Labour force survey, Q3 2008

Full-time employment was up by approximately 55 000, 50 per cent of it among women. The share with full-time employment among women increased from the third quarter of 2007 to the third quarter of 2008, while it decreased for men. Average settled working hours for men were 37.3 hours per week, compared with 31.5 hours for women.

Higher participation rate

The labour force (the sum of employment and unemployment) increased by 86 000 people from the third quarter of 2007 to the third quarter of 2008. In the same period, the working-age population (aged 15–74) rose by 61 000. The labour force participation rate (the labour force in percent of the working-age population) was 70.9 per cent for women, up by 1.1 percentage point compared to the same quarter last year. For men, the labour force participation rate was 77.6 per cent, up 1.2 percentage point from the same quarter in 2007.

About 25 per cent of the growth in employment came from part time employment among young people in education. However, seasonally adjusted figures indicate that the lower growth in employment during 2008 mostly concern young people.

Growth in private and public service industries

From the third quarter of 2007 to the third quarter of 2008, employment rose by 83 000 people. Financial intermediation, health and social work and public administration and defence had the strongest growth in employment. About 75 per cent of the increase in total employment took place in those industries.

The number of employed people on temporary contracts down

In total, 221 000 were on temporary contracts in the third quarter of 2008, a reduction of 17 000 from the same quarter last year. Employed people on temporary contracts constituted 9.4 per cent of total employment, a reduction from 10.5 per cent in the third quarter last year. Hotels and restaurants, health and social work and education had the largest shares on temporary contracts. Those industries employed about half of all the people on temporary contracts.

Stable number of unemployed

According to the LFS, the number of unemployed was stable from the third quarter of 2007 to the third quarter of 2008. The increase in the LFS of 3 000 people is inside the error margin. The unemployment rate stood at 2.5 per cent.The number of registered unemployed with the Labour and Welfare Organisation showed a decline of 4 000 over the same period. The discrepancy between the two sources mainly comes from an increase in the number of unemployed in the LFS not found in the register with NAV.

Both the number of unemployed as well as the share of unemployed with short duration of job search (1–4 weeks) went up from the third quarter of 2007 to the third quarter of 2008. This may indicate an increase of the inflow to unemployment.

The number of underemployed down

Underemployment is employees with part-time as settled working hours who have tried to find more work. The number of underemployed was 59 000 in the third quarter of 2008, 6 000 people less than in the third quarter in 2007. In the third quarter of 2008, the underemployed represented 9.0 per cent of all part-time employees, down from 10.4 per cent in the same quarter in 2007.

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 73 000 full-time positions in the third quarter of 2008 – about the same as in the third quarter of 2007.

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 (NAV). 1 000 and per cent
• Table 2. Population aged 15-74(1) in the labour force, employed persons and unemployed persons by sex (LFS)(2). 1 000 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). 1 000
• Table 5. Persons in the labour force aged 15-74 by age and sex. 1 000 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). 1 000
• 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). 1 000 and per cent
• Table 12. Employees aged 15-74 with temporary jobs, by major industry division (LFS). 1 000 and as per cent of all employees
• Table 13. Unemployed persons aged 15-74 by sex and age (LFS). 1 000 and per cent
• Table 14. Unemployed persons aged 15-74 by duration of job search (LFS). 1 000 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). 1 000
• Table 17 This table is omitted. More information is presented in a separate article
• Table 18. Persons in the labour force aged 15-74 ¹, by sex and region (LFS) ². 1 000 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 by some major industry division and region (LFS). 1997-2007. 1 000