ReSTLess technical report: A harmonised open database & a measurement tool of unpaid labour

This technical report accompanies the cross-national open database on the unpaid labour survey module developed within the ERC Proof of Concept project ReSTLess. The unpaid survey module was originally developed as part of the ERC Advanced Grant project ReSPecTMe. This report provides a comprehensive description of the methodologies used to construct the database, including survey design, pilot testing, and data collection across four countries: France, Sweden, the Netherlands, and the UK. It details the dataset’s structure, capturing multiple dimensions of unpaid labour - time, material, and immaterial assets - alongside a wide range of associated indicators, including socio-demographic, occupational, and job-related characteristics, as well as worker well-being and work-life balance. A detailed codebook facilitates cross-country use by clarifying variable definitions, categories, and comparability. The report also presents validation of the unpaid labour measures and concludes with a data availability statement and reporting guidelines. By ensuring transparency and methodological rigor, this report serves as a practical resource for researchers and policymakers using the database.