Labour Force Survey performance and quality monitoring report: April to June 2025 - Office for National Statistics

Labour Force Survey performance and quality monitoring report: April to June 2025 - Office for National Statistics
Labour Force Survey performance and quality monitoring report: April to June 2025
Response rates, sample size and quality assessment of the Office for National Statistics quarterly Labour Force Survey.
Notice
12 August 2025
From Quarter 1 (Jan to Mar) 2025, we have improved the structure and content in this release to better meet accessibility standards and user needs. Supporting methodological information can be found in our
Labour Force Survey (LFS) user guide
and our
LFS quality and methodology information (QMI)
Cyswllt:
Data Advice and Relations team
Last revised:
12 August 2025
Cynnwys
Main points
Summary of quality
Achieved sample
Response rates
Respondent characteristics
Quarterly changes and updates
Understanding response rates
Timeliness and punctuality
Related links
Cite this article
Argraffu'r
Methodoleg
Lawrlwytho fel PDF
The achieved sample size, excluding imputed cases, for the UK Labour Force Survey (LFS) was 58,211 individuals in 26,647 households during Quarter 2 (Apr to June) 2025. This represents a decrease of 1.4% in household interviews and a decrease of 0.8% in achieved person interviews, compared with Quarter 1 (Jan to Mar) 2025. This is partly a result of seasonal effects from the Easter and May bank holidays, which shortened the fieldwork period in certain weeks over this quarter. Response started to improve towards the end of the quarter.
The dataset size, including imputed households, for the UK LFS was 74,186 individuals in 33,235 households during Quarter 2 2025. This represents an increase of 6.2% in individual cases and an increase of 5.6% in household cases, compared with Quarter 1 2025.
In Quarter 2 2025, main response rates were as follows:
the total response rate for Great Britain excluding imputed cases (Table 2) was 21.1%; this is down 0.2 percentage points on the previous quarter
the response rate excluding imputed cases for Great Britain (Figure 3) was 33.5% in Wave 1 and 13.5% in Wave 5; this compares with 35.1% and 13.7%, respectively, in the previous quarter
the total response rate for Great Britain including imputed cases (Table 3) was 26.6%; this is up 1.6 percentage points on the previous quarter
the total response rate for the UK excluding imputed cases (Table 4) was 21.5%; this is down 0.3 percentage points on the previous quarter
the total response rate for the UK including imputed cases (Table 5) was 26.8%; this is up 1.4 percentage point on the previous quarter
non-contacts made up 16.3% of unproductive cases (Figure 4); this is up 1.4 percentage points on the previous quarter
other unproductive cases included circumstantial refusals (4.2%, up 0.2 percentage points from the previous quarter), outright refusals (50.3%, up 4.6 percentage points on the previous quarter) and the remainder was other refusals
the English region with the highest accumulated response rate across the five waves (Table 6) was the Rest of Yorkshire and Humberside (35.5%); the lowest was Inner London (20.1%)
the overall proxy response rate (Table 7) was 37.2%; the highest proxy response rates were in the 16 to 17 years age group (95.9%), in males (41.6%), and in the combined total proxy response rate of all ethnic groups other than the White ethnic group (44.0%)
the average income response rate (Table 8) was 83.3%
the data on attrition rates (Table 9) show (in percentage change terms) that those who drop out of the survey are overrepresented in the 20 to 29 years age group, unemployed, in households with six or more people, and in the Merseyside region
Respondent characteristics proportions for age, tenure, and index of multiple deprivation (IMD) remained stable in Quarter 2 2025. More information can be found in
Section 5: Respondent characteristics
There were no fieldwork or methodological changes in Quarter 2 2025. More information about fieldwork and methodological changes in previous quarters can be found in
Section 6: Quarterly changes and updates
More information about the LFS and technical definitions can be found in our
LFS quality and methodology information (QMI)
and our
LFS user guidance
Nôl i'r tabl cynnwys
We introduced several collection measures in Quarter 4 (Oct to Dec) 2023 and the Labour Force Survey (LFS) sample was increased from January 2024. Together, these two actions have incrementally led to increases in the achieved sample and subsequently, the quality of the data. The five-wave structure of the LFS means that some changes can take up to 15 months to fully feed through into survey estimates. Quarter 1 (Jan to Mar) 2025 was the first period of data that reflected the full impact of the January 2024 sample increase. More information can be found in our
Labour Market transformation – update on progress and plans: April 2025 article
and our LFS quality update: May 2025 article.
