Declarations of content - Declaration

0 Administrative Information about the Statistical Product


0.1 Name
Registered unemployment (gross unemployment figures and net unemployment figures)

0.2 Subject Area
Labour market

0.3 Responsible Authority, Office, Person, etc.
Statistics Denmark, Labour Force
Mikkel Zimmermann, phone + 45 39 17 30 43, e-mail: mzi@dst.dk
Carsten Nielsen, phone + 45 39 17 32 45, e-mail: can@dst.dk

0.4 Purpose and History
The purpose is to produce statistics monitoring the structure and trends in the unemployed population and the causes of unemployment. The statistics are compiled on the basis of registers. The data sources of the statistics are: The Central Register of Labour Market Statistics (CRAM), The Register for LabourMarket (RAM) and direct data reports from the municipalities concerning the match category and the scope of activation of recepients claiming social assistance.

The statistics on the registered number of unemployed have been compiled by Statisics Denmark since 1979. To avoid a great number of discontinuities of the data series, the statistics have roughly speaking remained unchanged since 1979. However, the unemployment statistics have been adjusted as from the publication of unemployment figures for January 2008. The underlying primary data have been edited and changes have been made to the concept of unemployment, which imply that the Danish concept of unemployment is now closer to the definition of unemployment applied by the International Labour Office, ILO, see item 3.1. All changes have been made back to the year 2000.
As from the publication of unemployment statistics for January 2010, attention is now also focused on the gross unemployed population, defined as the sum of the registered (net-) unemployed population and persons in activation programmes and who are, at the same time, considered to be available for work.

0.5 Users and Application
Users: Municipalities, regions, ministries, job centres, organisations, international organisations, the media, private business enterprises, and private individuals.

Fields of application: Public and private structural analyses and trade cycle surveys, educational purposes and public debate.

0.6 Sources
The unemployment statistics are compiled on the basis of the files of the Central Register of Labour Market Statistics (CRAM) maintained by the National Labour Market Autority, and the Register for LabourMarket (RAM) maintained by the Directorate of Labour and direct data reports from the municipalities concerning the match category and the scope of activation of recipients claiming social assistance. Information about benefit claimants is reported by the unemployment insurance funds, while information about persons receiving cash benefits under the Danish Social Assistance Act, is transmitted by the job centres. Information about the insurance category is also entered on the CRAM register.

0.7 Legal Authority to Collect Data
The Act on Statistics Denmark, section 6, as amended by Act no 15 of January, 12, 1972, by Act no 386 of June, 13, 1990 by Act no. 1025 of December, 19, 1992, by Act no. 599 of 22 June 2000 and most recently by Act no 431 of 6 June 2005).

0.8 Response burden
No response burden.

0.9 EU Regulation
No EU regulation.


1 Contents


1.1 Description of Contents
The statistics provide data on the unemployed population registered with the unemployment insurance funds and with the public job centres. The statistics comprise all unemployed persons insured against unemployment and non-insured persons included in the match category 1 (= available for work), who are claiming cash benefits under the Danish Social Assistance Act and who fulfill the international definition of unemployment (see section 3.1). As from January 2010, gross registered unemployment figures are also published, defined as the sum of the registered (net-) unemployed population and persons in activation programmes and who are, at the same time, considered to be available for work.

The statistics cover both the actual number of unemployed and the seasonally adjusted number of unemployed full-time persons as well as the unemployment rates in relation to the labour force aged 16-64 and in relation to the number of insured unemployed persons registered with the unemployment insurance funds.The statistics are analysed by region, sex, age group insurance category (full-time, part-time or non-insured), unemployment insurance funds and cause of unemployment.

1.2 Statistical Concepts
The statistics comprise unemployed persons insured against unemployment and unemployed non-insured persons claiming cash benefits. It is assumed that unemployed non-insured persons, who do not claim cash benefits, are only to a limited extent registered with the job centres and are thus excluded from the statistics. The unemployment statistics exclude persons whose main occupation is activation or leave, including persons claiming leave allowance or early retirement benefit. These persons are covered by special statistics (AMFORA statistics) on labour market policy measures, which are compiled quarterly.

