Statistical processing

Source data

The statistics are compiled with an annual survey population of approximately 28,000 local units (defined as workplaces with at least one employee). Statistics Denmark's Central Business Register is used in selecting business units for the sample survey.

Frequency of data collection

Even though the statistics are published quarterly, data are collected monthly, and consequently the quarterly sample is equally distributed over the three months of the quarter. The variation among the workplaces in each individual stratum is equally distributed, and each individual workplace is only selected once every quarter.

Data collection

The job vacancy data must be reported digitally by using the Telephone data entry system or on the public reporting platform Virk by using a digital signature. On the reference date (which is the second Wednesday of the month) the business units receive a digital letter requesting the data. The business units have 14 days for reporting data punctually. The businesses are legally obliged to report data for the statistics. Therefore, businesses will be reminded of this duty if they do not report data. In case the companies still lack to report, we will send a recommended letter stating that failure to report data will result in a police notification, cf. the Act on Statistics Denmark.

Data validation

The data is continuously subjected to data editing and correction. In order to ensure that data is reported for the individual workplace, the number of employees reported is validated with the register-based information concerning the number of employees from The Central Business Register of Statistics Denmark. If there are major differences in the data reported, compared to the data stored in the Central Business Register, we will contact the workplace for the purpose of verifying the data reported.

The data on job vacancies are also scrutinised in relation to the number of employees reported, and if there are any major differences in the data reported on the number of job vacancies, compared to the number of employees that is expected for a workplace of the size stated, we will contact the workplace.

In connection with subjecting the data to editing and correction, we contact about 10 per cent of the workplaces. It must be assumed that not all errors are detected, and consequently some sample errors remain.

For the business units with more than 100 employees which have not reported data an imputation is conducted.

Data compilation

For the compulsorily selected workplaces (more than 100 employees) which have not reported data or have been exempted from reporting an imputation of data is conducted. The method is ratio imputation from the program Banff.

As a first choice, the imputation is done in relation to business units within the same business and as a second choice to business units within the same stratum.

We make an effort to ensure that all compulsorily selected workplaces have reported data, so that the imputation is only conducted for those workplaces which for one reason or another have been exempted from reporting.

The imputation rate was for 4th quarter 2023 0.1 percent of the total sample and 0.3 percent for workplaces with over 100 employees.

Statistics Denmark estimates the number of job vacancies (and occupied posts) by using the generalised regression estimator with the number of registered employees (through the Central Business Register) in each business unit as auxiliary information. When grossing-up Statistics Denmark uses model-assisted estimation from the program CLAN.

Adjustment

Every time we publish a new quarter we also publish revised data from the previous four quarters. The main reason for this is that we receive data from business units which do not report data punctually. As a consequence, on-going error correction of reported data takes place.

The number of job vacancies tends to decline between 0.5-1.5 per cent while the job vacancy rates often are stable and never have declined more than 0.1 percentage points before the data obtaining the status of final.

From the second quarter of 2015 and onwards we made two minor changes 1) The population is drawn by using employment data (number of occupied posts) from the same quarter the year before. We do this in order to compensate for any deviation in the seasonal patterns in the different quarters and 2) the estimation method for the enumeration of exempt/missing units with over 100 employees has been changed. These two changes have had no impact on the vacancy rate and only a minimal impact on the number of vacancies for the time period 2010Q3-2015Q1.

The main figures for the number of vacancies and job vacancy rates are seasonally adjusted for normal fluctuations.

No significant seasonal patterns can yet be seen in the rest of the series, which is why these are not seasonally adjusted.