L-R: Thomas Dominique, director of IGSS; Romain Schneider, Minister of Social Security; Nicolas Schmit, Minister of Labour, Employment and Social and Solidarity Economy;
Credit: Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social and Solidarity Economy
Today, 6 February 2018, saw the launch of the computer access system "Luxembourg Microdata Platform on Labour and Social Protection”.
Luxembourg Minister of Social Security, Romain Schneider, and the Minister of Labour, Employment and Social and Solidarity Economy, Nicolas Schmit, today announced the launch of this new computing platform, the objective of which is to facilitate access to pseudonymised administrative personal data in order to strengthen the statistical use of administrative data and thus develop research and study labour market and social protection. At the same time, it aims to guarantee respect for the privacy of individuals in order to adapt to the new European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which will enter into force on 25 May 2018.
The microdata platform is intended for experts in the field of employment and social protection (researchers and analysts) leading projects with an exclusively statistical purpose.
Before the creation of the platform, access to administrative data for statistical projects was already possible and was provided by the IGSS. The coming into force of the GDPR has led the IGSS to adapt the access system to administrative data. Indeed, the European regulation increases IGSS 'liability for the protection of the personal data it makes available. This adaptation was also an opportunity to introduce other changes: the use of new secure technologies and the adoption of new, simple, fast and efficient procedures, inspired by methods used abroad.
As part of the collaboration between the two ministries, IGSS set up an interdepartmental unit in 2016. With the support of the IGSS IT department, this unit has developed the platform and now provides administrative data on social protection, in line with IGSS's area of competence, and on the labour market. The data available on the platform comes from several Luxembourgish authorities (such as the Joint Social Security Center or ADEM) and all have a link with employment and social protection.
Concerning the protection of personal data, the platform is based on two pillars: securing remote access and introducing a set of procedures to strengthen the protection of individual data.
The "Luxembourg Microdata Platform on Labour and Social Protection" platform thus constitutes a framed, secure, GDPR-compliant administrative data access system and facilitator for researchers.
