Metadata
| Category: | Demographic and social statistics |
| Area: | Employment and earnings |
| Survey / data collection: | Labour force survey |
| MONSTAT metadata |
|---|
| Reference metadata |
| 1. Contact |
| 2. Metadata update |
| 3. Statistical presentation |
| 4. Unit of measure |
| 5. Reference period |
| 6. Institutional mandate |
| 7. Confidentiality |
| 8. Release policy |
| 9. Frequency of dissemination |
| 10. Accessibility and clarity |
| 11. Quality management |
| 12. Relevance |
| 13. Accuracy and reliability |
| 14. Timeliness and punctuality |
| 15. Coherence and Comparability |
| 17. Data revision |
| 18. Statistical processing |
| 19. Comment |
Note: For any question on metadata, please contact MONSTAT metadata support.
| 1. Contact Vrh | |
| 1.1. Contact organization: | Statistical Office of Montenegro - MONSTAT |
| 1.2. Contact organization unit: | Department of Labour Market Statistics |
| 1.2. Contact organization unit: | IV Proleterske 2, 81000 Podgorica, Montenegro |
| 2. Metadata update Top | |
| 2.1. Metadata last certified: | |
| 2.2. Metadata last posted: | 24 December 2025 |
| 2.3. Metadata last update: | 26 September 2025 |
| 3. Statistical presentation Top | |
| 3.1. Data description: | The Labour Force Survey (LFS) measures the economic activity of the population in a short period of observation of a one week. The survey collects demographic and educational characteristics of household''s members by sex, characteristics of the main and additional (second) job, the work that a person has done in the past, the status in employment, working hours, working time, economic activity, occupation, characteristics of the unemployed, inactive person. Accordingly, the main categories covered by this survey are: total employment, unemployment, demographic, educational, socio-economic and other characteristics of individuals. One of main survey objectives is to apply international standards in defining total employment and unemployment so that these categories can be compared with the same categories in other countries. The Labour Force Survey is carried out in compliance with standards and recommendations of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) guidelines for labour force statistics, as well as in compliance with European legislative acts of the Council and Parliament, and with Eurostat?s requirements in relation to methodology, survey organisation, sample procedure, design of questionnaires, and definition of employment and unemployment. |
| 3.2. Classification system: | NACE Rev. 2, ISCO 08, ISCED 2011 The Eurostat Standard Code list (SCL) GEO (alpha-2) |
| 3.3. Sector coverage: | Not relevant. |
| 3.4. Statistical concepts and definitions: | The most important variables used and collected by the Labor Force Survey are the following: working age population, labour force (active population), employed persons, self-employed persons, family workers, unemployed persons, population outside of labour force (inactive population), activity rate, employment rate, unemployment rate and population outside of labour force rate. Labour Force Survey provides the data on working age population by activity in the reference quarter, not by formal status of interviewed persons. Working age population comprises active population (labour force) and population outside of labour force. Active population (labour force) include employed persons and unemployed persons. The term employed in the survey refer to persons who: ? Performed any work for wage or profit (in cash, goods or services) during the reference week, even for one hour. Persons who receive wages for on-the-job training (apprentices or trainees) are also considered as employed. ? Did not work (due to illness, annual leave or state holidays, education or training, maternity/paternity leave, reduced production and other temporary inability to work), but have a job or business to return to. Self-employed persons with a business or farm are also considered to be working if one of the following applies: ? Person works in his own business or farm for the purpose of earning a profit, even if the enterprise is failing to make a profit; ? Person spends time on the operation of a business or farm even if no sales were made, no professional services were rendered, or nothing was actually produced (for example, a farmer who engages in farm maintenance activities; an architect who spends time waiting for clients in his/her office; a fisherman who repairs his boat or nets for future operations; a person who attends a convention or seminar); ? Person is in process of setting up a business or farm, such as the buying or installing of equipment, renting the office or ordering of supplies in preparation for opening a new business. Person who works on its own agriculture farm to produce agricultural goods and if the main part of the agricultural output is intended to be sold or bartered are also considered as employed. Unpaid family workers - are persons who assisted the other member of the household in running family business or agricultural holding, without receiving any formal pay and providing that they not considered themselves as employed. Unpaid family workers includes e. g.: ? Son or daughter working in the parents? business or on the parents? farm without pay (living inside or outside the parents? household), ? Wife who assists her husband in his business (in trade, agriculture) without receiving any formal pay. Persons in own-use production work, voluntary workers, unpaid trainees are not included in employment on the basis of those activities. The