels, the reliability criteria defined in Article 3.

Article 3

Representativeness of the sample

1. In order to ensure a reliable foundation for comparative analysis at community level, as well as at the level of the Member States and of specific regions, the sampling plan shall guarantee that for characteristics relating to 5 % of the population of working age the relative standard error for the estimation of annual averages (or to the spring estimates in the case of an annual survey in the spring) at NUTS II level does not exceed 8 %, assuming the design effect for the unemployment variable.

Regions with less than 300 000 inhabitants shall be exempt from this requirement.

2. In the case of a continuous survey, the sample design should guarantee that for sub-populations which constitute about 5 % of the population of working age, the standard error at national level for the estimate of changes between two successive quarters, does not exceed 2 % of the sub-population concerned.

For Member States with a population of between 1 million and 20 million inhabitants, this requirement is relaxed so that the standard error for the estimate of quarterly changes does not exceed 3 % of the sub-population concerned.

Member States whose population is below 1 million inhabitants are exempted from these precision requirements concerning changes.

3. Where the survey is carried out only in the spring, at least a quarter of the survey units are taken from the preceding survey and at least a quarter from part of the following survey.

These two groups shall be identified by a code.

4. Where non-response to certain questions results in missing data, statical imputation is normally applied.

5. The weighting factors are calculated taking into account the probability of selection and external data relating to the distribution of the population being surveyed, by sex, age (five-year age groups) and region (NUTS 2 level), where such external data are sufficiently reliable.

The same weighting factor is applied for all members of the same household (5).

6. Member States shall provide the Statistical Office of the European Communities (hereinafter called Eurostat) with whatever information is required concerning the organization and methodology of the survey, and in particular, they shall indicate the criteria adopted for the design and size of the sample.

Article 4

Survey characteristics

1. Data shall be collected on:

(a) demographic background:

- sequence number in the household

- sex

- year of birth

- date of birth in relation to the end of the reference period

- marital status

- relationship to reference person

- sequence number of spouse

- sequence number of father

- sequence number of mother

- nationality

- number of years of residence in the Member State

- country of birth (optional)

- nature of participation in the survey (direct participation or proxy through another member of the household);

(b) labour status:

- labour status during the reference week

- reason for not having worked though having a job

- search for employment for person without employment

- type of employment sought (self-employed or employee)

- methods used to find a job

- availability to start work;

(c) employment characteristics of the main job:

- professional status

- economic activity of local unit

- occupation

- number of persons working at the local unit

- country of place of work

- region of place of work

- year and month when the person started working in current employment

- permanency of the job (and reasons)

- duration of temporary job or work contract of limited duration

- full-time/part-time distinction (and reasons)

- working at home;

(d) hours worked:

- number of hours per week usually worked

- number of hours actually worked

- main reason for hours actually worked being different from person's usual hours;

(e) second job:

- existence of more than one job

- professional status

- economic activity of the local unit

- number of hours actually worked;

(f) visible underemployment:

- wish to work usually more than the current number of hours (optional in the case of an annual survey)

- looking for another job and reasons for doing so

- type of employment sought (as employee or otherwise)

- methods used to find another job

- reason why the person is not seeking another job (optional in the case of an annual survey)

- availability to start work

- number of hours of work wished for (optional in the case of an annual survey);

g) search for employment:

- type of employment sought (full-time or part-time)

- duration of search for employment

- situation of person immediately before starting to seek employment

- registration at public employment office and whether receiving benefits

- willingness to work for person not seeking employment

- reason why person has not sought work;

(h) education and training:

- participation in education or training during previous four weeks

- purpose

- level

- place

- total length

- total number of hours

- highest successfully completed level of education or training

- year when this highest level was successfully completed

- received vocational training within a dual system;

(i) previous work experience of person not in employment:

- existence of previous employment experience

- year and month in which the person last worked

- main reason for leaving last job or business

- professional status in last job

- economic activity of local unit in which person last worked

- occupation of last job;

(j) situation one year before the survey:

- main labour status

- professional status

- economic activity of local unit in which person was working

- country of residence

- region of residence;

(k) main labour status (optional);

(l) income (optional);

(m) technical items relating to the interview:

- year of survey

- reference week

- interview week

- member state

- region of household

- degree of urbanization

- serial number of household

- type of household

- type of institution

- weighting factor

- sub-sample in relation to the preceding survey (annual survey)

- sub-sample in relation to the following survey (annual survey)

- sequence number of the survey wave.

2. A further set of variables, hereinafter referred to as an ad hoc module, may be added to supplement the information described in paragraph 1.

A programme of ad hoc modules covering several years shall be drawn up each year according to the procedure laid down in Article 8 of this Regulation:

- this programme shall specify for each ad hoc module, the subject, the Member States and regions covered, the reference period, the sample size determined according to Article 3) and the deadline for the transmission of the results (which may be different from the deadline according to Article 6);

- the detailed list of information to be collected in an ad hoc module shall be drawn up at least 12 months before the beginning of the reference period for that module;

- the volume of an ad hoc module shall not exceed the volume of the module c described at point 1 of this Article.

3. The definitions, the edits to be used, the codification of the variables, and a list of principles for the formulation of the questions concerning the labour status, are drawn up according to the procedure laid down in article 8 of this Regulation.

Article 5

Conduct of the survey

The Member States may make it compulsory to reply to the survey. They shall endeavour to ensure that the information requested is provided truthfully within the periods specified.

Article 6

Transmission of the results

Within 12 weeks of the end of the reference quarter in the case of a continuous survey (and within nine months of the end of the reference period in the case of a survey in the spring), the Member States shall forward to Eurostat the results of the survey, duly checked, for each person questioned, without indication of name or address.

Article 7

Reports

A report on the implementation of this Regulation shall be submitted by the Council every three years, beginning in the year 2000. This report shall evaluate in particular the quality of the statistical methods envisaged by the Member States to improve the results or to lighten the survey procedures.

Article 8

Procedure

The Commission shall be assisted by the Statistical Programme Committee set up pursuant to Decision (EEC, Euratom) No 89/382, hereinafter referred to as 'the committee`.

The representative of the Commission shall submit to the committee a draft of the measures to be taken. The committee shall deliver its opinion on the draft within a time limit which the chairman may lay down according to the urgency of the matter. The opinion shall be delivered by the majority laid down in Article 148 (2) of the Treaty in the case of decisions which the Council is required to adopt on a proposal from the Commission. The votes of the representatives of the Member States within the committee shall be weighted in the manner set out in that Article. The chairman shall not vote.

The Commission shall adopt measures which shall apply immediately. However, if these measures are not in accordance with the opinion of the committee, they shall be communicated by the Commission to the Council forthwith. In that event, the Commission shall defer application of the measures which it has decided for a period of three months from the date of communication.

The Council, acting by a qualified majority, may take a different decision within the time limit referred to in the previous paragraph.

Article 9

Arrangements for repealing

Regulation (EEC) No 3711/91 is hereby repealed.

Article 10

Entry into force

This Regulation shall enter into force on the day following its publication in the Official Journal of the European Communities.

This regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.

(1) OJ L 351, 20. 12. 1991, p. 1.

(2) OJ L 52, 22. 2. 1997, p. 1.

(3) OJ L 151, 15. 6. 1990, p. 1.

(4) OJ L 181, 28. 6. 1989, p. 47.

(5) This obligation will be retained in the Regulation only if its basis is not challenged by the studies on this topic currently in progress.