The variables used to determine labour status and underemployment must be obtained by interviewing the person concerned, or, if this is not possible, another member of the household. Alternative sources (such as administrative records) may be used, provided that the data obtained are of equivalent quality.

Representativeness of the sample
For a group of unemployed people representing 5% of the working-age population, the relative standard error for the estimation of annual averages (or for the spring estimates in the case of an annual survey in the spring) at NUTS II level shall not exceed 8% of the sub-population in question. However, regions with fewer than 300 000 inhabitants are exempt from this requirement.

In the case of a continuous survey, for sub-populations which constitute 5% of the working age population the relative standard error at national level for the estimate of changes between two successive quarters may not exceed 2% of the sub-population in question

For Member States with a population of between 1 million and 20 million inhabitants, this requirement is relaxed so that the relative standard error does not exceed 3% of the sub-population in question.

Member States whose population is below 1 million inhabitants are exempt from these precision requirements concerning changes.

Where the survey is carried out only in the spring, at least a quarter of the survey units are taken from the preceding survey and at least a quarter form part of the following survey.

Elements of the survey
Member States must provide Eurostat with whatever information is required concerning the organisation of the survey and its methodology (criteria adopted for the design and size of the sample).

The survey must relate to the following characteristics:

* demographic background (sex, year of birth, marital status, etc.),
* employment status (type of employment sought, methods used to find employment, etc.),
* employment characteristics of the principal activity (professional status, country of employment, permanence of employment and the reasons, etc.),
* working time (number of hours usually worked per week, number of hours actually worked, etc.),
* second job (existence of more than one job, professional status, etc.),
* visible underemployment (looking for another job and reasons for doing so, type of employment sought, etc.),
* search for employment (type of employment sought full-time or part-time, duration of search for employment, etc.),
* education and training (participation in education or training during previous four weeks, purpose of this education or training, level, total length, etc.),
* previous work experience of person not in employment (existence of previous employment experience, professional status in last job, etc.),
* situation one year before survey, optional for quarters 1, 3 and 4 (main employment status, professional status, country of residence, etc.),
* main employment status (optional),
* income (optional),
* procedural information relating to the interview (year of survey, reference week, Member State, type of household, etc.).

Supplementary information may also be collected in the context of ad hoc modules.

Final provisions
The Commission is assisted in its work by the Statistical Programme Committee, which delivers opinions on the measures proposed by the Commission.

Member States may make it compulsory to reply to the survey. Within 12 weeks of the end of the reference period in the case of a continuous survey, and within nine months of the end of the reference period in the case of a survey in the spring, the Member States must forward to Eurostat the results of the survey, without direct identifiers.

The Commission must submit a report on the implementation of this Regulation to the Parliament and the Council every three years, evaluating in particular the quality of the statistical methods used by the Member States to improve or to lighten the survey procedures. The first report is to be published in the year 2000.

Regulation 577/98 repeals Regulation (EEC) No 3711/91.

Key terms used in the act
• Private household: a person or group of persons living in the same dwelling. Besides family members, a private household may include additional persons (e.g. household staff, employees of the family business, lodgers, long-term guests, carers).
• Collective household: non-institutional collective dwellings, such as boarding schools, dormitories of educational establishments or other premises occupied by more than five persons who do not share household expenses. Also included are persons living as lodgers in households with more than five lodgers.
• Underemployment: the situation of persons working involuntarily less than the normal working time in their occupation and who are seeking an additional job or are available for such a job. This category covers, for example, part-time employees who would like to work more.