National Statistical Institute

Labour Force Statistics Department

Tsveta Kostova-Sevastiyanova

Stanislava Statkova

Head of department

State expert

2, P. Volov Str., 1038 Sofia, Bulgaria

ckostova@nsi.bg

sistatkova@nsi.bg

(+359 2) 9857 619

(+359 2) 9857 664

The Labour Force Survey is a sample statistical survey carried out through households. The main purpose of the survey is to provide data on labour status of population aged 15 years and over and for the main characteristics of employed, unemployed and persons out of labour force in the Republic of Bulgaria. In 2022 an ad-hoc subject on job skills was incorporated in the regular Labour force survey. The ad-hoc subject on job skills was jointly financed by the NSI and by the European Commission under a signed agreement between the two institutions.

The classifications used in the Labour Force Survey are harmonised with the international classifications in terms of economic activities, occupations, educational attainment. The main classifications used are the following:

• International Standard Classification of Education, 2011 version (ISCED 2011);
• Classification of Economic Activities - 2008, which is a Bulgarian version of NACE, Rev. 2 -  since 2008;
• National Classification of Occupations - 2011 (1st digit - occupational class), comparable to the International Standard Classification of Occupations-ISCO ’08 - since 1 January 2011.

Persons aged 15 to 74 years who are currently in employment or who left their last employment in the last 24 months.

The Labour Force Survey provides estimates of the main characteristics of labour market as employment, unemployment, inactivity, occupations, economic activities, working time and other, as well as social-demographic characteristics as sex, age, place of residence (urban/rural), education etc.

The main definitions applied in the survey are in accordance with the recommendation of International Labour Organisation and EU legislation.

The results from the module “Job Skills” allow to estimate jobs that are at risk of automation and the job tasks of persons in employment. In particular data from the module give the information for:

 - Proportion of working time in the main job, spent on:

• working on digital devices - computers, tablets and smartphones
• doing relatively complex calculations - more complex computations than those that only involve integer numbers, i.e. calculations involving percentages involving fractions, percentages, etc. (proportions, interest rates, indexes), fractions, data analysis, statistics or econometric models etc. that may involve the use of a calculator or software
• tasks involving finger dexterity in main or last job
• doing hard physical work or working in painful or tiring positions
• interaction with people from the same enterprise or organisation from outside

 - Autonomy on tasks - the extent that persons can influence on the order and the content (methods, tools) of the tasks;

 - Repetitiveness of tasks and the availability of strictly defined procedures that persons have to follow in order to accomplish work tasks.

Persons living in non-institutional households.

Total population usually residing in Bulgaria, except persons living in collective households. The module “Job skills” refers to persons aged 15 to 74 years who are currently in employment or who left their last employment in the last 24 months.

The whole territory of Republic of Bulgaria.

2022

Not applicable.

Number of persons in thousands.

For every person in the sample the reference period is one calendar week (from Monday to Sunday). The sample is evenly spread over the all 13 calendar weeks within each quarter. 

The concepts and definitions applied in the Labour Force Survey are in line with:

• Recommendation of the International Labour Organisation;
• Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/1642 of 5 November 2020 specifying the technical items of the data set for the 2022 ad hoc subject ‘job skills’ and the eight-yearly variables on ‘pension and labour market participation’ in the labour force domain in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2019/1700 of the European Parliament and of the Council;
• Regulation (EU) 2019/1700 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 10 October 2019 establishing a common framework for European statistics relating to persons and households, based on data at individual level collected from samples;
• Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2240 of 16 December 2019 specifying the technical items of the data set, establishing the technical formats for transmission of information and specifying the detailed arrangements and content of the quality reports on the organisation of a sample survey in the labour force domain in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2019/1700 of the European Parliament and of the Council;
• Law on Statistics.

Not applicable.

• Law on Statistics;
• Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 March 2009 on European statistics (provision 24 and Article 20 (4)) (OJ L 87, p. 164), stipulates the necessity to establish common principles and guidelines ensuring the confidentiality of data used for the production of European statistics and the access to those confidential data with due account for technical developments and the requirements of users in a democratic society.

Individual anonymous data provided for the purposes of scientific research do not consist any administrative data as personal information and address and do not allow direct identification. Additional aggregation of data is performed for some of the variables.

In accordance with Article 25 of the Law on Statistics Individual data are not published. Dissemination of individual data is possible only in accordance with Article 26 of the Law on Statistics.

The main results from the LFS module on job skills are disseminated on the NSI website on 6 July 2023.

 The calendar is available on the NSI website: https://www.nsi.bg/en/content/44/basic-page/release-calendar

Accessibility of all users to statistical data and equality of their rights are stipulated in the Regulation for dissemination of statistical products and services by the National Statistical Institute.