Recipients of unemployment benefits
As from January 2008, the RAM register forms the basis for compiling the number of unemployed receipient of cash benefits. The number of unemployed weekly hours is calculated from information reported by each unemployed person. Unemployed hours cover both hours for which unemployment benefits are claimed and hours for which unemployment benefits are not claimed, including hours paid by the employer at the beginning of an unemployment period and hours from previous overtime hours, which are set off against unemployed hours in connection with calculating unemployment benefits and hours, which in numerical terms, do not fulfil the minimum requirement needed to claim unemployment benefits for a week. The number of unemployed hours for which unemployment benefits cannot be claimed is only included in the statistics provided that they appear from the information reported by the unemployed person. A survey shows that according to the information reported by the unemployed population, the number of unpaid, unemployed hours corresponds to about 3 pct. of all hours for which unemployment benefits are claimed.

Degree of unemployment benefits
The degree of unemployment benefits during the reference period, i.e. the degree of unemployment benefits during the month or year is calculated for each person by summing each individual weekly degree of unemployment benefits and dividing by the number of weeks during the reference period. The degree of weekly unemployment benefits is defined as the weekly number of hours for which unemployment benefits can be claimed in relation to 37 hours (irrespective of whether the person in question is insured on a full-time or part-time basis).

Number of recipients of unemployment benefits
The number of recipients of unemployment benefits is defined as the number of persons having a degree of unemployment benefits (during the reference period) which is higher than zero. Consequently, the statistics cover all persons for whom the number of hours of unemployment benefits during the reference period is higher than zero. Subsequently, persons for whom the scope of deductions implies that unemployment benefits cannot be claimed are excluded from the number of recipients of unemployment benefits.

Number of full-time recipients of unemployment benefits
The number of recipients of unemployment benefits is calculated by summing up the degrees of unemployment benefits for all recipients of unemployment benefits during the reference period.

Alternatively, the average degree of unemployment benefits for all recipients of unemployment benefits during the reference period can be calculated. The following equation is thus applied: Number of full-time recipients of unemployments benefits = the average degree of unemployment benefits* The number of recepients of unemployment benefits.

Number of recipients of unemployment benefits below the maximum rate of unemployment benefits
The concept reflects the number of recipients of unemployment benefits, who are on the basis of either an individually estimated rate or fixed rate entitled to claim unemployment benefits, which are lower than the maximum rate of unemployment benefits. Full-time or part-time insured persons can be entitled to claim the maximum rate of unemployment benefits, as a distinction is made between the maximum rate of unemployment benefits for full-time and part-time insured persons.

Total unemployment benefits paid
Total unemployment benefits paid, i.e. the total payments of unemployment benefits during the reference period are obtained by summing up total payments of unemployment benefits for all recipients of unemployment benefits.

Average payment of unemployment benefits
The average payment of unemployment benefits is defined as total unemployment benefits paid in relation to the total number of full-time recipients of unemployment benefits.

Average rate of unemployment benefits
The concept reflects the average rate of unemployment benefits per day per person.

Average earnings before the transition to claiming unemployment benefits
Average earnings before the transition to claimining unemployment benefits indicates the average daily earnings in DKK after the deduction of labour market contributions, which form the basis of estimating unemployment benefits. The concept is only defined for those recipients of unemployment benefits for whom the rate of unemployment benefits is individually estimated.

Average degree of compensation
The average degree of compensation is estimated as the ratio between the average rate of unemployment benefits for persons for whom the rate of unemployment benefits have been individually estimated and average earnings before the transition to claiming unemployment benefits. The concept indicates the degree of compensation within the insurance system for unemployment benefits.

