Labour force survey, Unemployment
The unemployed (LFS) are those persons without a job who, within the last 4 weeks before the reference week, actively have sought employment, and who can start at a new job within 2 weeks after the reference week. The LFS is based on internationally used definitions, which makes the results internationally comparable.
Key Figures
Related content in Labour force survey, Unemployment
Documentation
Statistic Denmark publishes two unemployment figures
Registered unemployed
Short about the figures
| LFS unemployed | Registered unemployed | |
| Based on |
QUESTIONNAIRE
|
REGISTER (figures from the National Labour Market Authority) |
| Method | a quarterly questionnaire-based sample survey with 89,000 interviews per year | monthly register-based full-scale survey |
| Unemployed persons |
- are out of work,
|
All registered unemployed persons, - who claim unemployment benefits from an employment insurance fund or - are recipients of social assistance who are ready for work |
| Unit | Number of PERSONS | Persons are converted to FULL-TIME |
| More information |
|
What is registered unemployment?
|
LFS unemployed
Where are the figures coming from?
LFS unemployment is quarterly unemployment compiled on the basis of the Labour Force Survey.
Why is the LFS carried out?
The LFS is conducted
- to analyse the population's status in relation to the labour market and
- to compare results across EU borders.
All EU Member States conduct the Labour Force Survey in accordance with homogeneous principles and thereby the Survey forms the most appropriate basis for international comparisons of labour market statistics used by the EU and the OECD.
How is the LFS carried out?
The LFS comprises 89,000 interviews conducted every year concerning subjects relating to the labour market.
LFS unemployment shows unemployment among persons who want to work from a few hours per week to full-time. The LFS has been published annually since 1984 and quarterly since 1994.
The quarterly LFS unemployment level is projected monthly by Eurostat on the basis of the register-based unemployment. The projection is adjusted when the new LFS figures have been published.
Who is included as unemployed in the LFS?
LFS unemployment is based on the international definition, which was laid down by the International Labour t Organisation (ILO) in 1982. The ILO definition is operationalised in the LFS to provide a picture of the number of per-sons who are, in real terms, available for work. See table 1.
When should LFS unemployment be used?
- when attention is focused also on analysing unemployed persons who are not entitled to claim unemployment t benefits or social assistance
- when attention is focused on estimating the number of persons who want to work
- in conducting cross-sectional analyses, e.g. by means of supplementary questions
- in connection with information on, e.g. youth unemployment (15-24 year-olds). Few young people are covered by insurance against unemployment, which implies that youth unemployment is frequently underestimated in the register-based unemployment, particularly in the case of comparisons among countries.
- in conducting international comparisons of unemployment levels and unemployment trends.
Documentation of statistics
Get an overview of the purpose, content and quality of the statistics. Here you can find information on the sources that the statistics are derived from, what the statistics contains and how often it is published.