Data are disseminated on the NSI website, section “Labour Market” in line with the Law of Statistics and European Statistics Code of Practice respecting professional independence and in an objective, professional and transparent manner in which all users are treated equitably.

One-off

Not available.

Not available.

The main results from the ad hoc module "Job skills" are available for all users at the NSI website, section “Labour Market”, Labour Force Survey, Annual data: https://www.nsi.bg/en/content/20585/ 

Individual anonymous micro-data could be provided for scientific research purposes by individual request according to the Regulation of submission of anonymous individual data for scientific and research purposes.

An information service could be provided by request, according to the Rules for Dissemination of Statistical Information Products and Services.

• Labour force survey methodology: https://www.nsi.bg/sites/default/files/files/metadata/LFS_Methodology_EN.pdf;
• Questionnaire for the module “Job skills”;
• Interviewers’ instructions for the module “Job skills”;
• Eurostat’s Explanatory notes for the variables on job skills.

Ensuring the quality of Labour force survey and its modules is according to the policy and Quality Management Programme of NSI.

Quality report on the Labour Force Survey is prepared each year. Quality report on the 2022 module on job skills is also prepared in line with Eurostat requirements.

The main users of LFS statistical data are:

International organisations:

Not available.

The module “Job skills” covers all compulsory variables according Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/1642 of 5 November 2020 specifying the technical items of the data set for the 2022 ad hoc subject ‘job skills’ and the eight-yearly variables on ‘pension and labour market participation’ in the labour force domain in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2019/1700 of the European Parliament and of the Council.

The sample used for the Labour force survey is a two-stage stratified cluster sample, which includes quarterly about 19.6 thousand households (representing about 0.65% sampling rate). The module on job skills was carried out over a part (25%) of the LFS sample in each quarter and consisted of the households from the third wave. Due to the sampling approach used in the Labour force survey, the estimation of the parameters obtained from the survey could vary from those in the population due to sampling errors, errors due to non-response, errors in registration or processing etc..

Coefficients of variation (relative standard errors), and confidence intervals (i.e. the range of values that 95% of times would capture the true value in the population) are calculated for assessment of stochastic reliability of the estimates for main indicators.

The non-response rate for the module “Job skills” is 0.2% (of persons responded in regular LFS). 

The main results from the LFS modules are published about 6 months after the reference year.

The main results from the module “Job skills” are presented on 6 July 2023.

Comparability across EU Member States is considered high due to use of harmonised concepts, variables, definitions and classifications.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

Some of the totals (rows and columns) in tables could slightly differ from the sum of the components because of the rounding of figures.

The average duration of interview on the module “Job skills” is about 10 minutes. 

Revisions of previously released data are usually not performed. By exception, revisions may happen after new estimates of population from a Population Census became available.

A module integrated with the Labour force survey.

One-off

Data for the ad-hoc module “Job skills” are collected using a paper or electronic questionnaire by conducting a personal interview with persons from the selected households immediately after the interview on the core Labour Force Survey.

Plausibility checks are performed during the data entry. Additional consistency checks are carried out before publishing of data.

The completed paper questionnaires are еntered into computer in NSI regional offices.

Data files are sent to NSI, where additional control and weighting is doing. Data are aggregated by different variables (characteristics), tabulated and disseminated.

Not applicable.

National Statistical Institute

Labour Force Statistics Department

Tsveta Kostova - Sevastiyanova

Stanislava Statkova

Head of Department

State expert

2, P. Volov Str.; 1038 Sofia, Bulgaria

ckostova@nsi.bg

sistatkova@nsi.bg

(+359 2) 9857 619

(+359 2) 9857 664

Annual data from the Labour Force Survey

The Labour force survey is a sample statistical survey carried out through households. The main purpose of the survey is to provide data on labour status of population aged 15 years and over and for the main characteristics of employed, unemployed and persons out of labour force in the Republic of Bulgaria.

The classifications applied in the Labour force survey are harmonised with the international classifications in terms of economic activities, occupations, levels of education. The main classifications used are the following:

• International Standard Classification of Education, 2011 version (ISCED 2011) - since the beginning of 2014;
• International Standard Classification of Education, 1997 version (ISCED 1997) - until the end of 2013;
• Classification of Economic Activities (CEA-2008, for international use NACE.BG 2008) - since 2008;
• National Classification of Occupations and Duties-2005 (NCOD-2005) (1st digit - occupational class), comparable to the International Standard Classification of Occupations - ISCO '88 - until the end of 2010;
• National Classification of Occupations and Duties-2011 (NCOD-2011) (1st digit - occupational class), comparable to the International Standard Classification of Occupations - ISCO'08 - since the beginning of 2011;
• International classification of professional status - ICSE-93;
• Classification of Territorial Units for Statistical Purposes in Bulgaria - NUTS.