Recipients of cash benefits under the Danish Social Assistance Act
The National Labour Market Authority compiles the extent of unemployment for recipients of cash benefits. The principles for the compilation of unemployment implies, e.g. that unemployed recipients of cash benefits are only included to the extent (number of hours) for which pure unemployment is registered, see the outline of the compilation method below:

1) Payment of cash benefits or initial assistance form the basis of compiling unemployment related to recipients of cash benefits.
2) The match categorising of recipients of cash benefits and initial assistance, which is conducted by the job centres form the basis of the labour market availability. The group of persons who are available for the labour market are restricted to persons included in the match categories 1-3, immediate match category or match category not stated, but where the persons are registered with the central government part of the job centres.
3) Unemployed recipients of cash benefits who are registered with the jobcentres in the labour market portal with the comment temporarily exempted from labour market availability are excluded from the compilation of recipients of cash benefits.
4) The data reports on activation and the registrations of activations by the job centres form the basis of compiling the scope of activation for persons participating in local government activation programmes, which is estimated on an hourly basis. The hours in which a recipient of social assistance has participated in an activation program are excluded from the total unemployment of recipients of social assistance, but are included in the statistics on gross unemployment, if the person has match category 1 (available for work).


2 Time


2.1 Reference Period
The statistics are compiled monthly, quarterly and annually. The monthly updating of the register complies with the period in which the person has received unemployment benefits, which usually ends the last Sunday but one in the calendar month and begins correspondingly earlier. The personal data refers to the last day in the above period, whereas unemployment data refers to each individual week; the monthly period in which the person has received unemployment benefits may comprise 4 or 5 weeks.

2.2 Date of Publication
The statistics appear monthly in Nyt fra Danmarks Statistik (News from Statistics Denmark), typically the last Thursday of the subsequent calendar, corresponding to a "delay" of about 1 month in relation to the reference month

The monthly unemployment figures are available from the database StatBank Denmark at 9:30 a.m. on the same day as News from Statistics Denmark is published. Quarterly and annual figures on unemployment are also available from StatBank Denmark.

2.3 Punctuality
An annual schedule is prepared in October for the next year's publications of unemployment statistics appearing in the publication Nyt fra Danmarks Statistik (News from Statistics Denmark).The scheduled publication dates are usually observed, but in the event of technical difficulties delays in the publication of the statistics may occur.

2.4 Frequency
The statistics are published monthly. Furthermore, the quarterly statistics on unemployment are published concurrently with publication of the monthly statistics for March, June, September and December, respectively. Finally, annual statistics are published around 1 February of the following year.


3 Accuracy


3.1 Overall accuracy
The data quality in the CRAM and CPR registers is generally very high.

The statistics on the registered number of unemployed persons are also, to the greatest possible extent, compiled in accordance with the guidelines laid down by UN's International Labour Office (ILO). According to these guidelines a person has to meet 3 requirements to be defined as unemployed: 1) out of work, 2) available for work and 3) actively in search of work.

The concepts of unemployment in the CRAM register do not strictly meet ILO's guidelines.The most important differences are:

1) That unemployed students or pensioners are not registered as unemployed, due to the circumstance that they do not receive unemployment benefits or cash benefits.
2) That the registered unemployment is calculated as the unemployed population's total unemployment volume (converted into full-time unemployed persons), i.e. including unemployment for part-time persons during the week, whereas ILO's guidelines prescribe that the statistics are to be compiled on the basis of fully unemployed persons

3.2 Sources of inaccuracy
The statistics comprise all unemployed persons aged 16-64. Only persons registered as recipients of unemployment benefits or social assistance/initial assistance are covered by the statistics.

Persons who do not recieve social assistance or unemployment benefits are thus excluded from the statistics on unemployment, although they are registered with the public job centres. Furthermore, the unemployed hours for which unemployment benefits cannot be claimed are (due to the rules for minimum payment of unemployment benefits) only included in the statistics provided that they appear from the reported data.

Persons participating in an activation programme, etc. are only included in the statistics with the number of excess hours of pure (net-) unemployment. Instead, the hours a person participates in an activation programme, etc. are included in the registered gorss unemployment, if the person has the match category 1 (available for work). Furthermore, reference can also be made to the quarterly statistics on people receiving public benefits, 16-64 year-olds. The statistics cover all persons aged 16-64, receiving public benefits.

The right of unemployed persons to vacation and the special rules governing the right to claim supplementary unemployment benefits while on vacation, see the Danish Holidays with Pay Act, affects the statistics in two ways.

Firstly, the right of unemployed persons to vacation of up to 5 weeks on the basis of holiday pay earned through employment with a previous employee implies that for these persons the registered length of the unemployment periods is shortened.

