Objective

This survey aims to produce official statistics on the Faroese labour force for a single year. The annual labour force survey is conducted in accordance with the general guidelines of the International Labour Organization (ILO), a United Nations agency which prescribes that the survey should comprise all permanent residents of a country within the 15-74 age group.

Period

The survey is carried out in November of each year.

Administrative sources

For the survey, about 75% of the labour force can be identified in administrative sources in the following manners:

1. Persons in active employment are identified in Statistic Faroe Islands’ employee register.
2. Persons who are affected by unemployment and available to the labour market are identified in registers at the unemployment office (ALS) and the social welfare centre (Almannaverkið).
3. All self-employed businesspeople are identified in the VAT register of tax authority TAKS.

Phone interviews

About 8,000 people in the 15-74 age bracket are not included in the administrative sources. Some 1,200 of these people will be interviewed with the aim of gathering information about their employment circumstances

Processing of personal data

1. The following information are used:
   •    Name
   •    Sex
   •    Age
   •    Address
   •    Phone number
   •    If no phone number is available for the interviewed person, the phone number of a relative and/or the phone number associated with the person’s address is required.

Legal basis for the processing of personal data+

The legal basis for Statistics Faroe Islands is “The Law of the Løgting no. 33 of 7 May 1991 regarding Statistics Faroe Islands”, which establishes that Statistics Faroe Islands is the leading authority on statistics in the Faroe Islands.

The main responsibilities of Statistics Faroe Islands are outlined in Article 1, paragraph. 2 in the law, which states that Statistics Faroe Islands:

1. compiles, processes and publishes statistics about Faroese society,
2. may undertake the compilation, processing and publishing of statistics on behalf of municipalities, companies, associations, etc.  
3. administers or contributes to the organisation and utilisation of statistical registers of public authorities that are used in public administration and in industry and which may be used for statistical purposes,
4. may provide statistical support for committees, etc.,
5. may produce statistical analyses and forecasts, and
6. oversees international statistical cooperation.

Pursuant to Article 4, paragraph. 1 in the law, Statistics Faroe Islands “is authorised to request all necessary information from individuals, companies, associations and institutions domiciled in the Faroe Islands regarding the society it is tasked with describing in accordance with Article 1, paragraph. 2”. Additionally, Article 5, paragraph. 1 states that “anyone who fails to provide the information required in accordance with Articles 3 and 4 within the time stated or who wilfully or through gross negligence provides false information will be liable to a fine”.

Lawful processing of personal data requires a legal basis. The legal basis for the processing of personal data by Statistics Faroe Islands is principally included in Article 8, paragraph. 1, subsection. 5 of the Data Protection Act: (“Processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller.”)

Rights of registered persons

Persons selected for the labour force survey will be registered and are thereby, in accordance with chapter 4 of the Data Protection Act, granted certain rights regarding the processing of personal data. If the information is only processed for historical, statistical or scientific purposes, certain limitations may apply to these rights. The rights to insight, correction, restricted processing and objection do not apply.

Responsibility and communication

Statistics Faroe Islands is the data controller for information processed in labour force surveys. Any questions or queries regarding personal data, data security or possible safety breaches should be directed to Statistics Faroe Islands (Hagstova Føroya).

Hagstova Føroya
Kvíggjartún 1
P.O. Box 2068
110 Tórshavn
Faroe Islands
Email: hagstova@hagstova.fo

Further information

Questions should be directed to department manager Kári Holm Johannesen, phone: +298 352809, email: khj@hagstova.fo

Complaints

Registered persons may, pursuant to Article 76 in the Data Protection Act, lodge complaints about the processing of their personal data to the Data Protection Agency (Dátueftirlitið).

If you believe that Statistics Faroe Islands does not process your personal data in compliance with the regulations in the Data Protection Act (persónsupplýsingalógini – sama sum dátuverndarlógini?), including the main principles for the processing of personal data and the associated executive order on security, you may lodge complaints about such matters to the Data Protection Agency. Email dat@dat.fo or call +298 319100.