All members of the selected non-institutional households are covered. The questions on labour market participation are asked to persons 15 to 89 years of age.

The Labour force survey provides estimates for the main characteristics of labour market as employment, unemployment, inactivity, occupations, economic activities, working time and other, as well as social-demographic characteristics as sex, age, place of residence (urban/rural), education etc.

The main definitions applied in the survey are in accordance with the recommendation of International Labour Organisation and EU legislation. 

Employed persons are persons 15 to 89 years of age who during the reference period:

• performed some work for at least one hour for pay in cash or in kind or other income;
• did not work but had a job or an enterprise, a business from which they were temporarily absent due to  following reasons:

- holidays, illness, maternity or paternity leave, working time arrangement;

- participation in job-related training;

- off-season, where persons continue regularly to perform tasks and duties for the job or business, excluding fulfilment of legal or administrative obligations;

- other absence (incl. unpaid parental leave for taking care of a child between 2 and 8 years of age), where the expected duration of this absence is 3 month or less.

Persons that produce agricultural goods are considered employed if the main part of these products is intended for sale or barter.

Unemployed persons are persons 15 to 74 years of age who were not employed during the reference week, according to the above definition, and

• were currently available for work, i.e. were available for paid employment or self-employment before the end of the 2 weeks following the reference week; and
• were actively seeking work in the four-week period ending with the reference week or found a job to start within a period of at most 3 months from the end of the reference week.

As active methods of job search are considered the following:

- contacting a public employment office in order to find work;

- contacting a private employment agency to find a job;

- contacting employers directly;

- asking friends, relatives, or acquaintances;

- placing or answering job advertisements;

- studying job advertisements;

- taking a recruitment test or examination or being interviewed;

- placing or updating CVs online;

- making preparations to set up a business.

Labour force (economically active population) comprises all employed and unemployed persons.

Activity rate (Participation rate) - the number of persons in the labour force (economically active population) as percentage of the total population.

Employment rate - the number of employed persons as percentage of the total population.

Unemployment rate - the number of unemployed persons as percentage of the labour force (economically active population).

Duration of unemployment is the duration of the search for employment or the length of the period since leaving last job, whichever period is shorter.

Long-term unemployed persons are persons who have been unemployed for one or more years.

Long-term unemployment rate - long-term unemployed persons as percentage of the economically active population (labour force).

Persons not in the labour force (inactive population) are persons who were neither employed, nor unemployed during the reference period (incl. all persons aged below 15 or above 89 completed years).

Discouraged persons are persons not in the labour force 15 to 74 years of age who want to work but are not actively looking for job, because they do not believe they will find suitable job.

Working time. Distinction between full-time and part-time work is made according to the subjective declaration of the respondents.

The number of actual working hours per week refers to the main job, incl. paid or unpaid overtime.

Professional status. According to the professional status the employed persons are classified in the following categories:

• employers - persons who work in their own enterprise, business, farm, professional practice and employ at least one other person;
• self-employed - persons who work in their own enterprise, business, farm, professional practice and do not employ any other person;
• employees - persons who work for a public or private employer and who receive wages (salaries), fees, remuneration by civil contract etc.;
• unpaid family workers - persons who work without pay in an enterprise, farm, owned and operated by a family member.

Economic activity. Economic activity is defined by the type of production or services provided by the local units of an enterprise, where a person works. Employed persons are classified by economic activity according to the NACE.BG 2008. Aggregated economic activity groupings according to nomenclature A21 are used.

Economic sectors. The employed are classified by economic sectors through aggregation of the economic activity grouping as follows:

• The Agriculture and forestry sector includes Agriculture, hunting, forestry and Fishing;
• The Industry sector includes Mining and quarrying, Manufacturing, Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply, Water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation activities, Construction;
• The Service sector includes all other economic activities.

Occupations. Occupation is defined by the type of work that the person carries out on the main job during the reference week.

Underemployed part-time workers and potential labour force

• Underemployed part-time workers - Persons working part-time who wish to work additional hours and are available to do so.
• Persons seeking work but not immediately available - Persons not in the labour force who meet one of the following criteria:

- actively seeking work during the last 4 weeks ( incl. the reference week) but not available to start working within 2 weeks after the reference period; or

- had found a job but are not available to start working within 2 weeks after the reference period;

• Persons available to work but not seeking - Persons not in the labour force who want to work, are available to start working within 2 weeks after the reference period and:

- do not seek work; or

- are passively seeking work during the last 4 weeks; or

- had found a job to start in more than 3 months.

