Statistical presentation

Data description

The Register-Based Labor Force Statistics (RAS) is an annual account of the population's primary connection to the labor market at the end of November. The population can be divided into three main socioeconomic groups:

• Employed
• Unemployed
• Persons outside the labor force

The statistics are published with background information related either to the individual or to the workplace. Information related to the individual includes:

• Demographic information (gender, age, origin, municipality of residence)
• Educational information (highest completed education)

Information related to the workplace includes:

• Industry
• Municipality of workplace
• Sector

Since the register contains identification of both the individual and the workplace, other background information can be linked to the register as needed.

RAS is also used to measure commuting between residence and workplace.

Classification system

The register-based labour force statistics (RAS) are compiled in accordance with the international guidelines of the ILO (International Labour Market Organisation) for classifying the population in relation to their primary attachment to the labour market. The classification is called ICSE (International Classification of Status in Employment). The ILO guidelines are aimed primarily at survey-based statistics. When compiling the RAS, the guidelines have therefore been operationalised on the basis of the options available when the sources are register-based. The purpose of the RAS is to measure employment and the labour force, and therefore, according to the ILO, a short reference period shall be used. The ILO guidelines consist, among other things, of a set of prioritisation rules for determining the primary attachment to the labour market. According to the guidelines, employment has higher priority than unemployment, while unemployment has higher priority than situations outside the labour force. Based on the ILO's recommendations, the variable socio-economic status is thus formed, which is the core variable in the register-based labour force statistics.

Socio-economic status In the RAS-statistics, a short reference period is used, namely the last week of November. This time point has been chosen partly because information regarding employee jobs has historically referred to the situation at the end of November, and partly because December is atypical from an employment perspective. The following description is therefore limited to covering a short reference period.

Overall, the population is divided into three groups:

• Employed
• Unemployed
• Persons outside the labour force

Employed persons perform work for at least one hour during the reference week and who are employed on the last working day of November. The employed are either employees, self-employed, or assisting spouses. For the self-employed and assisting spouses, information on the number of working hours is not available, and they are therefore identified on the basis of performing work that generates income. The self-employed are persons who own a personally owned business, typically a sole proprietorship or a partnership. Assisting spouses are persons who receive a share of the business profits from their spouse. Assisting spouses with a salary agreement are counted as employees. Persons who are temporarily absent are also counted as employed. This applies to employees with temporary absences of less than 45 days, as well as employed persons who are temporarily absent due to illness exceeding the employer’s period or on parental leave, but who maintain a permanent connection to an employer.

The socio-economic status of employees follows a skill level based on the DISCO-08 occupational classification. Employees are thus divided into the following groups:

• Employees with managerial responsibilities
• Employees at the highest level
• Employees at the intermediate level
• Employees at basic level
• Other employees
• Employees not specified (u.n.a.)

The skill level can be achieved through formal education as well as through training and practice. For a description of the levels, principles and codes of the occupational classification, see Danish Statistics Occupational Classification (DISCO-08). Information on the skill level of employees working for the state, municipalities or regions is taken from the wage statistics for the state and municipal sectors, respectively. For privately employed employees, the information is either taken from the wage statistics for the private sector or is generated by imputation based on, among other things, the highest level of education completed and the industry in which the person is employed.

Activated persons who are in supported employment and receive a salary (A-income subject to labor market contributions) are also counted as employed. This includes persons in wage-subsidized jobs, flex jobs, sheltered jobs, service jobs, adult apprentices, and persons undergoing vocational rehabilitation. Persons in company internships do not receive a salary and are therefore not counted as employed.

The primary attachment to the labor market is determined based on the international guidelines from the ILO (International Labour Organization). These guidelines include, among other things, a set of priority rules, where employment is given higher priority than unemployment, and unemployment is given higher priority than other states outside the labor market.

Employed persons, together with unemployed persons, constitute the economically active population – the labour force.

Unemployed persons include persons who, during the reference period:

• are not in work
• are available for work, and
• are seeking work.

