Accuracy and reliability

Overall accuracy

The statistics is precise according to the written description of long-term unemployment and is based on a full sample.

Sampling error

Not relevant to these statistics

Non-sampling error

Data on gross unemployment retrieved quarterly from the register Public benefits, has the following uncertainties: the number of recipients of unemployment benefits typically has a lack of 1 per cent when it is published quarterly.

Data on the Employment statistics has the following uncertainties: The uncertainty in the development of the number of employees is estimated to be less than 1 per cent of the total number of full-time employees, where 1 per cent corresponds to approx. 20,000 full-time employees. As regards more detailed statistics in terms of industry and geographical distribution the uncertainty is much greater. Quality studies have so far only been carried out to a very limited extent. Some reports to eIncome lack information on hours paid or the reported information has been found to be invalid. Therefore imputed (estimated) paid hours of work for these reports.

Quality management

Statistics Denmark follows the recommendations on organisation and management of quality given in the Code of Practice for European Statistics (CoP) and the implementation guidelines given in the Quality Assurance Framework of the European Statistical System (QAF). A Working Group on Quality and a central quality assurance function have been established to continuously carry through control of products and processes.

Quality assurance

Statistics Denmark follows the principles in the Code of Practice for European Statistics (CoP) and uses the Quality Assurance Framework of the European Statistical System (QAF) for the implementation of the principles. This involves continuous decentralized and central control of products and processes based on documentation following international standards. The central quality assurance function reports to the Working Group on Quality. Reports include suggestions for improvement that are assessed, decided and subsequently implemented.

Quality assessment

The number of long-term unemployed is made out of two different statistics; the unemployment statistic and the employment statistic. These registers are not mutual coordinated on a person level, which may have some effect on the quality of the statistic. Furthermore the statistics measures persons that are long-term unemployed according to administrative benefits IT-systems. Firstly, this means that the quality of the information gathered in the IT-systems is considered to be high. But secondly, this means that the statistics is affected by labour market reforms concerning the benefits. An example is the Unemployment benefits reform from July 2010 where a shorter benefits period of 2 years was implemented (the old maximum benefits period was 4 years).

For more information on the registered unemployment see the documentation Registered Unemployment.

For more information on the employment statistics see the documentation Quarterly Employees.

Data revision - policy

Statistics Denmark revises published figures in accordance with the Revision Policy for Statistics Denmark. The common procedures and principles of the Revision Policy are for some statistics supplemented by a specific revision practice.

Data revision practice

On July the 1st 2017 a new unemployment benefits system was introduced. In relation to this statistics this meant that the months of reference changed periods. Before the periods followed the unemployment benefits months, and now it follows a regular calendar month. This change has been implemented in the whole series from January 2009 to present. The revision has meant a slight change in the levels of the number of long-term unemployed.