The 23rd edition of our Labour Force and Annual Population Surveys User Conference will take place on 3 December. This is one of the longest running conferences organised by the UK Data Service.
The 2026 conference will be held online and is free to attend. You can view the draft programme and book your place via the conference event page.
The Labour Force and Annual Population Surveys User Conference
The Labour Force Survey (LFS) is one of the main sources of quantitative evidence for socioeconomic policymaking in the UK. Key variables from the LFS and its boost samples are also used to create the Annual Population Survey (APS). These two surveys are key components of the core economic and population statistics produced by the UK Government.
The Labour Force and Annual Population Surveys User Conference brings together data producers – the LFS team at the Office for National Statistics (ONS) – and data users to share and discuss updates on the development of the surveys and ongoing research that is being carried out using the data.
The day consists of a mixture of updates from the ONS and presentations from researchers and analysts who use data from the Labour Force Survey and Annual Population Survey. It also provides a good opportunity to get an overview of the policy impact of research based on the two surveys.
The Transformed Labour Force Survey from a user perspective
One of the highlights of this year’s conference will be the opportunity for users to receive updates from the LFS team on important changes and issues relating to the Labour Force Survey and Annual Population Survey.
This year, a presentation will also focus on user involvement in the development of the Transformed Labour Force Survey, the next major iteration of the Labour Force Survey. The project, which has been in development for several years, is due to be implemented in 2027.
Linking the Labour Force Survey to administrative data
For the first time, the conference will also feature a discussion panel on data linkage. Experts from the ONS will highlight the latest developments arising from integrating LFS data with other sources, as enabled by the new Demographic Index and Business Index, which enable linkage with PAYE Real Time Information (RTI) and the Interdepartmental Business Register (IDBR).
Panel members will discuss both the practical challenges and existing applications of data integration. One of the primary purposes so far has been the optimisation of data collection to maximise respondent engagement.
Paper sessions
The papers submitted this year will cover a variety of topics, including the measurement of long-term sickness, age-specific employment patterns and lifelong learning. Other presentations will focus on job matching, labour market frictions and overqualification.
The presenters come from a wide range of backgrounds, with speakers from the Bank of England, academia and the voluntary sector, as well as independent researchers.
The conference will be live streamed on YouTube, but only registered users will be able to interact with speakers. A half-day training session will also take place just before the conference on 2 December.