Specific indicators

• Employment rate of women with at least one child under 7 - a ratio between employed women (15 to 64 years of age) with at least one child under 7 years of age, living in the same household, and the total number of women (15 to 64 years of age) with at least one child under 7 years of age, living in the same household.
• Variation of the employment rate (15 to 64 years of age) by statistical regions - calculated as the coefficient of variation of the employment rate (15 to 64 years of age) by statistical regions (NUTS 2). The indicator measures regional differences in employment within the country. Its value is 0 when the employment rate is the same for all regions and increases with increasing differences in the employment rate between regions.
• Variation of the unemployment rate by statistical regions - calculated as the coefficient of variation of the unemployment rate by statistical regions (NUTS 2). The indicator measures regional differences in unemployment within the country. Its value is 0 when the unemployment rate is the same for all regions and increases with increasing differences in the unemployment rate between regions.
• Jobless households (Share of persons who are living in households where no-one works) – represent the ratio between persons (aged 0-17 or 18-59) living in households without employed persons  and the total population of the same age group. Students 18 to 24 years of age living in households composed only of students in the same age group are excluded.
• Early leavers from education and training - a ratio between persons 18 to 24 years of age having attained lower secondary education as a highest and not participating in education and training in the four weeks incl. reference week, by the population of the same age group.
• Youth education attainment level, age group 20-24 - share of population 20 to 24 years of age having completed at least upper secondary education (ISCED 2011 level 3) of the population of the same age group.
• Tertiary educational attainment, age group 25-34 - share of population 25 to 34 years of age having completed tertiary education (ISCED 2011 levels 6-8) in the total population of the same age group.
• Lifelong learning - share of population 25 to 64 years of age participating in education or training in the four weeks, incl. reference week, by the total population of the same age group.
• Young people neither in employment nor in education and training - share of population aged 15-24/15-29 not employed during the reference period and not participating in education or training in the four weeks, incl. reference week, by the total population of the same age group.

Persons

Total population usually residing in Bulgaria, except persons living in collective households.

The whole territory of Republic of Bulgaria.

2003 - 2024

Not applicable

Source of data is Labour force survey, carried out over a sample of about 19.6 thousand households.

Quarterly. Annual data are calculated as an average of the four quarters of the year.

Data are collected through questionnaire and personal interview with persons from the selected households. The questions on labour market participation are asked to persons 15 to 89 years of age.

Plausibility checks are performed during the data collection. Additional consistency checks are carried out before publishing of data.

Data files are sent to NSI, where additional control and weighting is doing. Data are aggregated by different variables (characteristics), tabulated and disseminated. 

Not applied

Assurance of quality of Labour force survey in accordance with Quality management policy and Quality management programme of NSI.

NSI follows the recommendation of Eurostat Task Force on the Quality of the EU-LFS by fulfillment of the national Action Plan.

LFS Quality Report consisting information of different quality aspects is prepared each year.

The main users of LFS statistical data are:

• International organisations:

- European Commission - DG Employment and other Directorates

- Eurostat - Labour Market unit and other units

- European Central Bank

- OECD

- International Labour Organisation

- UNESCO

- UNICEF

• National users:

- Ministries and State agencies

- Bulgarian National Bank

- Trade Unions

- Employers' organisations

- Non-governmental organisations

- Research institutions

- Companies, agencies - for own marketing researches or consultancy activities.

Not available

The national Labour force survey implements the full set of compulsory variables, according to EU Regulations.

The national Labour force survey implements the full set of compulsory variables, according to EU Regulations.

The sample used for the Labour force survey is a two-stage stratified cluster sample which includes about 19.6 thousand households each quarter (representing about 0.65% sampling rate). Due to the sampling approach used in the Labour force survey, the estimation of the parameters obtained from the Labour force survey could vary from those in the population due to sampling errors, errors due to non-response, errors in registration or processing etc.

Coefficients of variation (relative standard errors), standard errors and confidence intervals (i.e. the range of values that 95% of times would capture the true value in the population) are calculated for assessment of stochastic reliability of the estimates for main indicators.

11.3%

Not applicable

Non-response rate (2023) - %¹

¹ Non-occupied dwellings are not included in the calculation of non-response rate.

The relatively high item non-response rate (>10%) is observed only for few variables as: hours actually worked on second job, duration of temporary contract etc.

Not applicable

Not applied

Revisions of previously released data are usually not performed. By exception revisions may happen after new estimates of population from a Population Census became available.

Revised data with population estimates based on the 2011 Census and the 2021 Census have been published at the NSI website.