Labour force survey, Q3 2007

From the third quarter of 2006 to the third quarter of 2007, employment rose by 78 000. The number of people in full-time employment increased by 90 000, while the number of people in part-time employment fell by 13 000. Average settled working hours were 34.7 hours per week, compared with 34.5 in the third quarter of 2006. Average settled working hours for men were 37.7 hours per week, compared with 31.3 hours for women.

Higher labour force participation for the elderly

The labour force (the sum of employment and unemployment) increased by 58 000 people from the third quarter of 2006 to the third quarter of 2007. In the same period, the working-age population (aged 15-74) rose by 48 000. The proportion of 55-66 year-olds in the labour force increased from 63.3 to 65.6 per cent. The labour force participation rate for women rose by 1.0 percentage point, compared with 0.4 percentage points for men.

Growth in construction

From the third quarter of 2006 to the third quarter of 2007, employment increased by 13 000 in construction. This is a growth of nearly 8 per cent.

From the third quarter of 2006 to the third quarter of 2007, there was a considerable increase in employment in education. Some of this growth was caused by registrations of people in this industry instead of in the health and social work industry. Increased use of employees on temporary contracts also explains part of the growth in education.

Number of employees on temporary contracts unchanged

238 000 were on temporary contracts in the third quarter of 2007. This was more or less unchanged from the third quarter of 2006. Hotels and restaurants have the highest share of employees on temporary contracts, with 21.3 per cent. Education and health and social work are also industries with a high share of employees on temporary contracts with 14.9 per cent. Transport and communication (5.6 per cent) and manufacturing (6.6 per cent) had the lowest shares of temporary employees.

Unemployment fell by 20 000

According to the LFS, the number of unemployed fell by 20 000 from the third quarter of 2006 to the third quarter of 2007. The decline mainly took place in the age group 25-54 years, where the unemployment fell by 15 000. The unemployment rate stood at 2.5 per cent. The number of registered unemployed with the Labour and Welfare Organisation showed a decline of 16 000 over the same period.

The proportion of long-term unemployed - defined as persons who have been unemployed for at least six consecutive months - was 25 per cent in the third quarter of 2007, down 6 percentage points from the third quarter of 2006. The reduction in unemployment has come both among people who have been unemployed for shorter periods as well as the long-term unemployed. However, the relative reduction was largest among the long-tem unemployed.

The number of underemployed unchanged

Underemployment is employees with part-time as settled working hours who want to work more hours. The number of underemployed was 104 000 in the third quarter of 2007, about the same as in the third quarter of 2006. In the third quarter of 2007, the underemployed represented about 17 per cent of all part-time employees.

When accounting for the fact that many unemployed and most underemployed are looking for less than full-time work, these two groups together wanted work equivalent to a total of 90 000 full-time positions in the third quarter of 2007 - 20 000 less than in the third quarter of 2006.

(1) The figures for underemployment in 2006 and 2007 are incorrect. More information is available here .

Tables:

• Table 1. Population aged 15-74(1) in the labour force, man-weeks worked, unemployed (LFS)(2), registered unemployed persons and persons employed by government measures (Aetat). 1000 and per cent
• Table 2. Population aged 15-74(1) år in the labour force, employed persons and unemployed persons by sex (LFS)(2). 1000 and per cent
• Table 3. Persons in the labour force and employed persons aged 15-74 by age and sex (LFS). 1 000 and per cent
• Table 4. Population aged 15-74, employed persons by contractual/usual working hours per week(1) and unemployed persons by age and sex (LFS). 1000
• Table 5. Persons in the labour force aged 15-74 by age and sex. 1000 and as per cent of all in each group
• Table 6. Employed persons aged 15-74 by sex and settled/usual working hours pr week (LFS). 1 000
• Table 7. Population aged 15-74 by main activity, part-time employment¹ and age (LFS). 1 000
• Table 8. Employed persons aged 15-74 by major industry division (LFS). 1000
• Table 9. Number of man-hours worked per week¹, by industry division (LFS). 1 000
• Table 10. Employed persons aged 15-74, total, and employed persons at work by status and sex. Number of man-weeks worked¹ and actual working hours per week (LFS)
• Table 11. Employed persons aged 15-74 and absence from work(1) during the whole reference week by reason for absence and sex (LFS). 1000 and per cent
• Table 12. Employees aged 15-74 with temporary jobs, by major industry division (LFS). 1000 and as per cent of all employees
• Table 13. Unemployed persons aged 15-74 by sex and age (LFS). 1000 and per cent
• Table 14. Unemployed persons aged 15-74 by duration of job search (LFS). 1000 and per cent
• Table 15. Unemployed persons aged 15-74 by main activity (LFS). 1 000
• Table 16. Unemployed and underemployed persons aged 15-74, by sex and desired working hours per week. Number of man-weeks (of 37,5 hours) supplied (LFS). 1000
• Table 18. Persons in the labour force aged 15-74¹ by sex and region (LFS).²1 000 and in per cent of total
• Table 19. Employed persons aged 15-74 by sex and region (LFS). 1 000
• Table 20. Employed persons aged 15-74 by sex and regions (LFS) as per cent of all inn each group
• Table 21 Employed persons aged 15-74, by some major industry division and region (LFS). 1997-2006 . 1 000