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Accuracy and reliability

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Labour Market, Social Statistics
Anna Skovbæk Mortensen
+45 21 77 67 54

aom@dst.dk

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Sickness benefits

The statistics summarise the reports of illness that have triggered the payment of unemployment benefits. The expectation is that all sickness benefit cases with payment are reported. Therefore, the statistics can be expected to be accurate in relation to actual payments. However, some cases are not reported until long after the end of the period to which the case relates, which is why the last quarter is not fully updated. The delayed updates result in a revision the following year that is in the order of 0.5 per cent in an upward direction.

Overall accuracy

The statistics calculate the reports of illness that have triggered the payment of unemployment benefits. In this sense, the coverage is 100 per cent. However, when using the statistics, it should be noted that ‘normal’ sick leave of less than 30 days is not included in the statistics because it is the employer who pays for the first 30 days of sick leave. Furthermore, statements of the number of people for the last year are 0.5 per cent too low due to late reports.

Sampling error

Not relevant for this statistic.

Non-sampling error

Not relevant for this statistic.

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

Statistics Denmark receives sickness benefit data from the Municipal Sickness Benefit System (KSD). As KSD is responsible for paying out around DKK 15 billion annually to companies and individuals, the system is thoroughly tested and reliable. Statistics Denmark receives data with the least possible transformation of data, as Statistics Denmark itself makes the necessary adjustments. Furthermore, Statistics Denmark has been involved in user testing the programs that extract data for Statistics Denmark, which is why the quality of sickness benefit data must be considered very good.

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

The most recent year will usually be slightly under-dated due to late submissions. Once the most recent year has become the penultimate, the year is routinely recalculated and these are the only revisions made unless an error is detected. The revision is around 0.5 per cent in the upward direction.