2024 Labour Force Survey
Thirteenth Edition
Zambia, 2024
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Reference ID
ZMB-ZSA-LFS-2024-V1.0
Producer(s)
Zambia Statistics Agency
Metadata
Created on
Jan 16, 2026
Last modified
Jan 20, 2026
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Identification
Survey ID Number
ZMB-ZSA-LFS-2024-V1.0
Title
2024 Labour Force Survey
Subtitle
Thirteenth Edition
Country
| Name | Country code |
|---|---|
| ZAMBIA | ZMB |
Study type
Labor Force Survey [hh/lfs]
Series Information
The 2024 Labour Force Survey is the 13th round of annual surveys compiled from four quartely surveys per year. The survey was previously conducted every two years and the firsrt was in 1986. From 2017 to date, the survey has been conducted evry year. Data collection for the 2024 LFS was undertaken during the first two weeks of the last month of each quarter (march, June, September and December).
The survey questionnaire isa standard for all ILO International Conference of Labour Statisticians (ICLS) with variations in some modules per country. The 2024 labourforce iis based on the 20th ICLS resolutions.
The survey questionnaire isa standard for all ILO International Conference of Labour Statisticians (ICLS) with variations in some modules per country. The 2024 labourforce iis based on the 20th ICLS resolutions.
Abstract
The major objective of the 2024 LFS was to measure the size of the labour force by its characteristics such as age, sex, industry, sector of employment and education at national, rural/urban and province level.The 2024 LFS is based on the annual data set, arising from combining the 2024 quarterly datasets of LFS surveys. The 2024 LFS privides yearly labour statistics that provide early warning indication for the variations in the economy labourforce, occupations, industry and incomes.The statistics are both for the formal and informal sectors.
Kind of Data
Sample survey data [ssd]
Unit of Analysis
A household survey that has both household and individual questions.
Version
Version Description
-V1.0 Edited, anonymised dataset for public distribution
Version Date
2025-08-06
Version Notes
This version is based on the 20th ICLS resolutions.
Scope
Notes
The 2024 labour force covers aspects such as Labour force participation rate, employment-to-population ratio, employment, unemployment rate, long-term unemployment rate, time-related underemployment rate, working conditions, sectors of employment for all working age persons in the country.
Topics
| Topic | Vocabulary |
|---|---|
| Infrastructure | World Bank |
| Labor Markets | ICLS, ISCO |
| Key indicators of the labour market | ICLS, ISCO |
| Labour force | ICLS, ISCO |
| Employment | ICLS, ISCO |
| Unemplyment | ICLS, ISCO |
| Migration | ICLS, ISCO |
Keywords
| Keyword | Vocabulary |
|---|---|
| Child labour | ILO, ISCO, ISIS, ISCED,Labour Market Indicators |
| Youth employment | ILO, ISCO, ISIS, ISCED,Labour Market Indicators |
| Labour statistics | ILO, ISCO, ISIS, ISCED,Labour Market Indicators |
| Socio-economic | ILO, ISCO, ISIS, ISCED,Labour Market Indicators |
| Education | ILO, ISCO, ISIS, ISCED,Labour Market Indicators |
| Work | ILO, ISCO, ISIS, ISCED,Labour Market Indicators |
| Hours of Work | ILO, ISCO, ISIS, ISCED,Labour Market Indicators |
| Household demographics | ILO, ISCO, ISIS, ISCED,Labour Market Indicators |
| Wages and earnings | ILO, ISCO, ISIS, ISCED,Labour Market Indicators |
| Unemployment | ILO, ISCO, ISIS, ISCED,Labour Market Indicators |
| Gender and work | ILO, ISCO, ISIS, ISCED,Labour Market Indicators |
| Employment | ILO, ISCO, ISIS, ISCED,Labour Market Indicators |
Coverage
Geographic Coverage
National
Provincial
Rural-Urban
Provincial
Rural-Urban
Universe
All usual household members and all age groups
Producers and sponsors
Primary investigators
| Name | Affiliation |
|---|---|
| Zambia Statistics Agency | Ministry of Finance and National Planning |
Producers
| Name | Affiliation | Role |
|---|---|---|
| MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND SOCIAL SECURITY | MINISTRY OF LABOUR and SOCIAL SECURITY | QUESTIONNAIRE DESIGN |
| INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANISATION | UNITED NATIONS | QUESTIONNAIRE DESIGN, technical assistance |
| Ministry of Finance and National Planning | GRZ | QUESTIONNAIRE DESIGN, technical assistance |
