Modernising the Labour Force Survey

The ABS is modernising the way we do things so that we can continue to produce high quality statistics while making it easier for people to complete our surveys. 

As part of the Data Acquisition Modernisation Program, we are making improvements to how we collect the Labour Force Survey to:

• continue to produce high quality labour force statistics
• maintain response rates
• deliver an improved experience for survey respondents, and
• improve the efficiency of our business.

The Labour Force Survey is the official source of employment and unemployment statistics in Australia. It is part of a suite of surveys collected as part of the Monthly Population Survey (MPS). 

The new collection model will update the:

• design (i.e. the groups of questions and topics and how, when and to who they are asked)
• content (i.e. the questions we ask)
• systems and tools used to enumerate the surveys.

The current collection model for the MPS is complex and the systems used to conduct the survey need updating. The current model has been in place since 2014. 

Updating how the MPS is conducted will:

• continue to ensure we produce high quality labour force statistics and maintain our response rates
• allow the ABS to implement long planned for improvements to the Labour Force Survey
• provide an improved digital experience, participants will be able to complete the survey on a device of their choice, including smartphones
• make participating in the MPS faster and simpler. The survey has been simplified by grouping related topics and removing duplicated questions
• build in greater recoverability from the impacts of extreme weather events and other disruptions
• continue to ensure the statistics that we collect reflect a contemporary Australian labour market and society
• provide the opportunity to explore producing more frequent statistics on selected topics. 

The current collection model for the Monthly Population Survey and Labour Force Survey is outlined below with a summary of the changes being implemented as part of the modernisation program.

The MPS is the largest household survey conducted by the ABS. It has been run in some form since 1960. Australia’s official employment and unemployment estimates are produced from information collected in the MPS via the Labour Force Survey. Information is collected online, over the phone or in person with an ABS interviewer. 

Each month, the MPS collects data from around 50,000 people from approximately 24,000 households. It comprises eight sub-samples (or rotation groups), with each group remaining in the survey for eight months. A new rotation group is introduced each month to replace an outgoing rotation group. 

The MPS currently collects a rotating range of information from households each month, which includes:

• Core labour force topics, asked in each month in the Labour Force Survey.
• Additional detailed labour information, such as industry and occupation of employment, asked on a quarterly basis in February, May, August and November Labour Force Surveys.
• Detailed information on supplementary topics collected in specific months (from people who are completing months one to seven of the MPS):
  • Participation, Job Search and Mobility in February
  • Education and Work in May, and
  • Characteristics of Employment in August.
• Additional social and economic topics collected over a financial year in the Multipurpose Household Survey (MPHS), as supplement to the MPS. It is completed shortly after a person’s last month (i.e. month eight) of the MPS. The MPHS is collected over the phone from a selected person and cannot be completed online. 

Changes as part of modernisation program:

• Core labour force content will be asked in months one to eight (including some previous content collected quarterly).
• Supplementary survey content will no longer be collected in specific months, instead respondents will complete a new labour focused supplementary survey in their last month (month eight). As the new supplementary survey will capture information across an entire calendar year, the sample is expected to increase from 21,000 households to over 30,000 households.
• The MPHS will no longer be collected as part of the MPS from July 2026. The MPHS will be conducted as a separate survey for 2026-27 and beyond. This approach will help to ensure the long-term sustainability of the Labour Force Survey and reduce burden on people who complete our surveys. The labour topic Digital Platform Workers will be collected as part of the 2026-27 MPHS. The ABS will consult with stakeholders about topics for the 2027-28 MPHS and beyond.

Remaining the same:

• The scope of the MPS will remain the same, that is, the usually resident population of Australia aged 15 years and over, excluding members of the permanent defence forces, certain overseas diplomatic personnel, and overseas residents in Australia.
• The sample design of the MPS will also remain the same.
• Headline labour force estimates will continue to be released monthly.
• Key questions asked in the Labour Force Survey that are used to calculate headline estimates will not be changed. However, small improvements will be made to the supporting help information that provides guidance to respondents about how to accurately answer the survey questions.
• Education statistics currently collected in the Labour Force Survey will continue to be collected (as part of the new month eight supplementary survey).

Changes to how the Labour Force Survey is conducted will be implemented progressively from April 2026. We will undertake the transition between April and August which will allow us to carefully assess any statistical impact and ensure that any unforeseen impacts can be isolated and addressed. The transition will involve gradually onboarding rotation groups to the new survey system and collection model. 

