Unemployed persons
How high is the unemployment rate in Denmark, and how did it develop in recent years? Is there a difference in unemployment among men and women, and how many have been unemployed for a long time? The register-based unemployment statistics (gross unemployment) include job-ready recipients of unemployment benefits and cash benefits etc.
Explainer on…
Gross unemployment is the official register-based unemployment concept in Denmark. Persons affected by gross unemployment are unemployed persons not in activation (i.e. net unemployment) and unemployed persons in job activation. A person counts as unemployed if he or she does not have a job and receives appropriate benefits conditional upon being available for work in the labour market, which is determined by the initial review category to which the person belongs.
Persons affected by net unemployment are unemployed persons not in activation. A person counts as unemployed if he or she does not have a job and receives appropriate benefits conditional upon being available for work in the labour market, which is determined by the initial review category to which the person belongs.
Persons who are long-term unemployed have been affected by gross unemployment for at least 52 consecutive weeks. Please note that persons who have been out of the gross unemployment statistics for a period of up to 28 days and who have not at the same time had more than 10 hours of ordinary payroll employment during those 28 days are included in the assessment of long-term unemployed persons.
Time series assessed on a monthly or quarterly basis are often affected by phenomena that appear at the same time every year. The time series are said to be subject to seasonal effects. When making a seasonal adjustment, you try to remove seasonal effects from the time series.
Selected statistics on Unemployed persons
Developments in unemployment
The unemployment statistics are compiled on the basis of the files of the Historical register of Insurance fund members (HAMR) maintained by the National Labour Market Authority, (STAR) and the Register for insured unemployment and early retirement pay (FLEUR) also maintained by STAR and direct data reports from the municipalities/STAR concerning the match/visitation-category and the scope of activation of recipients claiming social assistance. Information about unemployment 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 centers.
Development in unemployment rate
The unemployment statistics are compiled on the basis of the files of the Historical register of Insurance fund members (HAMR) maintained by the National Labour Market Authority, (STAR) and the Register for insured unemployment and early retirement pay (FLEUR) also maintained by STAR and direct data reports from the municipalities/STAR concerning the match/visitation-category and the scope of activation of recipients claiming social assistance. Information about unemployment 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 centers.
Development in unemployment among men and women (gross)
The unemployment statistics are compiled on the basis of the files of the Historical register of Insurance fund members (HAMR) maintained by the National Labour Market Authority, (STAR) and the Register for insured unemployment and early retirement pay (FLEUR) also maintained by STAR and direct data reports from the municipalities/STAR concerning the match/visitation-category and the scope of activation of recipients claiming social assistance. Information about unemployment 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 centers.
Development in unemployment of men and women (net)
The unemployment statistics are compiled on the basis of the files of the Historical register of Insurance fund members (HAMR) maintained by the National Labour Market Authority, (STAR) and the Register for insured unemployment and early retirement pay (FLEUR) also maintained by STAR and direct data reports from the municipalities/STAR concerning the match/visitation-category and the scope of activation of recipients claiming social assistance. Information about unemployment 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 centers.
Development in long-term unemployed persons
The statistics of long-term unemployment is made out of the register of public benefits, which covers all persons receiving public benefits in the age of 16-64 years from 2007 onwards. Furthermore the register of employees is used, which covers employed persons in firms registered in Denmark from January 2008 onwards.
The gross unemployment is made of data from the Register FLEUR. The Danish Agency for Labour Market and Recruitment is responsible for the data-collection. The source of the Employment statistics is the eIncome Register of Statistics Denmark combined with data from the Business Register and the Population Register of Statistics Denmark. The eIncome Register of Statistics Denmark is based on income information reported to the Income Register of the Danish Tax Authorities (eIncome).
On the statistics – documentation, sources and method
See the documentation of statistics to learn more:
This statistics show the structure and development of long-term unemployment, defined as gross unemployment spells of minimum 52 weeks. The statistics cover all months in the period from January 2009 onwards. The statistics also covers shorter and longer unemployment spells, these different spells was published for the first time in October 2018.
The purpose of the RAS statistic is to provide a description of the Danish population's affiliation to the labour market. The affiliation is compiled at the end of November and is published annually. The first time RAS was published it concerned the populations connection to the labour market end November 1980.
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 statistics on the registered number of net unemployed have been compiled by Statistics Denmark since 1979. As from the publication of unemployment statistics for January 2010, attention is now 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. The figures on gross unemployment are calculated from January 2007 and onwards. From the 12. of October 2022 and onwards the gross unemployment statistics are expanded with a monthly unemployment indicator published 10-12 days after the end of the reference month.