Using Labour Force Surveys for Comparative Research in Demography: Looking Forward to the IPUMS LFS Project

Organisation: Milan Bouchet-Valat (Ined)

For many years, Eurostat has provided harmonized Labour Force Surveys (LFS) data for many European countries. This data constitutes a rich source for cross-national comparative analysis, providing a larger array of variables than censuses, on a quarterly basis for large samples of individuals within households. These advantages have recently prompted the IPUMS international project to start working on the harmonization and dissemination of Labour Force Surveys microdata for Europe and beyond. After a presentation of this ongoing project, three scientific presentations will illustrate the uses of this data for social sciences, including long-term unemployment, women’s employment and union formation, and the educational gradient of motherhood.