0. Prerequisites

0.1 Legal environment

0.1.1 Responsibility for collecting, processing, and disseminating statistics

Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat)

·         The compilation and dissemination of the data are governed by the terms and conditions of the Federal Law of November 29, 2007 No. 282-FZ On Official Statistical Accounting and State statistics system in the Russian Federation, (Об официальном статистическом учете и системе государственной статистики в Российской Федерации) and Statute on the Federal State Statistics Service, adopted by Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation on July 02, 2008 №420 (Положение о Федеральной службе государственной статистики

·         Article 1 of the Statute stipulates that the Federal State Statistics Service (the Rosstat) shall provide official statistical information that constitutes part of government information resources on the country's social, economic, demographic and ecologic status.

·         Article 5.2 of the Statute stipulates that the Federal State Statistics Service shall develop the official statistical methodology for compilation of statistical observations, and provide conformity of the specified methodology to the international standards.

The above mentioned documents is available in Russian on the following Rosstat's webpage:

Federal Law On Official Statistical Accounting and State statistics system in the Russian Federation (http://www.gks.ru/news/fz282.htm);

Statute on the Federal State Statistics Service (http://www.gks.ru/free_doc/new_site/rosstat/post_rosstat.htm).

0.1.2 Data sharing and coordination among data producing agencies

Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat)

The Statute and the Law provides Rosstat has the right to receive from respondents primary statistical data and administrative data, including those containing information classified as State secrets, commercial secrets, information about taxpayers, personal data of individuals subject to their obligatory depersonalization, and other information, access to which is restricted by federal laws, in order to compile official statistical information (Article 6.1 of the Statute, Article 9 of the Law).

0.1.3 Confidentiality of individual reporters' data

Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat)

Article 5.16 of the Statute stipulates that the Rosstat shall provide in appropriate way the storage and protection of official, banking, tax, and commercial and other confidential information, received by the Rosstat during its activities.

0.4 Quality management

0.4.1 Quality policy

Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat)

The document was developed taking into account the principles of official statistical accounting established by the Law, the fundamental principles of official statistics approved at the 68th session of the UN General Assembly on January 23, 2014, the Generic Statistical Business Process Model (version 5.0) prepared by the UNECE High Level Group, and international standards for ensuring the quality of official statistical information.

1. Integrity

1.1 Professionalism

1.1.2 Selection of sources, methodology, and modes of dissemination

Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat)

Article 4 of the Law defines rational choice of sources in order to generate official statistical information to ensure its completeness, reliability and timeliness of provision, as well as to reduce the burden on respondents as one of the principles of official statistics.

Article 7 of the Law states that Rosstat develops official statistical methodology, which includes methods of collecting, monitoring, dissemination, aggregation and grouping primary statistical data and administrative data, compiling national accounts, assessing the accuracy of official statistical information and its systematization, and official statistical methodology of the development of statistical information.

Article 4 of the Law states that the official statistical methodology should be scientifically substantiated, consistent with international standards and principles of official statistics, as well as the legislation of the Russian Federation, open and accessible.

Rosstat disseminate official statistical information by publishing in official publications, the media and posting for publican free access on the official website of Rosstat (www.gks.ru).

1.1.3 Commenting on erroneous interpretation and misuse of statistics

Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat)

In case of misinterpretation or misuse of statistical data, Rosstat may send a denial to the media, which allowed the distortion of official statistical information, for further publication.

1.2 Transparency

1.2.2 Internal governmental access to statistics prior to release

Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat)

There is no government access to the data before its release.

1.2.3 Attribution of statistical products

Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat)

The data are published without ministerial commentary.

1.2.4 Advance notice of major changes in methodology, source data, and statistical techniques

Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat)

The Rosstat announces significant changes in methodology, source data, and compilation techniques in advance.

1.3 Ethical standards

1.3.1 Guidelines for staff behavior

Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat)

In the performance of official duties Rosstat employees adhere to the standards of conduct established by the Code of Ethics and official conduct of Rosstat civil servants, approved by order of Rosstat on October 10, 2016.

Article 15 of the Federal Law of July 27, 2004 No. 79-FZ "On the Civil Service of the Russian Federation" (О государственной гражданской службе Российской Федерации) establishes the duties of civil servants related to the observance of official conduct.

2. Methodology

2.1 Concepts and definitions

2.1.1 Concepts and definitions

The source of information on the number of unemployed in accordance with ILO standards is the labor force survey.