term unemployed refers to persons who: ? in the reference week did not work (not in paid employment or self-employment and did not do any paid work), ? in the past four weeks were actively seeking work, ? were currently available for work (within two weeks). Person who has already found a job which will start within a period of at most 3 months and they are available for work in the two weeks after the reference week are also included among unemployed persons. Active population (labour force) include employed persons, and unemployed persons aged 15 to 89 years. Population outside of labour force comprises persons who were aged 15 to 89, and neither employed nor unemployed, as well persons who were aged above 89. Activity rate represents the percentage of active population in the total population of the same age group. Employment rate represents the percentage of employed persons in the total population of the same age group. Unemployment rate represents the percentage of unemployed persons in the total active population of the same age group. Population outside of labour force rate represents the percentage of persons outside of labour force in total population of the same age group. |
| 3.5. Statistical unit: | Private households and working age population. |
| 3.6. Statistical population: | The target population consists of all persons residing in Montenegro who live in private households. Demographic data are collected for all age groups, while questions related to the labor market are collected for persons aged 15-89. |
| 3.7. Reference area: | Montenegro and the regions (northern, central, and southern). Regions used do not make an official, but geographical division of Montenegro. The northern region consists of municipalities: Andrijevica, Berane, Bijelo Polje, Petnjica, Rozaje, Gusinje, Plav, Mojkovac, Kolasin, Pljevlja, Zabljak, Savnik, and Pluzine. The central region consists of the following municipalities: Podgorica, Zeta, Tuzi, Niksic, Danilovgrad and Cetinje. The southern region of the municipality is Herceg Novi, Tivat, Kotor, Budva, Bar and Ulcinj. |
| 3.8. Time coverage: | The data have been available since 2007. |
| 3.9. Base period: | Not relevant. |
| 4. Unit of measure Top | |
| The data obtained by this survey are expressed in absolute numbers and percentages. | |
| 5. Reference period Top | |
| Labour Force Survey was carried out in 2004-2007 as an annual survey, but since 2008 LFS is carried our continuously during a whole year and survey results are published quarterly. According to the regulations of Eurostat, the week starts on Monday and ends on Sunday. By convention, the first week of the year is the week including the first Thursday. The 1st reference quarter consists of 13 consecutive weeks starting from that week. Built in this way, the quarterly sample is spread uniformly over all weeks of the quarter. | |
| 6. Institutional mandate Top | |
| 6.1. Legal acts and other agreements: | The Law on Official Statistics and Official Statistical System (Official Gazette of Montenegro No 018/12, 047/19 and 023/25) defines provisions for collection, processing and dissemination of data. The Law provides to the Statistical Office legal powers to collect and access the data necessary for the implementation of Programme and Annual Plan. EU regulations defining this area of statistics: Framework regulation: 1) 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, amending Regulations (EC) No 808/2004, (EC) No 452/2008 and (EC) No 1338/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council, and repealing Regulation (EC) No 1177/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council and Council Regulation (EC) No 577/98. Implementing regulations: 1) COMMISSION DELEGATED REGULATION (EU) 2020/256 of 16 December 2019 supplementing Regulation (EU) 2019/1700 of the European Parliament and of the Council by establishing a multiannual rolling planning; 2) COMMISSION DELEGATED REGULATION (EU) 2020/257 of 16 December 2019 supplementing Regulation (EU) 2019/1700 of the European Parliament and of the Council by specifying the number and the title of the variables for the labour force domain; 3) 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; 4) COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING REGULATION (EU) 2019/2180 of 16 December 2019 specifying the detailed arrangements and content for the quality reports pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2019/1700 of the European Parliament and of the Council; 5) COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING REGULATION (EU) 2019/2181 of 16 December 2019 specifying technical characteristics as regards items common to several datasets pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2019/1700 of the European Parliament and of the Council; 6) COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING REGULATION (EU) 2019/2241 of 16 December 2019 describing the variables and the length, quality requirements and level of detail of the time series for the transmission of monthly unemployment data pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2019/1700 of the European Parliament and of the Council. |
| 6.2. Data sharing: | Signed agreement on cooperation with the official statistical producers: 1. Customs Administration 2. Tax Administration 3. Ministry of Finance 4. Central Bank of Montenegro 5. Trilateral agreement (MONSTAT, Ministry of Finance, and Central Bank of Montenegro) International institutions: 1. EUROSTAT 2. UN organizations 3. IMF 4. World Bank |
| 7. Confidentiality Top | |