Secondly, the actual unemployment figures are generally influenced by the right of employees to claim supplementary benefits while on vacation, provided that they have not yet gained the right to 30 days' holiday allowance or holiday pay. This circumstance has an upward effect on the number of registered unemployed persons, particularly during the summer months and around Christmas.

This is one of the reasons why Statistics Denmark does not compile the number of long-term unemployed persons in relation to the length of uninterrupted unemployment periods, but as the number of persons whose unemployment period accounted for more than 80 pct. of the latest annual period of unemployment.

In the monthly statistics published in News from Statistics Denmark, which are compiled on the basis on register-based data; persons receiving holiday pay are no longer included in the general unemployment figures as from 2008, but are included as an independent time series.

3.3 Measures on accuracy
It is impossible to give a single figure on the statistical accuracy, but apart from the circumstance that a person must receive unemployment benefits or social assistance in order to be registered as unemployed, the accuracy of the statistics is relatively high.


4 Comparability


4.1 Comparability over Time
A few main series go back to 1910, see the publication Labour Market 1996:28 (Statistical News). However, there have been several discontinuities of the data series, e.g. the statistics until 1973 only covered the population insured against unemployment, but since then the statistics now cover all persons who are unemployed.

From 1979 up to and including 2007, the statistics are strictly comparable. However, changes to the unemployment insurance funds have an effect on the data series at the level of unemployment insurance funds. To this is added that since 1 September 2002, all unemployment insurance funds have been able to decide whether they want to be interdisciplinary or professionally defined.

With the publication of unemployment statistics for January 2008, the greatest adjustments (to concepts and method) were made since the establishment of the CRAM register in 1979. The adjustments are as follows:

1. Changes in the source data
a) The unemployment of recipients of unemployment benefits is in future compiled on the basis of the RAM register, instead of the CRAM register.
b) The unemployment of recipients of social assistance or initial assistance is in future compiled on the basis of the registration of the persons match categories made be the municipalities and whether the persons are at the same time receiving social assistance or initial assistance. Finally, hours in which a person has participated in an activation programme are deducted in the registered (net) unemployment statistics, while the hours for persons available for work are included in the gross unemployment.

2. Revised unemployment concept
a) Recipients of holiday pay are excluded from the unemployment figures.
b) Changes to the calculation of full-time unemployment for persons insured on a part-time basis. (Here, divisions are always in future made with 37 hours).
c) The split-up by insurance category is replaced by a split-up by type of benefit, i.e. whether unemployment benefits or cash benefits are claimed.

3. Legal changes
a) From 1 January 2008, it is possible to receive unemployment benefits for the duration of 4 weeks when a person participates in an activation programme.
b) From 1 January 2010 activation benefits are abolished, implying that persons participating in an activation programme continue to claim unemployment benefits.

The above-mentioned changes imply that the number of unemployed full-time persons is reduced by 14,000 to 15,000. The number of unemployed recipients of unemployment benefits is, on average, reduced by 7,000 to 8,000 due to the exclusion of recipients of holiday pay, whereas the number of recipient of social assistance is reduced by 6,000 to 7,000 due to the new data source.

In connection with the adjustments made, the actual unemployment figures are calculated backwards to April 2000, which implies that the figures can be seasonally adjusted. Please note that despite the calculations backwards in time, there is still a minor break in the time series from December 2006 to January 2007, where there is a fall of 2,000 full-time unemployed persons, due to the new and more precise compilation methods (based on the match category) for unemployed recipients of social assistance, which is now applied by the National Labour Market Authority.

4.2 Comparability with other Statistics
Statistics Denmark's Labour Force Survey conducted on the basis of samples and interviews contains quarterly unemployment figures, which are compiled in accordance with common EU rules laid down by the ILO. The above surveys are conducted by each EU member state in accordance with EU regulations and enable comparisons of unemployment figures among the member states. In Denmark, the sample survey consists of about 22,000 persons each quarter. The reference period in the labour force surveys is the interview-week implying that the surveys are restricted to cover only those persons who were fully unemployed during the interview-week (unlike the register-based unemployment statistics).

