Two important revisions were performed in 2023 and 2024: post-census revision and data revision on account of the improvement of methodological procedures.
Starting from the first quarter of 2023 the estimates of the Labour Force Survey have been calculated on the basis of demographic estimates for 2022, based on the 2022 Census of Population, Households and Dwellings. Demographic estimates based on the 2011 Population Census were used to calculate the estimates up to the fourth quarter of 2022 included.
Furthermore, the estimates for the reference quarter up to 2023 were calculated based on demographic estimates for the year prior to the reference year. On account of demographic estimates quality improvement in terms of timely data, since 2024 it has been made possible to calculate the estimates for the reference quarter using demographic estimates for the specific reference quarter.
Population estimates are based on the results of the population census and processing of the statistics of natural (births and deaths) and mechanical movements (internal migration) of the population. In 2024 automated electronic retrieval of administrative data (births, deaths and internal migration) necessary to monitor basic demographic changes started, thus reducing considerably the time for data processing and making demographic estimates available one month after the reference period.
Data for 2024 are the result of estimates based on current demographic estimates drawn from the 2022 Population Census. For the sake of data comparability, data for the period prior to 2024 were revised.
The revision of microdata, i.e. at weight level, has been performed for the period 2021‒2023, while for the period of 2011‒2020 only major indicators have been revised. The reason of such undertaking was the change of the methodology of the 2021 Labour Force Survey (LFS), as well as many other methodological changes over 2011-2020.
In the series 2011-2020 two methodological approaches have been used to calculate correction factors for reversing the series backwards: one for the period 2011-2018 and another for the period 2019-2020.
2019-2020. As it was possible to derive new weights according to the most recent estimates based on current demographic estimates drawn from the 2022 Population Census, the methodological approach for the post-census data revision for 2019-2020 implied the following:
2011-2018. Having in mind the big revision already performed on the series 2011-2018 after the implementation of the new methodology in 2021, as well as many other methodological changes in the Labour Force Survey over the period 2011-2018 (change in the frequency of the survey from semi-annual to quarterly, then continuous; change in the estimate system in 2015; introduction of unique weights at individual and household levels in 2016; continuous sample enlargement, etc.), it was possible to carry out the post-census revision for the given period, with a limited precision only for major indicators.
In the methodological approach used for the post-census data revision for the period 2011-2018 it was necessary to define the share of three main population contingents (employees, the unemployed and outside labour force persons) by sex and age group in the total population aged over 15 within the series on which the big revision in 2021 was performed due to methodological changes.
Those shares have been used then on the new (post-census) series of data on the total population aged over 15 in order to obtain the (revised) number of employees, unemployed and outside labour force persons by sex and age group. Afterwards, in order to maintain the structure of the series of the Labour Force Survey and achieve corresponding linear constraints (e.g. so as the sum of revised data by sex and/or age group to be equal to the revised series of the total sum), additional (minor) corrections have been made on the contingent of the outside labour force population.
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According to the Labour Force Survey, in the fourh quarter of 2024, the number of employed persons was 2 894 900, the number of unemployed persons was 273 100, while the number of people outside the labour force equalled 2 462 200.
Compared to the same quarter of the previous year, the number of employed persons increased by 50 700, while the number of unemployed decreased by 11 600, and the number of people outside the labour force decreased by 65 300. The employment rate was 51.4%, representing an increase of 1.1 percentage points (p.p.), while the unemployment rate was 8.6%, the decrease being of 0.5 p.p. The outside the labour force rate was 43.7%, reflecting a decrease of 1.0 p.p.
Compared to the third quarter of 2024, there was a decrease in the number of employed persons (by 28 600), and an increase in the number of the unemployed (by 16 000) and the number of people outside the labour force (by 6 300). This way, the employment rate decreased by 0.5 p.p., while the unemployment rate and outside the labour force rate increased by 0.5 p.p., and 0.1 p.p.