The unemployed are persons aged 15 years and older who, during the period under review, simultaneously satisfied the following criteria:

·         had no job (profitable occupation);

·         engaged in the search for work in the last four weeks, using any means;

·         were ready to start work during the week surveyed.

Unemployed persons include persons in the age range established for measuring the economic activity of the population who during the reference period met the following criteria simultaneously:

·         did not have a job (gainful employment);

·         had actively looked for work (at any time in the four weeks up to the end of the reference week), i.e., had applied to a state or commercial employment service, used or placed advertisements in the press, applied directly to the administration of an enterprise or to an employer, used personal contacts, etc., or who undertook steps to set up their own business; and

·         were available for work in the reference week.

Unemployed persons also include persons who during the reference period:

·         did not have a job but had reached an agreement about starting a job (within two weeks after the reference period) and were no longer looking for work;

·         did not have a job, were available for work, but had not actively looked for work since they were waiting for a response from an administration or employer to an application made previously. The period spent waiting for a response should not exceed one month.

Students, pensioners, and disabled persons are treated as unemployed if they sought work and were available for work.

There are some methodological differences in the definition of the total number of unemployed persons according to ILO standards and unemployed persons officially recognized by employment service offices.

Unemployed persons registered with employment service offices are able-bodied citizens who do not have a job or earnings (labor income), are residing within the Russian Federation, are registered with an employment center at their place of residence for the purpose of finding suitable work, who are seeking work and are available for work.

Rates of change

The rates of change as compared with the correspondent period of the previous year are also available on the following website:

http://www.gks.ru/bgd/free/B00_24/IssWWW.exe/Stg/d000/I000040R.HTM

2.2 Scope

2.2.1 Scope

Scope of the data

Geographical coverage: Data on total unemployment (in accordance with the ILO standards) as well as data on unemployed persons registered with employment service offices cover all the constituent territories of the Russian Federation.

Population coverage: The labor force survey covers the population of private households aged 15 years and older of age permanently (usually) residing at an address selected in the sample, including:

o    persons who in the reference period and survey period were temporarily absent, as well as foreign citizens who are permanent residents of the Russian Federation (i.e., persons who are citizens only of a foreign state);

o    persons who are performing military service as conscripts, as well as those performing alternative civilian service in place of military service; and

o    persons performing military service under a contract.

Topical coverage: The labor force survey covers current activity of the population. Source data in the survey program include the following topical areas pertaining to economic activity and unemployment:

o    information on respondents: sex, age, family status, citizenship, level of education, occupation or profession acquired upon graduation from an educational institution;

o    existence of paid work or gainful employment: employment in the survey week, including a job that temporarily was not being performed;

o    search for work:

§  search for work by persons not employed in the survey week;

§  job search methods; availability for work;

§  nature of work which unemployed person is available for;

§  duration of job search;

§  registration with employment service as unemployed;

§  receipt of unemployment benefits;

§  reasons for refusal to look for work; and

§  reasons for being unavailable for work.

o    previous activity of persons not employed in the survey week:

• existence of jobs held by unemployed persons at any time in the past;
• type of activity and occupation (profession, position) at last place of employment; and
• duration of unemployment;

o    employment in the household production of goods or services:

• employment in the survey week in the household production of agricultural, forestry, hunting, or fishing products for own consumption; and
• main type of goods produced and time spent in the survey week on the performance of this work.

2.2.1.2 Exceptions to coverage

The survey does not cover collective households: dormitories, boarding schools, boarding homes for the elderly and disabled, and other institutional establishments, monasteries, and other collective dwellings.

In accordance with the legislation on employment, the following citizens may not be treated as unemployed:

o    those who are under 16 years of age, as well as citizens who have been awarded an age-related (old-age) pension or a retirement pension for length of service in accordance with the pension legislation;

o    those who have turned down two offers of suitable work within ten days of applying to an employment service, including temporary work, those who are seeking work for the first time, those who do not have an occupation (profession) in the event of two refusals of vocational training or offers of paid work, including temporary work. A citizen may not be offered the same job (the same training option) twice; and

o    those who have failed to appear within ten days of the date of registration at employment service offices for an offer of suitable work without a valid reason, as well as those who have failed to appear within the deadline established for them for registration as an unemployed person.

