Statistical presentation

Data description

The main variable in the Labour Force Survey is the labour market status of the population. The survey classifies people into two main categories: people in the labour force and people outside the labour force. Furthermore, people in the labour force are categorized as either employed or unemployed. Conscripts are considered employed.

Figures are published for the unemployment rate, employment rate and participation rate - seasonally adjusted and not seasonally adjusted. The figures are published in statistics bank tables at the same time as the register-based unemployment, about one month after the end of the reference month. The LFS sample is designed to be used on a quarterly basis, therefore the sample is too small to form meaningful subdivisions on e.g. gender and age.

The publication consists of three indicators - all limited to the age group 15-74:

• Unemployment rate: The number of unemployed, divided by the labor force (which is made up of the sum of unemployed and employed). Used as an expression of the available resources on the labor market, made up of people who do not have a job, are actively looking for work and can start within a short time.
• Employment rate: The number of employed people divided by the population. Expresses how large a proportion of the population is in employment.
• Employment rate: The labor force divided by the population. Indicates how large a proportion of the population is in the labor market, regardless of whether they are employed or unemployed.

Questionnaire (in Danish only).pdf

Classification system

The survey classifies people into two main categories: people in the labour force and people outside the labour force. Furthermore, people in the labour force are categorized as either employed or unemployed. Conscripts are considered employed.

The classification of respondents is based on their labour market status and follows EU definitions and recommendations from the International Labour Organization (ILO) definitions: Every respondent is interviewed about one specific reference week. All questions on work, working hours, unemployment etc. relate to this specific week.

Employed are all people, who in the reference week worked for payment or worked as self-employed or family workers for at least one hour. People temporarily absent perhaps due to vacation, illness, or maternity leave are considered to be employed.

Unemployed are all people without employment, who have actively been looking for work in the past four weeks prior to the reference week and who are able to begin a job within two weeks after the reference week ends. Active job-search methods include contact with a public employment office, applications to employers, contact with friends, relatives or trade unions, or for example studying or answering advertisements in newspapers or journals. Looking for permits, licences, financial resources, land, premises or equipment for potential self-employment are also considered as active job search.

Everyone else is categorized outside the labour force.

The labour market status of students follows these definitions. This means that students who are seeking jobs and are able to start within 14 days are defined as LFS-unemployed.

Respondents in the monthly LFS are not classified regarding occupation, industry or education, which means that this is not relevant for the monthly publication.

See Statistical concepts and definitions

Sector coverage

Not relevant for these statistics.

Statistical concepts and definitions

Person: 15-74 year old

Labour market status: The main variable in the Labour Force Survey is the labour market status of the population.

The monthly LFS is based on data collected for the quarterly LFS. This means that concepts and terminology are shared between the two statistics. All persons are interviewed about one specific reference week. All questions on work, working hours, unemployment etc. relate to this specific week.

The persons outside the labour force will not be published on a monthly basis.

Unemployed: Unemployed are all people without employment, who have actively been looking for work in the past four weeks prior to the reference week and who are able to begin a job within two weeks after the reference week ends. Active job-search methods include contact with a public employment office, applications to employers, contact with friends, relatives or trade unions, or for example studying or answering advertisements in newspapers or journals. Looking for permits, licencs, financial resources, land, premises or equipment for potential self-employment are also considered as active job search.

Employed: Employed are all people, who in the reference week worked for payment or worked as self-employed or family workers for at least one hour. People temporarily absent perhaps due to vacation, illness, or maternity leave are considered to be employed.

Statistical unit

The monthly LFS is based on data collected for the quarterly LFS. The Danish LFS operates with individuals as the statistical unit, where many other European countries operate with the household as the statistical unit, and it diverts the individual-related variables such as employment status, working hours etc.

All persons are interviewed about one specific reference week. All questions on work, working hours, unemployment etc. relate to this specific week.

Labour market status: The main variable in the Labour Force Survey is the labour market status of the population. Labour market status refers to whether persons are employed, unemployed or outside the labour force. Employment status refers to whether persons are employees, self-employed, contributing family workers etc.

Statistical population

The population is the resident population in Denmark at age 15-74.

Reference area

The LFS covers all persons aged 15-74 with permanent residence in Denmark. They are able to work in either Denmark or abroad, as long as they permanent live in Denmark.

Time coverage

All time series starts in January 2008

Base period

Not relevant for these statistics.

Unit of measure

The unit of measurement is percentage. In the case of unemployment, the unit of measurement is a percentage of the workforce, for employment frequency and occupational frequency, the unit of measurement is a percentage of the population aged 15-74.

Reference period

01-09-2024 - 30-09-2024

Frequency of dissemination

Monthly

Legal acts and other agreements

Collection Act: The Danish Statistics Act §6.

The Labor Force Survey follows the Personal Data Protection and Data Protection Act's guidelines for processing information. All employees affiliated with LFS should sign a confidentiality statement prior to commencement of work.

The monthly labor force survey falls under the EU framework regulation no. 2019/1700 (IESS) on sample-based personal and household surveys, subsequently Implementeringsretsakt 2019/2240 of 16 December 2019 on labor force surveys and Implementeringsretsakt 2019/2241 of 16 December 2019 on monthly labor market statistics.

The definitions in the Labor Force Survey follow the guidelines set by the ILO. The operationalization of these definitions is carried out by Eurostat, which coordinates the joint European Labor Force Survey (LFS), of which AKU is a part. The operationalization's are thus recommended by the ILO and Eurostat.

International definitions.

Cost and burden

Response burden is not calculated.

Comment

More documentation on the quarterly LFS.