We reweighted the LFS estimates from Quarter 1 2019 onwards, alongside the changes to the sample and data collection. The reweighted LFS estimates incorporate information on the size and composition of the UK population, based on our 2022 mid-year estimates. For England, Wales and Northern Ireland, they are projected forward using scaling factors from our 2021-based national population projections published in January 2024. For Scotland, they are projected forward using scaling factors from 2020-based national population projections published in January 2023. More information can be found in our
Impact of reweighting on Labour Force Survey key indicators: December 2024 article
We are starting to see a reduction in the volatility we have observed in recent periods. However, we would advise users to continue to apply caution when interpreting short-term changes observed in the estimates from the data. We suggest users read our commentary on our LFS-based statistics, which will consider ongoing quality challenges.
We have seen an increase in the size of the final LFS quarterly dataset including imputation in Quarter 2 (Apr to June) 2025, despite an observed reduction in achieved interviews during the quarter. This is a result of households that were interviewed in the previous quarter but refused or were not contactable in the current quarter being imputed as part of the survey design. Circumstantial refusals and non-contacts increased in Quarter 2 2025 and therefore the use of data brought forward imputation also increased. This resulted in a larger dataset size, compared with the previous quarter. More information about imputation on the LFS can be found in our
LFS User Guide Volume 1: Background and Methodology
and our
LFS quality and methodology information (QMI)
Nôl i'r tabl cynnwys
Table 1: Achieved sample by type of household, for April to June 2025
Quarter 2 (Apr to June) 2025
GB
UK
Includes
imputed
Excludes
imputed
Includes
imputed
Excludes
imputed
Private households
31,111
24,627
33,235
26,647
Individuals in private households
69,521
53,818
74,186
58,211
NHS Households
Individuals in NHS households
Total households
31,111
24,627
33,235
26,647
Total individuals
69,521
53,818
74,186
58,211
Download this table
Table 1: Achieved sample by type of household, for April to June 2025
.xls
.csv
Figure 1: The achieved number of household interviews including imputed continued to increase in April to June 2025
Achieved household interviews, Great Britain and UK, Quarter 2 (Apr to June) 2015 to Quarter 2 2025
Source: Labour Force Survey from the Office for National Statistics
Notes:
Q1 refers to January to March.
Q2 refers to April to June.
Q3 refers to July to September.
Q4 refers to October to December.
Download this chart
Figure 1: The achieved number of household interviews including imputed continued to increase in April to June 2025
Image
.csv
.xls
Figure 2: The achieved number of person interviews including imputed continued to increase in April to June 2025
Achieved number of person interviews, Great Britain and UK, Quarter 2 (Apr to June) 2015 to Quarter 2 2025
Source: Labour Force Survey from the Office for National Statistics
Notes:
Q1 refers to January to March.
Q2 refers to April to June.
Q3 refers to July to September.
Q4 refers to October to December.
