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Labour Cost Survey (LCS)

The Labour Cost Survey describes labour costs per hour worked in different sectors and countries.

This is a European survey carried out in each EU Member State every four years. Statistics Sweden carries out the survey on behalf of the Swedish National Mediation Office, which is responsible for official statistics on wages and labour costs in Sweden.

Instructions

We recommend that you read the following instructions before starting to submit information. The instructions describe what you need to have available when filling in the online questionnaire. The requested information in this survey shall refer to the year 2020.

Instructions (pdf)

Viewing form (pdf)

Payroll systems contain much of the data that we are requesting. Check that employees are correctly entered in the personnel register, that the requested information is linked to the correct salary types, and that any period of absence is registered prior to reporting. In some payroll systems, it is possible to export a statistics report as a basis for this survey. Contact your system provider if you have questions about this.

Some information can also be retrieved from the accounting section of financial systems. If data is retrieved from both a payroll system and a financial system, you must ensure that the information is consistent. Check, for example, that the financial figures refer to the employees who are to be included in the survey.

Survey timetable

Login information has been sent out to selected organisations during week 11.

The last response date is 20 April 2021.

Frequently asked questions

Which accounting period should we use if we have a split financial year?
If you have a split financial year, sum up the parts of the two financial years that fall during the 2020 calendar year. If this is not possible, report the split financial year. In that case, choose the financial year that mostly falls in 2020.

Our company only has activities during part of the year – what should we do?
Report the part of the year when you had activities and include an explanatory comment.

Can we get an extension on the submission period?
If you need an extension for submitting information, contact us by telephone or e-mail. Remember to provide your corporate ID number.

Our company has merged with another company, what should we do?
Contact us by telephone or e-mail and provide your corporate ID number, the corporate ID number that you merged with, and the date of the merger.

Our company has closed down and no longer has any operations, what should we do?
Contact us by telephone or e-mail and provide your corporate ID number, the date when the company was closed down and discontinued operations, and whether operations have continued under another corporate ID number.

What should we do if a selected local unit has closed down or does not have any employees?
Contact us by telephone or e-mail and provide the local unit number (CFAR no.) and the name of the local unit that closed down or does not have any employees. Also, provide information on when the local unit closed down and whether operations have continued at another local unit under the same corporate ID number. In that case, provide the address and name of the other local unit.

Do we have to provide information?
Yes, it is a statutory obligation to provide information to Statistics Sweden for the Labour Cost Survey. Read more in the section on Legal information.

Publishing of the results

The results will be primarily published on Eurostat’s website.

To previous results on Eurostat’s website

The results will also be published under the subject area Labour Market on Statistics Sweden’s website.

View the final statistics

Legal Information

There is a statutory obligation to provide information under the Official Statistics Act (2001:99). The statistics are also regulated by the Official Statistics Ordinance (2001:100) and the regulation for the Swedish National Mediation Office (SCB-FS 2020:15), published in Statistics Sweden’s Code of Statutes.

The information provided is protected in accordance with Chapter 24, Section 8 of the Public Access to Information and Secrecy Act (2009:400). When the information is published, individual companies/local units will not be identifiable.

Consultations have taken place with the Board of Swedish Industry and Commerce for Better Regulation (NNR) and the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions in accordance with the Ordinance concerning Government Authorities’ Collection of Data from Business Operators and Local Authorities (1982:668).

Contact us

Telephone
+46 10 479 60 65
Opening hours:
Weekdays: 09:00–16:00
Closed for lunch: 12.00–13.00

Simple URL: https://www.scb.se/lcs-en