7.99.                  Household sample surveys are among the most flexible means of data collection. In theory, almost any population‑based subject can be investigated through household surveys. In sample surveys, once a part of the population has been selected, observations are made or data are collected. Thereon, inferences are then produced for application to the whole population. Because in sample surveys there are smaller workloads for interviewers and a longer time period assigned for data collection, most subject matter can be covered in greater detail than in censuses[1]. 

7.100.                  The following types of household‑based surveys are conducted in countries for the purpose of collecting data for measuring and evaluating various dimensions of employment in the tourism industries (the list, however, is not exhaustive): the Labour Force Survey, the Household Income and Expenditure Survey, the Annual Population Survey (United Kingdom) and the European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions project (conducted annually in EU member States). Usually, data collected are used in combination with other sources. 

7.101.                  The Labour‑Force Survey (LFS), which is the main instrument of data collection on employment, underemployment and unemployment, permits the collection of consistent and comprehensive information for both employees and the self‑employed population. 

7.102.                  Moreover, besides the Population Census, the LFS represents the only other comprehensive source of information on all aspects of the labour market, covering the whole population, in which each person can be assigned a definite status of being employed or unemployed or not in the labour force. An LFS counts each person as an individual only once and thus avoids overlap, irrespective of the number of jobs he or she may be holding and the number of establishments or enterprises he or she may be working for (see Annex III for an example). 

7.103.                  Furthermore, usually, the concepts and definitions underlying the LFS are based on international recommendations of ILO, which can be used as a yardstick for international comparisons on this topic.


[1] For further information see also United Nations (2008a), Designing Household Survey Samples: Practical Guidelines, Studies in Methods, Series F No.98, (online), available at: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/pubs/gesgrid.asp?id=398 (30-05-2014).