Download this chart
Figure 2: The achieved number of person interviews including imputed continued to increase in April to June 2025
Image
.csv
.xls
Nôl i'r tabl cynnwys
The total response rate is the aggregate response rate for the quarter across all waves, based on all eligible, in-scope households. For a full definition of response categories and the method used to calculate response rates, see
Section 7: Understanding response rates
Table 2: Wave-specific response rates, excluding imputed households, for April to June 2025
Great Britain, Quarter 2 (Apr to June) 2025
Wave 1
Wave 2
Wave 3
Wave 4
Wave 5
Total
Eligible
households
found at
selected
units
24,162
100.0
23,017
100.0
23,114
100.0
23,233
100.0
23,372
100.0
116,898
100.0
Responding
units
Total
8,095
33.5
5,111
22.2
4,485
19.4
3,786
16.3
3,158
13.5
24,635
21.1
Full
7,749
32.1
4,720
20.5
4,169
18.0
3,522
15.2
2,894
12.4
23,054
19.7
Partial
346
1.4
391
1.7
316
1.4
264
1.1
264
1.1
1,581
1.4
Non-responding
units
Circumstantial
refusal
1,871
7.7
1,450
6.3
1,035
4.5
752
3.2
464
2.0
5,572
4.8
Outright
refusal
7,265
30.1
8,853
38.5
9,755
42.2
9,001
38.7
8,244
35.3
43,118
36.9
Refusal to
HQ
188
0.8
2,124
9.2
4,109
17.8
6,836
29.4
9,522
40.7
22,779
19.5
Non-contact
6,743
27.9
5,066
22.0
3,169
13.7
2,219
9.6
1,316
5.6
18,513
15.8
Addresses
not
issued for
interviewing
Refusal to
re-interview
n/a
n/a
413
1.8
561
2.4
639
2.8
668
2.9
2,281
2.0
Co-operation
rate
46.5
29.1
23.1
18.6
14.8
25.6
Contact
rate
71.3
68.2
67.7
59.9
52.3
64.0
Download this table
Table 2: Wave-specific response rates, excluding imputed households, for April to June 2025
.xls
.csv
Figure 3: The response rate for Wave 1 decreased slightly in April to June 2025, while all other waves remained relatively stable
Wave specific response rates, Great Britain, excluding imputed households, Quarter 2 (Apr to June) 2015 to Quarter 2 2025
Source: Labour Force Survey from the Office for National Statistics
Notes:
Q1 refers to January to March.
Q2 refers to April to June.
Q3 refers to July to September.
Q4 refers to October to December.
Download this chart
Figure 3: The response rate for Wave 1 decreased slightly in April to June 2025, while all other waves remained relatively stable
Image
.csv
.xls
Table 3: Wave-specific response rates, including imputed households, for April to June 2025
Great Britain, Quarter 2 (Apr to June) 2025
Wave 1
Wave 2
Wave 3
Wave 4
Wave 5
Total
Eligible
households
found at
selected
units
24162
100
23017
100
23114
100
23233
100
23372
100
116898
100
Responding
units
Total
8,095
33.5
7,960
34.6
5,993
25.9
5,105
22.0
3,967
17.0
31,120
26.6
Full
7,749
32.1
4,720
20.5
4,169
18.0
3,522
15.2
2,894
12.4
23,054
19.7
Partial
346
1.4
391
1.7
316
1.4
264
1.1
264
1.1
1,581
1.4
Imputed
2,849
12.4
1,508
6.5
1,319
5.7
809
3.5
6,485
5.5
Non-responding
units
Circumstantial
refusal
1,871
7.7
613
2.7
523
2.3
350
1.5
221
0.9
3,578
3.1
Outright
refusal
7,265
30.1
8,853
38.5
9,755
42.2
9,001
38.7
8,244
35.3
43,118
36.9
Refusal
to
HQ
188
0.8
2,124
9.2
4,109
17.8
6,836
29.4
9,522
40.7
22,779
19.5
Non-contact
6,743
27.9
3,054
13.3
2,173
9.4
1,302
5.6
750
3.2
14,022
12.0
Addresses
not issued
for
interviewing
Refusal to
re-interview
n/a
n/a
413
1.8
561
2.4
639
2.8
668
2.9
2,281
2.0
Co-operation
rate
46.5
40.7
29.4
24.0
18.1
30.9
Contact
rate
71.3
77.1
72.1
64.0
54.8
67.9
Download this table
Table 3: Wave-specific response rates, including imputed households, for April to June 2025
.xls
.csv
Figure 4: Non-response mainly comprised outright refusals in April to June, consistent with January to March 2025
Composition of non-response, Great Britain, including imputed households
Source: Labour Force Survey from the Office for National Statistics
Notes:
Quarter 1 refers to January to March.
Quarter 2 refers to April to June.
