Household Labour Force Survey sources and methods: 2025 provides HLFS users with a technical description of the survey's sample design and other aspects, including collection methods, estimation and imputation processes, and coding and data processing procedures.
This update to the 2016 version reflects changes made to the methods and questionnaire since then.
We phased in the current sample design over two years, with the first one-eighth of the sample rotated into the field in the December 2020 quarter. By the September 2022 quarter, the entire sample was using the new design.
To read the paper, download the PDF below.
About the HLFS
The HLFS was introduced in October 1985. It is a continuous nationwide survey of households, which measures quarterly averages of employment, unemployment, and non-participation in the labour force, as well as quarterly and annual changes in these levels. The survey helps monitor labour market, inform social policy, support research, and provides insights into employment quality and the health and general wellbeing of New Zealand's economy.
Each quarter, we aim to collect responses from around 15,000 households, representing 30,000 individuals aged 15 years and over. As a rotating panel survey, the HLFS interviews the same respondents for a set number of consecutive quarters before replacing them with new ones. Households are selected using a multistage, stratified, clustered design, and all adults in the selected households are interviewed.
ISBN 978-1-991307-43-9
Previous edition
Household Labour Force Survey sources and methods: 2016 (published 6 April 2017) is available from the Stats NZ Store House.
