Labour Force Survey (LFS)
How high is the employment rate in Denmark? What is the proportion of part-time employees, and how widespread is remote work? You can find the answers in the Labour Force Survey (LFS), which is an internationally coordinated interview-based study. The Labour Force Survey is particularly suitable for cross-country comparisons.
Selected statistics on Labour Force Survey (LFS)
Employment rate
The Labour Force Survey is quarterly based on a stratified sample. The sample was reduced in the 1st quarter of 2016. The reduction will be implemented successively and the sample size will be reduced from 40,532 individuals to 34.320 persons aged 15 to 74 years in the 1st quarter of 2017 when the reduction is fully implemented. Until the year 2020 the LFS has been collected at the individual level for 15-74-year-olds. From 2021 the population has changed to also include the age group from 75-89 years. On a quarterly basis the sample has thus increased from 34,320 people to 36,020 people.
In 2022q1, a new stratification was introduced in the LFS. Register data on employment and register unemployment are utilized to a greater extent, in order to obtain a greater number of responses in some of the groups that suffer from low response rates. For starters, the population is divided into four groups: 1) in stable employment, 2) in registered unemployment, 3) neither in stable employment nor registered unemployment and 4) persons aged 75 to 89. In addition, groups 1 and 3 are divided into the age groups 15-29, 30-64 and 65-74. This results in eight different strata, which are used in the sample selection from 2022q1 onwards. As the LFS consists of four panels, each appearing for six quarters, this stratification was fully implemented in Q2 2023.
The sample is weighted to represent the population as it was at the end of the previous quarter. Different administrative resources are used to select the sample. Administrative sources are also used to obtain various background information on the people interviewed, for example on educational level or workplace.
These registers (among others) are being used for the Labour Force Survey:
- Central Population Register (CPR)
- Population Register
- The Register of Labour Market Statistics (RAM)
- Register based-labour force statistics (RAS)
- Education classification (DISCED)
- Employees
- Register of income
- Business statistics register
Employment rate by age
The Labour Force Survey is quarterly based on a stratified sample. The sample was reduced in the 1st quarter of 2016. The reduction will be implemented successively and the sample size will be reduced from 40,532 individuals to 34.320 persons aged 15 to 74 years in the 1st quarter of 2017 when the reduction is fully implemented. Until the year 2020 the LFS has been collected at the individual level for 15-74-year-olds. From 2021 the population has changed to also include the age group from 75-89 years. On a quarterly basis the sample has thus increased from 34,320 people to 36,020 people.
In 2022q1, a new stratification was introduced in the LFS. Register data on employment and register unemployment are utilized to a greater extent, in order to obtain a greater number of responses in some of the groups that suffer from low response rates. For starters, the population is divided into four groups: 1) in stable employment, 2) in registered unemployment, 3) neither in stable employment nor registered unemployment and 4) persons aged 75 to 89. In addition, groups 1 and 3 are divided into the age groups 15-29, 30-64 and 65-74. This results in eight different strata, which are used in the sample selection from 2022q1 onwards. As the LFS consists of four panels, each appearing for six quarters, this stratification was fully implemented in Q2 2023.
The sample is weighted to represent the population as it was at the end of the previous quarter. Different administrative resources are used to select the sample. Administrative sources are also used to obtain various background information on the people interviewed, for example on educational level or workplace.
These registers (among others) are being used for the Labour Force Survey:
- Central Population Register (CPR)
- Population Register
- The Register of Labour Market Statistics (RAM)
- Register based-labour force statistics (RAS)
- Education classification (DISCED)
- Employees
- Register of income
- Business statistics register
Full-time and part-time employment
The Labour Force Survey is quarterly based on a stratified sample. The sample was reduced in the 1st quarter of 2016. The reduction will be implemented successively and the sample size will be reduced from 40,532 individuals to 34.320 persons aged 15 to 74 years in the 1st quarter of 2017 when the reduction is fully implemented. Until the year 2020 the LFS has been collected at the individual level for 15-74-year-olds. From 2021 the population has changed to also include the age group from 75-89 years. On a quarterly basis the sample has thus increased from 34,320 people to 36,020 people.
In 2022q1, a new stratification was introduced in the LFS. Register data on employment and register unemployment are utilized to a greater extent, in order to obtain a greater number of responses in some of the groups that suffer from low response rates. For starters, the population is divided into four groups: 1) in stable employment, 2) in registered unemployment, 3) neither in stable employment nor registered unemployment and 4) persons aged 75 to 89. In addition, groups 1 and 3 are divided into the age groups 15-29, 30-64 and 65-74. This results in eight different strata, which are used in the sample selection from 2022q1 onwards. As the LFS consists of four panels, each appearing for six quarters, this stratification was fully implemented in Q2 2023.
The sample is weighted to represent the population as it was at the end of the previous quarter. Different administrative resources are used to select the sample. Administrative sources are also used to obtain various background information on the people interviewed, for example on educational level or workplace.