Download this chart
Figure 4: Non-response mainly comprised outright refusals in April to June, consistent with January to March 2025
Image
.csv
.xls
Table 4: Wave-specific response rates, excluding imputed households, for April to June 2025
United Kingdom, Quarter 2 (Apr to June) 2025
Wave 1
Wave 2
Wave 3
Wave 4
Wave 5
Total
Eligible
households
found at
selected
units
25,099
100.0
24,144
100.0
24,469
100.0
25,119
100.0
25,655
100.0
124,486
100.0
Responding
units
Total
8,555
34.1
5,510
22.8
4,849
19.8
4,146
16.5
3,728
14.5
26,788
21.5
Full
8,155
32.5
5,076
21.0
4,511
18.4
3,846
15.3
3,273
12.8
24,861
20.0
Partial
400
1.6
434
1.8
338
1.4
300
1.2
455
1.8
1,927
1.5
Non-responding
units
Circumstantial
refusal
1,929
7.7
1,468
6.1
1,044
4.3
760
3.0
471
1.8
5,672
4.6
Outright
refusal
7,528
30.0
8,887
36.8
9,762
39.9
9,012
35.9
8,247
32.1
43,436
34.9
Refusal
to HQ
197
0.8
2,127
8.8
4,109
16.8
6,838
27.2
9,522
37.1
22,793
18.3
Non-contact
6,890
27.5
5,163
21.4
3,221
13.2
2,261
9.0
1,370
5.3
18,905
15.2
Addresses
not issued
for
interviewing
Refusal to
re-interview
n/a
n/a
989
4.1
1,484
6.1
2,102
8.4
2,317
9.0
6,892
5.5
Co-operation
rate
47.0
30.6
24.5
20.0
17.0
27.1
Contact
rate
71.8
68.5
68.1
60.5
53.3
64.5
Download this table
Table 4: Wave-specific response rates, excluding imputed households, for April to June 2025
.xls
.csv
Table 5: Wave-specific response rates, including imputed households, for April to June 2025
United Kingdom, Quarter 2 (Apr to June) 2025
Wave 1
Wave 2
Wave 3
Wave 4
Wave 5
Total
Eligible
households
found at
selected
units
25,099
100.0
24,144
100.0
24,469
100.0
25,119
100.0
25,655
100.0
124,486
100.0
Responding
units
Total
8,555
34.1
8,403
34.8
6,379
26.1
5,482
21.8
4,558
17.8
33,377
26.8
Full
8,155
32.5
5,076
21.0
4,511
18.4
3,846
15.3
3,273
12.8
24,861
20.0
Partial
400
1.6
434
1.8
338
1.4
300
1.2
455
1.8
1,927
1.5
Imputed
2,893
12.0
1,530
6.3
1,336
5.3
830
3.2
6,589
5.3
Non-responding
units
Circumstantial
refusal
1,929
7.7
623
2.6
528
2.2
355
1.4
225
0.9
3,660
2.9
Outright
refusal
7,528
30.0
8,887
36.8
9,762
39.9
9,012
35.9
8,247
32.1
43,436
34.9
Refusal
to HQ
197
0.8
2,127
8.8
4,109
16.8
6,838
27.2
9,522
37.1
22,793
18.3
Non-contact
6,890
27.5
3,115
12.9
2,207
9.0
1,330
5.3
786
3.1
14,328
11.5
Addresses
not issued
for
interviewing
Refusal to
re-interview
n/a
n/a
989
4.1
1,484
6.1
2,102
8.4
2,317
9.0
6,892
5.5
Co-operation
rate
47.0
41.9
30.7
25.3
20.2
32.3
Contact
rate
71.8
77.4
72.5
64.5
55.8
68.4
Download this table
Table 5: Wave-specific response rates, including imputed households, for April to June 2025
.xls
.csv
Table 6: Wave-specific response rates, including imputed households, for April to June 2025
By region, Quarter 2 (Apr to June) 2025
Wave 1
Wave 2
Wave 3
Wave 4
Wave 5
Total
Region
Tyne and Wear
37.2
46.3
27.3
15.1
16.6
28.2
Rest of North East
40.6
38.9
30.6
19.7
17.7
29.5
Greater Manchester
25.1
27.5
21.2
19.2
14.5
21.5
Merseyside
26.8
25.8
17.2
19.2
12.1
20.2
Rest of North West
33.3
32.6
25.3
26.4
17.1
27.0
South Yorkshire
37.2
41.3
33.8
26.1
16.8
31.1
West Yorkshire
39.8
40.4
32.1
22.6
15.6
30.2
Rest of Yorkshire and Humberside
44.9
41.6
33.9
33.6
23.4
35.5
East Midlands
36.3
37.3
27.3
24.7
20.6
29.3
West Midlands Metropolitan Council
27.7
25.1
20.0
16.7
14.4
20.8
Rest of West Midlands
35.6
37.4
27.4
25.6
16.9
28.6
East of England
33.1
33.7
23.3
19.6
15.3
25.0
Inner London
21.0
27.0
21.6
17.7
13.4
20.1
Outer London
25.2
26.8
21.3
17.5
15.2
21.2
South East
36.3
35.5
27.6
22.9
17.6
28.0
South West
39.5
42.0
29.0
24.9
19.7
31.1
England
33.6
34.5
25.8