| Zambia Statistics Agency | GRZ | QUESTIONNAIRE DESIGN, technical assistance, data collection and analysis |
Funding Agency/Sponsor
| Name | Abbreviation | Role |
|---|---|---|
| MINISTRY OF LABOUR and Social Security | MLSS | Funding of the survey |
| MINISTRY OF FINANCE | MFNP | Funding of the survey |
| Zambia Statistics Agency | ZAMSTATS | Funding of the survey |
Other Identifications/Acknowledgments
| Name | Affiliation | Role |
|---|---|---|
| MINISTRY OF LABOUR | GRZ | PATNER WITH ZAMSTATS TO PRODUCE THE SURVEY |
| MINISTRY OF FINANCE | GRZ | PATNER WITH ZAMSTATS TO PRODUCE THE SURVEY |
| ILO | United Nations | PATNER WITH ZAMSTATS TO PRODUCE THE SURVEY |
Sampling
Sampling Procedure
The sample design applied on the 2024 LFS is the Split-Panel Design. The design involves the selection of a master sample of enumeration areas (EAs) or non-institutionalized private households in rural and urban areas across the whole country. Four (4) non-overlapping probability samples of EAs, forming a panel are selected from the master sample. One panel is surveyed in each quarter. The sample is divided into 4 cycles, each of which is surveyed within three months of a given quarter. The quarterly sample gives estimates that are only reliable at national and rural/urban, while the combined sample gives estimates at provincial levels and other domains.
The sampling frame for the 2024 Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) was derived from the 2022 Census of Population and Housing. The frame provides details of the province, district, constituency and ward (i.e. names and codes), as well as number of households and population for each EA. For the purpose of undertaking the survey, the number of households and population are used for selecting EAs, the Primary Sampling Unit (PSU) for this survey. The 2022 sampling frame had a total of 36,770 EAs from which 520 Enumeration Areas and 10400 Households were selected for the 2024 Labour Force Survey.
In order to have equal precision in the estimates in all the domains and at the same time account for the variation in the sizes of the domains, the survey adopted the Square Root sample allocation method. The allocated samples were multiples of four to facilitate for the rolling of equal samples during each of the four cycles.
The sampling frame for the 2024 Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) was derived from the 2022 Census of Population and Housing. The frame provides details of the province, district, constituency and ward (i.e. names and codes), as well as number of households and population for each EA. For the purpose of undertaking the survey, the number of households and population are used for selecting EAs, the Primary Sampling Unit (PSU) for this survey. The 2022 sampling frame had a total of 36,770 EAs from which 520 Enumeration Areas and 10400 Households were selected for the 2024 Labour Force Survey.
In order to have equal precision in the estimates in all the domains and at the same time account for the variation in the sizes of the domains, the survey adopted the Square Root sample allocation method. The allocated samples were multiples of four to facilitate for the rolling of equal samples during each of the four cycles.
Response Rate
99 percent
Weighting
Due to the disproportional allocation of the sample to the different strata (i.e. provinces), sampling weights are used to ensure actual representativeness of the sample at national and sub-national levels. The product of the inverses of the probabilities of selecting the EAs in the first-stage and of selecting the households in the second stage are the weights for individuals in the dataset.
Data Collection
Dates of Data Collection
| Start | End | Cycle |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-03-01 | 2024-03-30 | Quarter One |
| 2024-06-01 | 2024-06-29 | Quarter Two |
| 2024-09-02 | 2024-09-30 | Quarter Three |
| 2024-12-02 | 2024-12-30 | Quarter Four |
Time periods
| Start date | End date | Cycle |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-03-01 | 2024-03-30 | Quarter 1 |
| 2024-06-01 | 2024-06-30 | Quarter 2 |
| 2024-09-01 | 2024-09-30 | Quarter 3 |
| 2024-12-02 | 2024-12-31 | Quarter 4 |
Data Collection Mode
Face-to-face [f2f]
Supervision
The field teams comprise an average of eight enumerators per province doing whole EA listings and 20 selected household interviews. The teams usually have a supervisor per team of three.
