Quarterly National Household Survey

The Quarterly National Household Survey (QNHS) is a large-scale, nationwide survey of households in Ireland. It is designed to produce quarterly labour force estimates that include the official measure of employment and unemployment in the state (ILO basis). The survey began in September 1997, replacing the annual April Labour Force Survey (LFS). The QNHS also conducts special modules on different social topics each quarter.

A fieldforce comprising 12 field co-ordinators and 152 field interviewers interview 39,000 households each quarter. Information is collected on laptop computers using computer-assisted personal interview (CAPI) software. The survey meets the requirements of Council Regulation (EC) No. 577/98 (PDF 42KB) adopted in March 1998, which requires the introduction of quarterly labour force surveys in EU member states.