22.0
16.9
26.6
Wales
30.7
31.7
22.5
21.7
15.0
24.3
Strathclyde
33.0
37.5
27.3
21.2
17.8
27.4
Rest of Scotland
34.7
36.9
30.0
21.3
19.1
28.5
Scotland
34.0
37.2
28.9
21.2
18.6
28.0
Northern Ireland
49.1
39.3
28.5
20.0
25.9
29.7
Download this table
Table 6: Wave-specific response rates, including imputed households, for April to June 2025
.xls
.csv
Table 7: Proxy response for April to June 2025
Great Britain, Quarter 2 (Apr to June) 2025
All responses
Proxy
Age
Total (16+)
56,869
21,154
37.2
16-17
1,701
1,631
95.9
18-19
1393
1214
87.2
20+
53,775
18,309
34.0
Sex
Total
56,869
21,154
37.2
Male
27,218
11,324
41.6
Female
29,651
9,830
33.2
Ethnicity
Total
56,869
21,154
37.2
White
49,358
17,842
36.1
All Ethnicities Other than White
7,478
3,291
44.0
Refused
33
21
63.6
Economic activity
Total
56,869
21,154
37.2
(INECAC05)
Employees
29,621
11,532
38.9
Self-Employed
4,903
1,963
40.0
Government schemes
35
16
45.7
Unpaid family workers
131
31
23.7
ILO Unemployed
1397
604
43.2
Inactive
20,782
7,008
33.7
Download this table
Table 7: Proxy response for April to June 2025
.xls
.csv
Table 8: Income response rates by National Statistics Socio-economic Classification for April to June 2025
National Statistics Socio-economic Classification (NS-SEC), Great Britain, Quarter 2 (Apr to June) 2025
Wave 1 in
Quarter 2 2025
Wave 5 in
Quarter 2 2025
Total
NS-SEC
Higher managerial and professional
84.1
89.6
85.8
Lower managerial and professional
83.0
89.3
84.8
Intermediate occupations
79.3
87.5
81.6
Small employers and own account workers
70.0
80.0
75.0
Lower supervisory and technical
79.7
89.2
82.1
Semi-routine occupations
77.9
85.9
80.1
Routine occupations
76.2
90.3
79.8
Total
81.2
88.8
83.3
Download this table
Table 8: Income response rates by National Statistics Socio-economic Classification for April to June 2025
.xls
.csv
Table 9: Summary of attrition by characteristics for April to June 2025
Great Britain, Quarter 2 (Apr to June) 2025
Wave 1 in
Quarter 2
2024
Wave 5 in
Quarter 2
2025
Responds
Responds
Responds
all waves
Non-responder
Age
<16
20.1
16.3
13.7
22.3
16-19
4.2
3.6
3.6
4.6
20-29
9.7
7.6
6.9
11.0
30-39
13.9
11.7
10.6
15.2
40-49
13.6
12.1
11.0
14.4
50-59
14.9
15.7
15.9
14.5
60-69
15.1
20.8
23.3
11.7
70+
8.4
12.1
15.0
6.3
Sex
Male
48.8
48.2
48.9
49.1
Female
51.2
51.8
51.1
50.9
Econ Activity
Employees
43.8
42.5
41.0
44.5
(INECAC05)
Self Emp
7.1
7.4
7.2
7.0
GovTraining Scheme
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.0
UPFW (Unpaid
Family Workers)
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.1
ILO Unemp
1.5
1.4
1.3
1.7
Inactive
27.2
32.2
36.6
24.4
Number of people
in household
10.7
13.7
15.5
9.0
(TOTNUM)
30.4
36.0
39.2
27.2
21.6
19.8
18.2
22.7
24.3
22.5
21.1
25.3
9.3
6.5
4.7
10.9
6 or more
3.6
1.5
1.2
4.9
Region
Tyne and Wear
2.2
1.9
2.2
2.3
(GOVTOR)
Rest of North East
3.4
2.6
2.4
3.8
Greater Manchester
3.5
3.8
3.7
3.4
Merseyside
1.7
1.2
1.2
2.0
Rest of North West
5.4
5.2
5.3
5.6
South Yorkshire
2.6
2.3
1.6
2.7
West Yorkshire
3.7
3.4
3.8
3.8
Rest of Yorkshire
and Humberside
3.9
4.2
4.1
3.8
East Midlands
8.9
9.4
9.3
8.6
West Midlands
Metropolitan Council
4.0
3.7
3.4
4.1
Rest of West Midlands
4.7
4.9
5.3
4.6
East of England
8.6
9.8
11.1
7.8
Inner London
3.0
2.6
2.4
3.3
Outer London
5.5
5.9
5.6
5.2
South East
14.7
14.9
15.2
14.6
South West
10.2
10.7
10.7
9.9
Wales
4.8
5.1
5.0
4.7
Strathclyde
3.7
3.5
3.0
3.9
Rest of Scotland
5.6
4.9
4.8
6.0
Download this table
Table 9: Summary of attrition by characteristics for April to June 2025
.xls
.csv
Nôl i'r tabl cynnwys