| 7.1. Confidentiality - policy: | Articles 53-60 of the Law on Official Statistics and Official Statistical System (Official Gazette of Montenegro No 18/12 and 47/19) provide a framework for protection, use, and transmission of confidential data. Statistical office has produced two comprehensive rulebooks that cover the procedures for individual data protection as well as keeping individual records. With purpose of the meeting legal framework on functioning of security system and statistical confidentiality there was adopted the Rulebook on Keeping Statistical Data by which Manner, Time, Technical Conditions and Organization of Statistical Data Storage to Prevent Their Destroying, Misappropriation, and Unauthorized Use is Regulated as well as the Rulebook on Contents and Manner of Keeping Records on Users of Individual Statistical Data by which contents and manner of keeping records on users of individual statistical data is regular. Pursuant to the Article 59, an access to the confidential data is limited to persons performing duties and tasks of official statistical producer and up to the stage the data are necessary for official statistical production. Persons that performs duties and tasks within official statistical producers must sign the statement on respecting the principle of confidentiality. Law on Official Statistics and Official Statistical System is aligned with the Regulation No 223/2009 and the Regulation (EU) 2015/759 from 29 April 2015 that also regulate confidentiality provisions. The Government of Montenegro adopted the Statement on Commitment of Confidence in Official Statistics (Commitment of Confidence). |
| 7.2. Confidentiality - data treatment: | |
| 8. Release policy Top | |
| 8.1. Release calendar: | The Law on Official Statistics and Official Statistical System (Official Gazette of Montenegro No 018/12, 047/19 and 023/25) stipulates that official statistical producers prepare, update, and publish Statistical Release Calendar. It is published on the website of Statistical Office not later than 20 December for the next year, for all official statistical producers that includes date of releasing statistical data. Any change in date of releasing in the Calendar is published in advance in accordance with the Procedure on Unplanned Revisions. |
| 8.2. Release calendar - access: | http://www.monstat.org/eng/page.php?id=12&pageid=12 |
| 8.3. User access: | General aim of official statistical producer is to meet the needs of users, and to make an access to statistical data to users in an understandable manner, simultaneously and under the same conditions. Statistical Office is obliged to produce and disseminate official statistics in objective, transparent and professional manner, so that all users are equally treated. |
| 9. Frequency of dissemination Top | |
| Quarterly and yearly. | |
| 10. Accessibility and clarity Top | |
| 10.1. News release: | The data are available on the website of MONSTAT: http://www.monstat.org/eng/page.php?id=22&pageid=22 |
| 10.2. Publications: | Statistical Office publishes the following regular publications: 1. Statistical Yearbook, 2. Montenegro in figures, 3. Monthly statistical review. In addition to the above regular ones, Statistical Office publishes also additionally publications. Some of the most important additional publications are as it follows: 1. Women and Men in Montenegro, 2. The most often used statistical data All publication published by Statistical Office are available at the following link: http://monstat.org/eng/publikacije.php |
| 10.3. Online database: | Not available. |
| 10.4. Micro-data access: | The Law on Official Statistics and Official Statistical System (Official Gazette of Montenegro No br. 018/12, 047/19 and 023/25) regulates rules under which external users can obtain an access to individual data for needs of research. Article 58 defines types of scientific and research organizations that can obtain such data. Providing individual data without identifier is possible only upon a written request of scientific and research institutions, with purpose of performing scientific and research activities as well as international statistical organizations and statistical producers from other countries. Research entity signs the agreement with Statistical Office, and it signs the statement on respecting the confidentiality principle. Official statistical producers keeps a separate records on users and purpose of using the statistical data given to these users. |
| 10.5. Other: | Data are transmitted to Eurostat. |
| 10.6. Documentation on methodology: domain: | http://www.monstat.org/eng/page.php?id=305&pageid=22 |
| 10.7. Quality documentation: | The Law on Official Statistics and the Official Statistical System ("Official Gazette of Montenegro" No. 018/12, 47/19 and 023/25) defines the commitment to quality, which ensures that producers of official statistics in Montenegro work and cooperate in accordance with international principles of quality of the statistical system. In accordance with the ESS Quality Declaration, Article 338 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU, Regulations 759/2015 and 223/2009 and the European Statistics Code of Practice, the following documents are adopted: 1. Quality Strategy of the Statistical Office 2. Guide for the implementation of the Quality Strategy in the Statistical Office; 3. Implementation plan |
| 11. Quality management Top | |