Data Collection Notes
The field teams comprise an average of eight enumerators per province doing whole EA listings and 20 selected household interviews. The teams usually conduct the interviews in an hour long interview. The interviews are conducted in respective languages of the regions.
Data Collectors
| Name | Abbreviation | Affiliation |
|---|---|---|
| Zambia Statistics Agency | ZamStats | Ministry of Finance and National Planning |
Questionnaires
Questionnaires
The 2024 LFS questionnaire was designed into modules that included; demographic characteristics, activity limitation, education and literacy,economic activity identification and characteristics, working time, income for paid employees and employers, unemployment and job search, own-use production and service work, labour migration and remmittances, social protection, household tasks, food security, housing and household characteristics, financial inclusion.
Special age groups are applied during analysis to cater for the various ages in each module. Iincome questions are restricted to indivduals themselves and not proxys. The module on financial inclusion is randomly allocated to qualifying members.
Special age groups are applied during analysis to cater for the various ages in each module. Iincome questions are restricted to indivduals themselves and not proxys. The module on financial inclusion is randomly allocated to qualifying members.
Data Processing
Data Editing
Data editing was on- going throughout the process from field to cleaning and analysis. ISIC and ISCO descriptions were edited manually to check for consistency in coding.
Data Appraisal
Estimates of Sampling Error
As a sample survey, the LFS is bound to have sampling errors. There are currently no estimations of the sampling errors. Measures have been enforced to correct non sampling errors like data collector and respondent fatique,data capture errors and recall errors due to time lapse for some questions .
Access policy
Contacts
| Name | Affiliation | URL | |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Head of Dissermination | Zambia Statistics Agency | info@zamstats.gov.zm | Link |
Confidentiality
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Access conditions
Micro data records are anonymized as per procedures before these are made available to users.
Micro data files are all free but under access policy conditions:
Each dataset has an access policy: Public use file - accessible to all and Licensed datasets - accessible under conditions.
The dataset has been anonymized and is available as a Public Use Dataset. It is accessible to all for statistical and research purposes only, under the following terms and conditions:
1. The data and other materials will not be redistributed or sold to other individuals, institutions, or organizations without the written agreement of the Zambia Statistics Agency
2. The data will be used for statistical and scientific research purposes only. They will be used solely for reporting of aggregated information, and not for investigation of specific individuals or organizations.
3. No attempt will be made to re-identify respondents, and no use will be made of the identity of any person or establishment discovered inadvertently.
Micro data files are all free but under access policy conditions:
Each dataset has an access policy: Public use file - accessible to all and Licensed datasets - accessible under conditions.
The dataset has been anonymized and is available as a Public Use Dataset. It is accessible to all for statistical and research purposes only, under the following terms and conditions:
1. The data and other materials will not be redistributed or sold to other individuals, institutions, or organizations without the written agreement of the Zambia Statistics Agency
2. The data will be used for statistical and scientific research purposes only. They will be used solely for reporting of aggregated information, and not for investigation of specific individuals or organizations.
3. No attempt will be made to re-identify respondents, and no use will be made of the identity of any person or establishment discovered inadvertently.
Citation requirements
Zambia Statistics Agency (2024). 2024 Labour Force Survey Report. Lusaka: Zambia
Access authority
| Name | Affiliation | URL | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zambia Statistics Agency | Ministry of Finance and National Planning | info@zamstats.gov.zm | Link |
Disclaimer and copyrights
Disclaimer
ZamStats will not bear any responsibility for the erroneous use of its data by researchers. Users should report inconsistencies in the data (both micro and aggregated) to ZamStats as soon as possible.
The user of the data acknowledges that the original collector of the data, the authorized distributor of the data, and the relevant funding agency bear no responsibility for use of the data or for interpretations or inferences based upon such use
The user of the data acknowledges that the original collector of the data, the authorized distributor of the data, and the relevant funding agency bear no responsibility for use of the data or for interpretations or inferences based upon such use
Copyright
(C) 2024, Zambia Statistics Agency
Metadata production
DDI Document ID
DDI-ZMB-ZSA-LFS-2024-V1.0
Producers
| Name | Abbreviation | Affiliation | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| ZAMBIA STATISTICS AGENCY | ZAMSTATS | MINISTRY OF FINANCE AND NATIONAL PLANNING | SURVEY IMPLEMENTORS |
Date of Metadata Production
2026-01-13
DDI Document version
Version 1.0 (January 2026)