Furthermore, the Labour Force Surveys set out precise criteria/questions to which the persons must provide an affirmative reply in order to be categorised as unemployed in accordance with the ILO definition. The Labour Force Surveys also cover a group of unemployed persons, who are excluded from the register-based unemployment statistics, as they do not receive social assistance benefits, initial assistance or unemployment benefits.

The difference between the two unemployment concepts has previously implied that the number of unemployed persons in the Labour Force Survey has been lower than the corresponding level in the register-based unemployment statistics. However, over recent years the level for unemployment in each of the two statistics has been closer to each other, which must partly be attributed to the tightenings made among the respondents for the CRAM register with respect to when the recipients of cash benefits can be regarded as unemployed in accordance with the ILO definition. As from 2007, the sample for the Labour Force Surveys has been doubled, which has implied that the level of unemployment according to the Labour Force Surveys is above the level in the register-based unemployment statistics, while developments, i.e. falls and increases from 2007 to 2010, are largely identical.

Monthly harmonised unemployment rates for Denmark are also compiled by the Statistical Office of the European Communities (EUROSTAT) on the basis of data from the Labour Force Survey and the register-based unemployment statistics. EUROSTAT applies the quarterly Labour Force Survey as basis for the level of uemployment, while the monthly development (within the quarters) is projected in accordance with the monthly registered unemployment. This integrated statistical product is the most suitable monthly indicator for unemployment in the EU, which is also comparable among member states.

4.3 Coherence between provisional and final statistics
Every time new actual monthly figures for full-time unemployment are published the seasonally adjusted figures are adjusted backwards in time. The most recently adjusted seasonal figures are always available from StatBank Denmark. This also implies that the seasonally adjusted figures appearing in the publications will always be preliminary figures. The overall adjustment from "preliminary" to final seasonal figures is generally less than 1,000 unemployed full-time persons, or about 1 pct. The largest adjustments are seen for the latest 2-3 months and for the corresponding months of the previous year.

Before the seasonal adjustments take place, the actual monthly figures are adjusted upwards as the result of deficiencies due to the late submission of unemployment benefit cards. The upward adjustment corresponds to about 5 pct. for the latest month, and is conducted in order to achieve greater consistency between the average of the 12 seasonally adjusted monthly figures and the actual updated annual average. Adjustments are made in accordance with the expected percentage for the last 6 months until the annual percentage can be finally compiled. The final updating of the actual monthly figures is conducted after 6 months, and subsequently they are regarded as final and are available from the database StatBank Denmark. As from January 2011, the grossed-up actual unemployment figures are also available from StatBank Denmark. The definition of this time series is that the final actual unemployment figures are combined (they are all at least 6 months old) with the grossed-up provisional actual unemployment figures for the most recent months.


5 Accessibility


5.1 Forms of dissemination
Monthly publications: Nyt fra Danmarks Statistik (News from Statistics Denmark), Konjunkturstatistikken (Main Indicators) and
Quarterly publications: Konjunkturstatistikken and
Annual publications: Statistisk Årbog (Statistical Yearbook), Statistisk Tiårsoversigt (Statistical Ten-Year Review), Arbejdsmarked (Labour market) appearing in the series Statistiske Efterretninger (Statistical News), Nyt fra Danmarks Statistik (News from Statistics Denmark) and Konjunkturstatikken (Main Indicators).

5.2 Basic material: Storage and usability
Annual statistics at the level of CPR are stored electronically as from 1985. The corresponding monthly statistics are available from 1996. For the existing statistics, the new unemployment statistics are compiled backwards to April 2000.

With the adjustment of the statistics (at the beginning of 2008), it is now easier to conducted longitudinal analyses at the level of individuals, e.g. analyses of the impact of each individual activation measure.

5.3 Documentation
The primary data and contents of the statistics are described in the present declaration of contents.

5.4 Other Information
At Statistics Denmark's website, supplementary documentation is available, together with a detailed description of the methodology and definitions for the register-basede unemployment statistics as from 2008, a schedule for the monthly publications to be issued in the future as well as an overview of the amalgamations of the unemployment insurance funds, etc.


Supplementary documentation
No supplementary documentation is available