| 11.1. Quality assurance: | Statistical Office has chosen the implementation of elements of TQM (Total Quality Management) model that foster development and improvement of functioning of: - Institution, - Official statistical result production, and - Individual. Within middle-term deadline, Statistical Office has chosen the TQM implementation through the following objectives: 1. Strong commitment to users and other interested parties, 2. Quality statistical processes and products, 3. Professional orientation of staff members, 4. Constant improvements, 5. Reduction of overburden of reporting units. |
| 11.2. Quality assesment: | Not available. |
| 12. Relevance Top | |
| 12.1. User needs: | International users: - Eurostat, - World Bank, - UN organizations, - International Monetary Fund National users: - Ministries and other public administration bodies, -Local government, and -Other local government bodies. - Central bank, - Non-governmental organizations, - Students, -Researchers, - Media. |
| 12.2. User satisfaction: | The Statistical Office has adopted the Quality Management Strategy, the Guidebook to the Implementation of the Quality Management Strategy, as well as the Plan for the Implementation of the Quality Policy. In order to measure the degree to which fulfills obligations towards users and within the new quality policy, the Statistical Office conducted User satisfaction survey. The results of the survey are available on the Statistical Office website, link: http://monstat.org/uploads/files/2.%20Izvjestaj%20o%20zadovoljstvu%20korisnika%20ENG%20(Autosaved).pdf |
| 12.3. Completeness: | The data collected by LFS are determined by the methodology defined by EU regulations and Eurostat's methodological standards related to LFS. |
| 13. Accuracy and reliability Top | |
| 13.1. Overall accuracy: | The Labor Force Survey covers persons living in private households. As the results are based on a sample of population they are subject to the usual types of errors associated with sampling techniques and interviews, such as: sampling errors, non-sampling errors, measurement errors, processing errors, and non-response. |
| 13.2. Sampling error: | Sampling errors are the characteristic of all sample surveys and are caused by observing the sample as part of the population. The size of sample error can be controlled with the sample size and sample design. However, for some minor domains (levels or groups of data) that have an insufficient number of units in a sample, large sample errors lead to unreliable results. The measure of precision of the most important indicators of the economic activity of the population can be expressed as a standard error, the coefficient of variation and the confidence interval. |
| 13.3. Non-sampling error: | There are four types of non-sampling errors: 1) Coverage errors - errors due to divergences existing between the target population and the sampling frame; 2) Measurement errors - errors that occur at the time of data collection. The source for these errors could be the information system, the interviewer or the mode of data collection; 3) Processing errors - errors in post-data-collection processes such as data entry, editing and weighting; 4) Non-response errors - errors due to an unsuccessful attempt to obtain the desired information from an eligible unit. |
| 14. Timeliness and punctuality Top | |
| 14.1. Timeliness: | The final data are published up to 80 days after the end of the reference period. Timeliness of final data: T+ 80 days after the end of the reference period. |
| 14.2. Punctuality: | The punctuality indicator represents the time difference between the actual publication of the data and the planned publication of the data. Deadlines of dissemination of the Labour Force Survey data at the website are defined in the Statistical Release Calendar. |
| 15. Coherence and Comparability Top | |
| 15.1. Comparability - geographical: | One of the main survey objectives is to apply international standards in defining total employment and unemployment so that these categories can be compared with the same categories in other countries, especially European countries. Data are collected in accordance with EU Regulation 2019/1700, comparability has been ensured with all countries using the same methodology. |
| 15.2. Comparability over time: | The Labor Force Survey is carried out continuously ie. households are continuously interviewed throughout the whole year since 2008. Until 2011, the data from the Census of Population, Households and Dwellings 2003 were used for data weighting. Since the beginning of 2011, data from the Census of Population, Households and Dwellings 2011 have been used for weighting data. This resulted in a break in the data series in 2011. |
| 15.3. Coherence - cross domain: | Guide on manner of determining survey and registered unemployment rate: http://www.monstat.org/userfiles/file/ars/Prirucnik%20nezaposlenosti%20u%20CG_20_3_2015ENG(1).pdf |
| 15.4. Coherence - internal: | Not available. |
| 17. Data revision Top | |
| 17.1. Data revision - policy: | Statistical Office has adopted the revision policy and it is available on the website http://www.monstat.org/eng/page.php?id=1411&pageid=1411 |
| 17.2. Data revision - practice: | Not relevant. |
| 18. Statistical processing Top | |
| 18.1. Source data: | Not relevant. |
| 18.2. Frequency of data collection: | Since 2008, the Labour Force Survey is carried out continuously with quarterly data processing. |
| 18.3. Data collection: | Data collection in the Labour Force Survey is done using the face-to-face method, using a paper version of the questionnaire (PAPI method). |
| 18.6. Adjustment: | Data for detailed annual and quarterly series, specific topics are not seasonaly adjusted. |