We monitor the distribution of the sample across a range of demographic characteristics on a quarterly basis to help identify potential biases in the data. We have seen changes to the make-up of the Labour Force Survey (LFS) sample since the onset of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in March 2020. The following charts show the trends observed across all waves of the LFS in age, tenure, and index of multiple deprivation (IMD) quintile since Quarter 2 (Apr to June) 2019.
Figure 5: The Labour Force Survey responding sample includes more people aged over 55 years and fewer people aged under 24 years, compared with pre-pandemic levels
Labour Force Survey (LFS) respondent breakdown by age band, all waves, UK, Quarter 2 (Apr to June) 2019 to Quarter 2 2025
Source: Labour Force Survey from the Office for National Statistics
Notes:
If a household is found at Wave 1 to contain only adults aged 75 and over who are economically inactive, then no further waves of interviews are conducted. More information can be found in
LFS User Guide volume 1: background and methodology (PDF, 1.4MB)
Q1 refers to January to March.
Q2 refers to April to June.
Q3 refers to July to September.
Q4 refers to October to December.
Download this chart
Figure 5: The Labour Force Survey responding sample includes more people aged over 55 years and fewer people aged under 24 years, compared with pre-pandemic levels
Image
.csv
.xls
Figure 6: The Labour Force Survey responding sample includes more people who own their home outright and fewer renters, compared with pre-pandemic levels
Labour Force Survey (LFS) respondent breakdown by tenure type, all waves, UK, Quarter 2 (Apr to June) 2019 to Quarter 2 2025
Source: Labour Force Survey from the Office for National Statistics
Notes:
Q1 refers to January to March.
Q2 refers to April to June.
Q3 refers to July to September.
Q4 refers to October to December.
Download this chart
Figure 6: The Labour Force Survey responding sample includes more people who own their home outright and fewer renters, compared with pre-pandemic levels
Image
.csv
.xls
Figure 7: The difference between the proportion of Labour Force Survey respondents in the most and least deprived areas of Great Britain has returned closer to pre-pandemic levels since January to March 2024
Labour Force Survey (LFS) respondent breakdown by index of multiple deprivation (IMD), all waves, Great Britain, Quarter 2 (Apr to June) 2019 to Quarter 2 2025
Source: Labour Force Survey from the Office for National Statistics
Notes:
IMD decile monitoring is currently monitored for Great Britain LFS cases only.
Q1 refers to January to March.
Q2 refers to April to June.
Q3 refers to July to September.
Q4 refers to October to December.
Download this chart
Figure 7: The difference between the proportion of Labour Force Survey respondents in the most and least deprived areas of Great Britain has returned closer to pre-pandemic levels since January to March 2024
Image
.csv
.xls
Nôl i'r tabl cynnwys
This section details changes that may have had an impact on response rates and data included in the charts and tables in
Section 5: Respondent characteristics
. Details of historical operational changes can be found in Volume 1: Background and methodology of our
Labour Force Survey user guidance
April to June 2025 questionnaire changes
No questionnaire changes were made in Quarter 2 (Apr to June) 2025. Please see Volume 2: LFS questionnaire and Volume 3: Details of LFS variables in our
2022 update to our LFS user guidance
for further details.
