This dataset does not contain any sensitive or personal information.

Details on the methodology and quality assurance of Annual Population Survey data can be found on the ONS website.

Where the estimate is unreliable (i.e. the group sample size is 3-9 or estimate is less than 500) or the group sample size is zero or disclosive (0-2), the data has been removed.

Note that this data is not seasonally adjusted and comparisons should only be made with the same quarter across years.

The Scottish Government publishes reports which present analysis on the labour market at Scotland and sub-Scotland levels.

Statistics from the APS are presented in reports and spreadsheets available on the Scottish Goverment's website.

The Annual Population Survey (APS) combines results from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) and the English, Welsh and Scottish Labour Force Survey boosts increasing the sample size in Scotland, which means the APS can provide more robust labour market estimates compared to the main Labour Force Survey, for local areas and smaller groups of the population..

This dataset is updated quarterly.

In March 2020, as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the Labour Force Survey (LFS) had to change the way it contacted people for initial interviews, from face-to-face interviewing to telephone-based. This had an impact on both the level of response and the non-response bias of the survey, and consequently the survey estimates.

The change in non-response bias was significantly evident in a change to the housing tenure of the Household Reference Person, with a lower proportion of rented addresses being included and an increase in the proportion of those owned outright by the occupier.

To mitigate the impact of this non-response bias, ONS looked at introducing housing tenure into the LFS/APS weighting methodology. While not providing a perfect solution, this has redressed some of the issues that had previously been noted in the survey results.

Link to full details of these changes:

Coronavirus and its impact on the Labour Force Survey - Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk)

Note relating to Q1 2020 estimates onwards: Annual Population Survey (APS) responses are weighted to official population projections. As the current projections are 2018-based they are based on demographic trends that pre-date the COVID-19 pandemic. ONS are analysing the population totals used in the weighting process and may make adjustments if appropriate. Rates published from the APS remain robust; however, levels and changes in levels should be used with caution.