These registers (among others) are being used for the Labour Force Survey:
- Central Population Register (CPR)
- Population Register
- The Register of Labour Market Statistics (RAM)
- Register based-labour force statistics (RAS)
- Education classification (DISCED)
- Employees
- Register of income
- Business statistics register
Number of employed persons working from home
The Labour Force Survey is quarterly based on a stratified sample. The sample was reduced in the 1st quarter of 2016. The reduction will be implemented successively and the sample size will be reduced from 40,532 individuals to 34.320 persons aged 15 to 74 years in the 1st quarter of 2017 when the reduction is fully implemented. Until the year 2020 the LFS has been collected at the individual level for 15-74-year-olds. From 2021 the population has changed to also include the age group from 75-89 years. On a quarterly basis the sample has thus increased from 34,320 people to 36,020 people.
In 2022q1, a new stratification was introduced in the LFS. Register data on employment and register unemployment are utilized to a greater extent, in order to obtain a greater number of responses in some of the groups that suffer from low response rates. For starters, the population is divided into four groups: 1) in stable employment, 2) in registered unemployment, 3) neither in stable employment nor registered unemployment and 4) persons aged 75 to 89. In addition, groups 1 and 3 are divided into the age groups 15-29, 30-64 and 65-74. This results in eight different strata, which are used in the sample selection from 2022q1 onwards. As the LFS consists of four panels, each appearing for six quarters, this stratification was fully implemented in Q2 2023.
The sample is weighted to represent the population as it was at the end of the previous quarter. Different administrative resources are used to select the sample. Administrative sources are also used to obtain various background information on the people interviewed, for example on educational level or workplace.
These registers (among others) are being used for the Labour Force Survey:
- Central Population Register (CPR)
- Population Register
- The Register of Labour Market Statistics (RAM)
- Register based-labour force statistics (RAS)
- Education classification (DISCED)
- Employees
- Register of income
- Business statistics register
Weekly working hours in main job
The Labour Force Survey is quarterly based on a stratified sample. The sample was reduced in the 1st quarter of 2016. The reduction will be implemented successively and the sample size will be reduced from 40,532 individuals to 34.320 persons aged 15 to 74 years in the 1st quarter of 2017 when the reduction is fully implemented. Until the year 2020 the LFS has been collected at the individual level for 15-74-year-olds. From 2021 the population has changed to also include the age group from 75-89 years. On a quarterly basis the sample has thus increased from 34,320 people to 36,020 people.
In 2022q1, a new stratification was introduced in the LFS. Register data on employment and register unemployment are utilized to a greater extent, in order to obtain a greater number of responses in some of the groups that suffer from low response rates. For starters, the population is divided into four groups: 1) in stable employment, 2) in registered unemployment, 3) neither in stable employment nor registered unemployment and 4) persons aged 75 to 89. In addition, groups 1 and 3 are divided into the age groups 15-29, 30-64 and 65-74. This results in eight different strata, which are used in the sample selection from 2022q1 onwards. As the LFS consists of four panels, each appearing for six quarters, this stratification was fully implemented in Q2 2023.
The sample is weighted to represent the population as it was at the end of the previous quarter. Different administrative resources are used to select the sample. Administrative sources are also used to obtain various background information on the people interviewed, for example on educational level or workplace.
These registers (among others) are being used for the Labour Force Survey:
- Central Population Register (CPR)
- Population Register
- The Register of Labour Market Statistics (RAM)
- Register based-labour force statistics (RAS)
- Education classification (DISCED)
- Employees
- Register of income
- Business statistics register
ILO-unemployment rate
The Labour Force Survey is quarterly based on a stratified sample. The sample was reduced in the 1st quarter of 2016. The reduction will be implemented successively and the sample size will be reduced from 40,532 individuals to 34.320 persons aged 15 to 74 years in the 1st quarter of 2017 when the reduction is fully implemented. Until the year 2020 the LFS has been collected at the individual level for 15-74-year-olds. From 2021 the population has changed to also include the age group from 75-89 years. On a quarterly basis the sample has thus increased from 34,320 people to 36,020 people.
In 2022q1, a new stratification was introduced in the LFS. Register data on employment and register unemployment are utilized to a greater extent, in order to obtain a greater number of responses in some of the groups that suffer from low response rates. For starters, the population is divided into four groups: 1) in stable employment, 2) in registered unemployment, 3) neither in stable employment nor registered unemployment and 4) persons aged 75 to 89. In addition, groups 1 and 3 are divided into the age groups 15-29, 30-64 and 65-74. This results in eight different strata, which are used in the sample selection from 2022q1 onwards. As the LFS consists of four panels, each appearing for six quarters, this stratification was fully implemented in Q2 2023.
The sample is weighted to represent the population as it was at the end of the previous quarter. Different administrative resources are used to select the sample. Administrative sources are also used to obtain various background information on the people interviewed, for example on educational level or workplace.
These registers (among others) are being used for the Labour Force Survey:
- Central Population Register (CPR)
- Population Register
- The Register of Labour Market Statistics (RAM)
- Register based-labour force statistics (RAS)
- Education classification (DISCED)
- Employees
- Register of income
- Business statistics register
On the statistics – documentation, sources and method
See the documentation of statistics to learn more:
The purpose of the Labour Force Survey (LFS) is giving a description of the labour market status of the population. The LFS gives insight into how many people are employed, unemployed or outside the labour force (economically inactive). The LFS also manages to measure information like how many people are working part time; how many hours men in their 30s or 40s usually work; or how many elderly people outside the labour market would like to have a job. The LFS has been conducted yearly since 1984, and from 1994 the survey has been conducted continuously throughout the year.