About the statistics

1. Administrative information

1.1. Name

Unemployment among immigrants

1.2. Subject group

06.03 - Unemployment

1.3. Frequency and timeliness

Quarterly

1.4. Regional level

County and the whole country.

1.5. Responsible division

260 - Division for Labour Market Statistics

1.6. Legal authority

The Statistics Act §3-2, 2-2, 3-2 (Administrative registers)

1.7. Legal document(EU)

Not relevant.

1.8. International reporting

Not relevant.

2. Background and purpose

2.1. Purpose and history

The main purpose is to describe the unemployment among immigrants according to gender, age, time of residence in Norway, country of birth and county of residence.

2.2. Users and applications

The Labour Market Authorities, other public administration, mass media and social research.

3. Statistics production

3.1. Population

All immigrants aged 15 - 74 years who are registered (under the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Organisation) as unemployed and settled in Norway. (The date of reference is the end of the second month in the quarter).

3.2. Data sources

The Register of unemployed (under the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Organisation), the Central Population Register, Statistics Norway's Population statistics. In addition data from the Register of employees (also under the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Organisation ) are used as supporting data when calculating the labour force.

3.3. Sampling

Total counting.

3.4. Collection of data

Not relevant.

3.5. Control and revision

Main figures concerning the whole population are compared to figures published by the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Organisation.

3.6. Estimation

Immigrants are distributed by region of birth based on individual information about their country of birth. Unemployed are calculated in per cent of the labour force and in relation to the population 15 - 74 years. The figures are compared to main figures concerning the whole Norwegian labour force or the population and the non-immigrant segments within them. Immigrants are also counted in accordance with time of residence and their county of residence. Persons participating on ordinary labour market schemes are calculated in per cent of the population only. When calculating the unemployment rate, the labour force figures from the Labour Force Survey are used. These figures are distributed at lower levels by means of supporting figures from the Register of Employees.

3.7. Confidentiality

Not relevant.

4. Concepts, variables and classifications

4.1. Definitions of the main concepts and variables

Immigrant: a person born abroad by foreign - born parents.

Unemployed : A person without waged labour who is registered as job searcher at the labour offices placed under the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Organisation, who has been without waged labour the last 2 weeks. In addition he or she does not participate in labour market schemes (job programmes).

4.2. Standard classifications

Time of residence in Norway: under 4 years, 4 - 6 years 7 years and more.

Country of birth (tables 1 - 3): The Nordic countries, Western Europe else, EU-countries in Eastern Europe, Eastern Europe else, Northern America and Oceania, Asia, Africa and Latin America.

Country of birth (tables 4 - 6): Group 1 (The Nordic countries, Western Europe else, EU-countries in Eastern Europe , Northern America, Australia and New-Zealand). Group 2 (Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa, Latin America and Oceania except Australia and New-Zealand).

EU countries in Eastern Europe (table 7): Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Rumania and Bulgaria.

5. Sources of error and uncertainty

5.1. Measurement and processing errors

The unemployment rate for the new reported quarter (in per cent of the labour force) is preliminary because of some delayed reports to the Register of employees . The correction of this figure the next quarter is however marginal.

5.2 Non-response errors

Not relevant.

5.3. Sampling errors

Not relevant.

5.4. Other sources of error

Not relevant.

6. Comparability and coherence

6.1. Comparability over time and space

The Directorate of Labour changed their definition of unemployed from 1. January 1999. This change has caused a break in the statistical continuity at that point of time

6.2. Coherence with other statistics

Employment statistics for immigrants. These statistics are published annually on the internet and comprise both wage earners and self employed.

http://www.ssb.no/innvregsys_en

7. Availability

7.1. Publications and other links

Statistical Analyses 104 Immigration and Immigrants 2008 http://www.ssb.no/english/subjects/02/sa_innvand_en/sa104/

Employment and education among young immigrants and Norwegian-born to immigrant parents http://www.ssb.no/english/subjects/06/01/rapp_200844_en/

7.2. Microdata

Not relevant.


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