2.3 Classification/sectorization

2.3.1 Classification/sectorization

Classification: Unemployed persons are classified on the basis of the following characteristics in the labor force survey:

o    economic activities at their last place of employment in accordance with the Общероссийский классификатор видов экономической деятельности - ОКВЭД 2(OKVED - All Russian Classification of Types of Economic Activity2), which is harmonized with the official version of the Statistical Classification of Economic Activities in the European Economic Community (NACE Rev. 2) by retaining the codes (down to four digits) and names of groups. The coding of information on the branch of the economy in which unemployed persons were last employed is based on primary codes (down to six digits).

o    occupations and titles at their last place of employment in accordance with the All-Russian Classification of Occupations, which is harmonized with the International Standard Occupational Classification (ISCI, 2008). The coding of information on occupations at the last place of employment of unemployed persons is based on primary codes at the four-digit level.

o    education – level of education and occupation or profession acquired.

o    following graduation from educational institutions. The coding of information about occupation and profession based on education is performed using classifications in effect in the professional training system (at the level of primary codes).

2.4 Basis for recording

2.4.2 Recording basis

The methodology for determining the unemployed during a labor force survey complies with the standards of the International Labor Organization (ILO).

3. Accuracy and reliability

3.1 Source data

3.1.1 Source data collection programs

Data collection: A population survey begins on the first Monday after the critical (survey) week and is conducted by interviewers over the following week through personal visits to households. The survey is conducted using tablet computer.

Regional offices of the Federal State Statistics Service are responsible for organization of the labor force survey at the regional level. Interview personnel are hired for each survey round. Interviewers go through training, and they are provided with instructional and methodological materials on conducting population surveys.

3.1.2 Source data definitions, scope, classifications, valuation, and time of recording

Sample size and design: About 77 000 persons aged 15 and older (0.06% of the population of the age group) are surveyed monthly. The total annual sample size for monthly surveys is set at 924 000 persons (about 390 000 households), which is 0.76% of the population of the age group.

Different sampling fractions are used for constituent territories of the Russian Federation taking into account the relative variation in the "Unemployment Rate" indicator and the specified level of relative accuracy of this indicator: a relative standard sampling error of no more than 1.5% for the Russian Federation as a whole and 6 - 9% for the majority of constituent territories of the Russian Federation.

Monthly sample size provides national wide results corresponding to the specified breakdown and accuracy.

The aggregate of the free monthly samples provides representative results for the constituent territories of the Russian Federation.

Sample frame: The primary information fund, built on Population census data base, is used as the information basis for establishment of the household sample frame.

The primary information fund includes the resident population (i.e. the population resident in the territory of the district, town, village, etc.).

The primary information fund of each constituent territory of the Russian Federation provides all information on the different types of sample units, which constituent territories of the Russian Federation consist of, and the structural composition of the population. The primary information funds are built in all constituent territories of the Russian Federation. The household sample frames separately for urban and rural populations are conducted at the federal level.

The compilation of the household sample frame for LFS is performed in two stages.

At the first stage sampling of primary selective units was formed. The primary sampling unit is enumeration district of the population census .The sampling frame for the construction of the sample on the first stage was a set of enumeration districts, formed during the Census 2010

The selection of enumeration districts is performed within the frames of territorial segments, formed in the constituent territories of the Russian Federation separately for urban and rural populations.

At the second stage households are selected from enumeration districts, which were selected at the first stage, to collect information from persons by age. Patterned sampling of households is performed with the standard random selection.

Patterned sampling of households is performed according to their stratification on two characteristics: size and type of dwelling.

·         The households that were selected at the second stage of sampling are included in the list of survey for interviewing. The list contains the main and reserve addresses of households. In order to preserve the representativeness of the sample, these households cannot be arbitrarily replaced by others.

The size of the monthly sample provides representative results within a given degree of accuracy in the whole of the Russian Federation for specified development cuts.

Sample update: When conducting surveys, all monthly samples are independent throughout the year, i.e. monthly, all observation units of the selected population are replaced with new ones. In accordance with the adopted rotation scheme, one third of the sample is updated every 2 years.

3.1.3 Source data timeliness

The labor force survey is performed once per month as of the second week of the month. The critical (survey) week runs from Monday through Sunday.

3.3 Statistical techniques

3.3.1 Source data statistical techniques

Estimators for unemployment statistics: The technology applied for processing survey results entails obtaining estimates of unemployment indicators based on microdata information sets and individual weights of persons surveyed.