Methodological changes
In response to fluctuation in response rates since the onset of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, we made several adjustments to the size of the LFS Wave 1 sample in recent years. These adjustments included:
doubling the Wave 1 sample in May 2020
reducing the Wave 1 sample to 160% of pre-pandemic levels in April 2021
reducing the Wave 1 sample to 150% of pre-pandemic levels in October 2021
increasing the Wave 1 sample to 155% of pre-pandemic levels in April 2022
reducing the Wave 1 sample to pre-pandemic levels in July 2023
increasing the Wave 1 sample to 155% of pre-pandemic levels (25,800 addresses in total per quarter) in January 2024
Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) are responsible for the LFS data collection in Northern Ireland. NISRA reduced the Wave 1 issued sample in Northern Ireland by 20% (from 1,287 to 1,040 addresses per quarter) in August 2024.
Fieldwork and operational changes
One of the measures previously in place since the start of the pandemic was to code out cases that were unproductive in two consecutive waves as refusals to headquarters (HQ). This measure was paused in October 2023 when LFS recovery measures were introduced. This resulted in an observed decrease in refusal rates in Waves 2 to 5. To improve our fieldwork operations, this practice was reintroduced in July 2024 after the Wave 1 sample increase led to an increase in unproductive cases in follow-up waves. This change in coding practice will be reflected in non-response data, including the composition of non-response (Figure 4).
Nôl i'r tabl cynnwys
The Labour Force Survey (LFS) is managed by the Social Surveys directorate of the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in Great Britain, and by the Central Survey Unit of the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) in Northern Ireland. Response rates for the UK are calculated by combining the achieved samples for Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
More information and technical definitions can be found in our
LFS quality and methodology information (QMI)
and Volume 1: Background and methodology of our
Labour Force Survey user guidance
Method of calculating response rates
The response rate is how many interviews were achieved as a proportion of those eligible for the survey. The formula used is:
Response rate (RR) equals full response (FR) plus partial response (PR), divided by FR plus PR plus outright refusal (OR) plus circumstantial refusal (CR) plus refusal to headquarters (RHQ) plus non-contact (NC) plus refusal to re-interview (RRI) (for only Waves 2 to 5).
The calculation of response rates should take the panel design into account, because the LFS is a panel survey. Households may refuse further participation at any of the five quarterly visits they are due to receive.
Households that refuse further participation are not revisited at the next quarter, but they remain part of the eligible sample. The response rate for households is the ratio of the number of households responding at the current wave to the sum of the number of eligible households found at the same wave at the sampled addresses, plus any households that have refused outright to participate at a previous wave. Outright refusals are distinct from circumstantial refusals and non-contacts, which are revisited at the next wave. Outright refusals may occur either when the interviewer calls or asks for permission to re-call in three months.
This simple model does not take account of situations like net addition or subtraction of eligible households at sampled addresses at waves after Wave 1, for example by a net increase or decrease in occupation of household spaces. However, the definition of household spaces is fluid and does not provide a firm basis for response rate calculations. LFS response rates that take the panel design into account are based on the simple model.
Definitions of response outcome categories
Full response
A household in which each household member has answered all applicable questions.
Partial response
A household in which questions were not completed because someone refused to be interviewed, refused part way through the questionnaire, or refused to let someone else answer on his or her behalf. However, at least one question block must have been completed. If only part of the information has been collected for a one-person household, it is coded as a refusal or non-contact.
Outright refusal
A household that refuses to respond to the survey and the interviewer feels that there is no chance of an interview at the current wave or in any future wave.
Circumstantial refusal
A household where the respondent refuses to respond because of a temporary circumstance (for example, going on holiday or being too busy during the field period). A circumstantial refusal enables an interviewer to call back at the next wave.
Refusal to HQ
A household that contacts headquarters to refuse to participate in the survey in response to the advance letter.
Non-contact
When an address is occupied, but where it has not been possible to contact any member of the household in the field period.
Method of calculating income response rates
The income question is asked at Waves 1 and 5 only. The subset of respondents who are eligible for these questions includes individuals aged 16 to 69 years who are in employment in the reference week. The percentage response rates for the income questions are based on all eligible, in-scope respondents at Wave 1 and all eligible, in-scope respondents at Wave 5. The total response rate is the aggregate response rate for income for the quarter (Wave 1 and Wave 5), based on all eligible, in-scope respondents.