As a result, rotation groups will be split across the old and new survey systems and collection model during the transition period:

• From April 2026, the incoming rotation group will complete the survey on the new system and model.
• In May, June and July 2026 two incoming rotation groups will also be onboarded to new system and collection model.
• In July 2026, there will be seven rotation groups, instead of the usual eight.
• By August 2026, all eight rotation groups will be using the new survey system and collection model. This will also be the first month the new Labour Supplementary Survey will be collected. 

During the transition period, headline estimates of employment, unemployment and the unemployment rate will continue to be produced monthly. The ABS has made the decision to delay the release of Labour Force, Australia (headline release) for the April to August 2026 reference periods by a week compared to usual timeframes. This delay is to allow additional time for quality assurance checks on the data. The updated release schedule for the transition period is detailed in Table 1.

Other changes to Labour Force Survey outputs during the transition period include:

• The consolidation of Labour Force Survey publications into a single release. This consolidated release will combine information previously included in the separate Labour Force, Australia (Headline release) and Labour Force, Australia, Detailed releases.
• A temporary suspension of detailed tables that are impacted by changes to the collection model. During the transition period, tables relating to Industry, Occupation, Retrenchment, Reasons worked less than usual hours, Reasons not in the labour force, and Duration of job search will not be produced. These tables are expected to recommence production from the September 2026 reference period.
• A temporary suspension on updating some microdata products - Longitudinal LFS and TableBuilder. ABS still plans to provide data to PLIDA, but it will contain reduced content. From the September 2026 reference period, the ABS will recommence updating these microdata products.
• After the transition period, the ABS will provide time series data for items temporarily suspended during the transition period where possible, though this will not be possible in all cases. 

For further details on changes to the Labour Force Survey data outputs for the transition period please refer to the Upcoming Changes to Labour Force Survey Outputs information paper. This resource includes table shells that will enable users to familiarise themselves with table naming conventions and specifications. 

A further update will be provided in mid‑2026 on the Labour Force Survey outputs following the end of the transition period (i.e. from September 2026 reference period onwards).

The new Labour Supplementary Survey commencing in August 2026 will bring together most content currently collected in:

• Characteristics of Employment
• Participation, Job Search and Mobility
• Barriers and Incentives to Labour Force Participation (from MPHS)
• Casual Experience (from MPHS)
• Content previously collected quarterly in the Labour Force Survey (that isn’t being collected monthly in the Labour Force Survey).

Table 2 details the topics that the supplementary survey will continue to provide information on. 

Plans for Labour Supplementary Survey outputs from 2026 include:

• Compiling and publishing data on a calendar year basis, starting with 2026 estimates (August-December 2026) to be published by May 2027.
• Continue to publish a similar range of data that is available now.
• Outputs will include annual thematic publications complemented by TableBuilder and microdata releases.
• Explore options for quarterly outputs of key estimates (subject to data quality).

More information on the content and outputs from the new Labour Supplementary Survey will be provided in mid-2026.

Table 3 sets out the final reference period for supplementary surveys collected under the current MPS collection model. In addition, it lists the two Labour MPHS topics that will cease to be collected independently under the new MPS model. Instead, most of this information will be collected in the new Labour Force Supplementary Survey and published via existing thematic web pages from May 2027. 

The ABS is committed to ensuring that the data produced from the Labour Force Survey remains high quality. Controls are being implemented to measure and manage any statistical impact.

Things we are doing to ensure a successful transition to the new collection model include:

• Undertaken a 2,000-household field test in October and November 2025. This allowed us to successfully test our new systems and processes.
• Implementing the changes progressively, by survey rotation group, to ensure that any unforeseen impacts can be isolated and addressed.
• Contingency planning for a range of scenarios.
• Delaying the release of Labour Force, Australia publications for the April to August 2026 reference periods by a week compared to usual timeframes. This delay is to allow additional time for quality assurance checks on the data.
• Using administrative data (such as single touch payroll data) to quality assure the survey data.
• Working closely with stakeholders to ensure they are well informed, engaged and clear on the changes and how they will be implemented. Additionally, we are seeking feedback and advice from our Labour Statistics Advisory Group and Methodology Advisory Committee. 

The ABS is committed to ensuring our users are informed of changes in advance of them being implemented. Regular updates will be published on the ABS website. 

If you have a question about the changes to the Labour Force Survey or Monthly Population Survey please email labour.statistics@abs.gov.au.