At the sample compilation stage, a separate person within a household has a corresponding base weight, which is defined as the inverse probability of inclusion of the household in the sample.

Weighing and dissemination of data is performed at the level of the subject of the Russian Federation. The methodology for weighting and disseminating sample survey data is based on assigning the appropriate individual weight to each individual observation unit - person. The method of iterative weighting of the sample is used, using as a general population the data of current calculations of the population at the beginning of the previous year.
The procedure is to compare the sample of the Russian Federation sample (number of surveyed citizens), stratified by gender, five-year age groups, type of settlement (urban, rural) with the general population according to current calculations, and stratified by the same characteristics.

After weighing procedure, each surveyed person is assigned an individual weight, which is recorded as a derived feature in the database of individual data.

3.5 Revision studies

3.5.1 Revision studies and analyses

The data is revised after receiving the results of the next census. In 2005, a retrospective recalculation of labor force survey data for 1992-2002 was made taking into account the results of the 2002 All-Russian Population Census. In 2013, a retrospective recalculation of labor force survey data for 2003-2012 was made taking into account the results of the 2010 All-Russian Population Census.

4. Serviceability

4.1 Periodicity and timeliness

4.1.1 Periodicity

Monthly

4.1.2 Timeliness

Within 5 weeks after the end of the reference period (surveyed week).

4.2 Consistency

4.2.1 Internal consistency

Unemployment data can be verified by users, using published data on the number of people unemployed on average per year by type of economic activity and by subjects of Russia, as well as information on those employed by sex, age, education, marital status and occupations.

4.3 Revision

4.3.1 Revision schedule

When first disseminated, data are usually preliminary and are referred to as preliminary in the corresponding publication.

Final data are published 5 weeks after the end of the reference period of the last labor force survey in the monthly Rosstat report Социально-экономическое положение России (Socio-Economic Situation in Russia) and 8 weeks after the end of the reference period of the last labor force survey in the quarterly bulletin “LFS”

Major changes in methodology are noted in the relevant publications after their implementation. 

5. Accessibility

5.1 Data

5.1.1 Statistical presentation

Data characterize the number of unemployed resident population of the Russian Federation. Monthly data on unemployment and rates of change over the corresponding period of the previous year are published.

Data are disseminated on the estimated number of unemployed persons in the Russian Federation. Unemployed persons include those in the age range established for the measurement of economic activity who, during the period in question, simultaneously met the following criteria:

·         had no job (profitable occupation);

·         were seeking for a job; and

·         were ready to start work during the reference period.

Pupils, students, pensioners, and disabled persons are considered unemployed if they were seeking for job and were ready to start it.

Monthly data are published based on monthly labor surveys.

5.1.2 Dissemination media and format

Hard copy - Other

Annual publications:

Российский статистический ежегодник (Statistical Yearbook of Russia) (in Russian only);

Социальное положение и уровень жизни населения России (Social Status and Living Standard in Russia) (in Russian only);

Труд и занятость в России (Labour and Employment in Russia) (in Russian only);

Регионы России. Социально-экономические показатели (Regions of Russia. Social and Economic Indicators) (in Russian only);

Russia in Figures (Россия в цифрах) (in Russian and in English).

"Рабочая сила, занятость и безработица в России" (один раз в 2 года);

Статистический бюллетень "Обследование рабочей силы".

The Rosstat’s monthly report, Social and Economic Situation of Russia, also publishes data on the number of unemployed of large and medium-sized organizations by economic activity, on the admission and dismissal of personnel of large and medium-sized organizations.

5.1.3 Advance release calendar

The precise release dates for the upcoming 4 months are listed on the following Rosstat's webpage in English: http://www.gks.ru/wps/wcm/connect/rosstat_main/rosstat/en/sdds/calendar/

5.1.4 Simultaneous release

The data are publicly available on the official website of the Federal State Statistics Service: http://www.gks.ru/ in the Rosstat monthly report “Social and Economic Situation of Russia” and other periodicals posted on the website.

5.2 Metadata

5.2.1 Dissemination of documentation on concepts, scope, classifications, basis of recording, data sources, and statistical techniques

The methodology for calculating specific unemployment indicators is provided in the Basic Methodological and Organizational Provisions for Conducting a Labor Force Survey, posted on the Rosstat website http://www.gks.ru/free_doc/new_site/population/trud/pr445-17.pdf