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National Longitudinal Surveys
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Agreements Outside the United States
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has adopted a policy not to enter into Letters of Agreement with researchers outside the United States. BLS reluctantly adopted this policy because of growing concerns about protecting the confidentiality of survey respondents in an age when advances in computer technology make it easier to re-identify respondents and possibly violate their privacy. [BLS is not aware of any cases in which National Longitudinal Survey State, County, and MSA Geocode data recipients, either in the U.S. or abroad, have used the data intentionally for any improper purposes that would violate respondent confidentiality.]
Within the United States, BLS has legal remedies to prevent willful misuse of National Longitudinal Survey State, County, and MSA Geocode data. For researchers outside the United States, BLS has no way to enforce U.S. privacy laws. Unfortunately, this means BLS is unable to grant requests to enter into a Letter of Agreement with researchers outside the United States. The NLS public-use file, which excludes the National Longitudinal Survey State, County, and MSA Geocode variables, is available for all researchers to use.
Last Modified Date: March 26, 2025