Proxy response
The LFS interviewers must complete fieldwork to a tight timetable and interview as many of the sampled households as possible. This leaves limited time for re-calls. LFS interviewers try to interview every adult (aged 16 years and over) in each sampled household. However, when a household member is unavailable for interview, interviewers accept information by proxy from another responsible adult in the household. The proxy respondents are normally people living with a partner on behalf of their partner, and parents on behalf of their adult offspring who live with them.
Attrition
Attrition is the term applied to respondents who begin the survey but then drop out. These respondents tend to have different characteristics to those who remain in all waves of the survey. This can result in attrition bias. For example, if respondents in a particular age group have a higher tendency to drop out (attrition rate) than respondents in other age groups, then they will be underrepresented in subsequent waves of the survey and in estimates.
Item non-response
Item non-response refers to the situation where a respondent fails to answer a specific question or item during the survey, even though they have completed other parts of the survey. This can occur for various reasons, such as the respondent not knowing the answer, choosing to skip a sensitive question, or misunderstanding the question. This type of non-response is distinct from unit non-response.
Unit non-response
Unit non-response refers to individuals in sampled households not participating in the survey. This can occur for a variety of reasons, such as the respondent refusing the survey, including circumstantial refusals and outright refusals, or being unable to reach or contact the selected respondent during the field period.
Imputed cases
If a respondent from one quarter is not available in the next consecutive quarter, then their responses from the earlier quarter may be carried forward (for one quarter only). This is referred to as “imputation”. Response rates excluding imputed cases are the best measure of true response, as these are calculated based solely on actual responders as a proportion of eligible cases for the current quarter. Imputed cases are included in analytical datasets to provide a greater dataset size. We also report response rates including imputed cases in this methodology to show the extent of imputation for the current quarter. More information about imputation can be found in Section 12 of our
LFS User Guide Volume 1: Background and methodology (PDF, 1.5MB)
Nôl i'r tabl cynnwys
Timeliness refers to the lapse of time between publication and the period to which the data refer. Punctuality refers to the time lag between the actual and planned dates of publication.
To the Office for National Statistics Labour Market and Households Division
The scheduled delivery date for file is 18 July 2025.
The achieved delivery date for file was 17 July 2025.
The time lag between achieved delivery date and the end of the reference period was 18 days.
Data file for other users
The scheduled availability date for regional public and government normal release user files is 17 July 2025.
Nôl i'r tabl cynnwys
Labour Force Survey user guidance
Methodology | Last revised 19 February 2025
Guidance about the background and methodology of the Labour Force Survey (LFS).
Labour Force Survey performance and quality monitoring reports
Methodology | Updated quarterly
Historical Labour Force Survey performance and quality monitoring reports from 2016 to present.
Labour market overview, UK Statistical bulletins
Bulletin | Release monthly
Estimates of employment, unemployment, economic inactivity and other employment-related statistics for the UK.
Labour Force Survey Quality and Methodology Information (QMI)
QMI | Last revised 15 October 2024
Quality and Methodology Information for the Labour Force Survey, detailing the strengths and limitations of the data, methods used, and data uses and users.
Methodology for the calculation of sampling variability in the Labour Force Survey (PDF, 175KB)
The formulas used for the calculation of standard errors (SEs) on the quarterly LFS and describe how the impact of the sample design and weighting are captured in these calculations.
The National Online Manpower Information System (NOMIS)
Web page | Updated regularly
Nomis is a service provided by the Office for National Statistics to give you free access to the most detailed and up-to-date UK labour market statistics from official sources.
UK Data Archive, University of Essex
Web page | Updated regularly
Home to the UK's largest collection of social, economic and population data for over 50 years.
Nôl i'r tabl cynnwys
Office for National Statistics (ONS), released 12 August 2025, ONS website, methodology,
Labour Force Survey performance and quality monitoring report: April to June 2025
Nôl i'r tabl cynnwys
Manylion cyswllt ar gyfer y
Methodoleg
Data Advice and Relations team
socialsurveys@ons.gov.uk
Ffôn: +44 1633 455329