Similar to the official unemployment statistics, the unemployed in RAS are calculated as gross unemployed persons. Gross unemployed persons consist of activated recipients of unemployment benefits and social assistance who are assessed as ready for work, as well as net unemployed persons, who are unemployed recipients of unemployment benefits and social assistance who are assessed as ready for work. Read more on Statistics Denmark's website Unemployment concepts. Gross unemployed persons who are activated in a paid job are counted as employed in RAS.

Persons outside the labour force also include old-age pensioners, persons in education, children and youth, as well as the group "other persons outside the labor force." The "other persons outside the labor force" is a residual category that cannot be placed in a socioeconomic category based on information in Statistics Denmark's registers. This group may consist of:

• Homemakers
• Young people supported by their parents
• Persons who earn a living from undeclared work
• Discouraged unemployed persons who have given up seeking work and are not registered as unemployed

States and activities outside the labor force are prioritized based on the reliability of the underlying information and the degree of potential attachment to the labor market. The prioritized order is as follows:

• Persons receiving public support: persons employed without pay, persons undergoing guidance and upskilling, recipients of vocational rehabilitation benefits, maternity or sickness benefits during unemployment, social assistance, introduction benefits, early retirement, and flex benefits. If a person receives multiple types of public support, the state with the highest number of weekly hours is chosen as the primary connection to the labor market.
• Persons in education
• Children and youth (i.e., persons under 16 years of age)
• Recipients of old-age pension or other pensions
• Other persons outside the labor force

Industry nomenclature DB07

The statistics follow the Danish industry nomenclature DB07 (NACE rev. 2/ISIC rev. 4). A complete description of the industries can be found in Danish Industry Code 2007. The industry codes have been converted to DB07 back to November 2000.

• For the period November 2003 to November 2007, the statistics follow the DB03 industry classification (NACE rev. 1.1./ISIC rev. 3.1.).
• For the period November 1992 to November 2002, the statistics follow the DB93 industry classification (NACE rev. 1/ISIC rev. 3).
• For the period November 1980 to November 1992, the statistics follow the DSE77 industry classification (ISIC rev. 3).

Sector classification

Sector information from 2008 onwards is based on ESA2010. For the period from 1995 (Nov. 1994) to 2012, sector information is based on ESA. This means that double counting is possible for the period 2008-2012. The changes involved in the transition to ESA2010 are described in more detail in the note New sector code in the employment statistics.

Municipalities

Many of the tables in the statistical database are published at the municipal level. From November 2006 onwards, the statistics have been published according to the new municipalities following the structural reform. For the period November 1980 to November 2006, the statistics are compiled according to the municipalities before the structural reform. In November 2006, both figures for the municipal division before and after the structural reform are therefore provided.

Municipality Groups

The StatBank tables LABY29–31 are broken down by the municipality group classification.

Sector coverage

The statistic covers all sectors.

Statistical concepts and definitions

Employment rate: The number of employed persons as a proportion of a given population group

Economic activity rate: The number of individuals in the labor force (employed and unemployed) as a proportion of a given population group

Statistical unit

The statistical unit is persons.

Statistical population

The population refers to the population at the end of November, with information on the primary attachment to the labor market. The extraction date for the population occurs later than in the official population statistics. This means, together with the different reference dates, that the population numbers are not the same in the RAS tables as in the population tables in the StatBank.

Reference area

Denmark.

Time coverage

The end of November 1980-

Base period

Not relevant for these statistics.

Unit of measure

Persons.

Reference period

RAS is calculated at the last working day in November - that means November 29 2024 for the last published figures.

Frequency of dissemination

The statistics are published annually.

Legal acts and other agreements

§6 in Law about Statistics Denmark.

Cost and burden

There is no reporting burden associated with the statistics, as all information comes from other statistical registers.

Comment

More information about RAS can be located on the sites Labour market status (RAS) and Employed persons (RAS).

See description of the main variables related to labor market participation (in Danish only): Befolkningens tilknytning til arbejdsmarkedet (RAS) og Beskæftigede personer (RAS).