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What harmonised and registered unemployment rates do not tell

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  • Konle-Seidl, Regina

    (Institute for Employment Research (IAB), Nuremberg, Germany)

  • Lüdeke, Britta

    (Bundesagentur für Arbeit)

Abstract

"The most commonly used statistical sources for the analysis of unemployment are registered unemployment (RU) at the national level and internationally harmonised unemployment data provided by the European Labour Force Survey (EU-LFS) according to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) standard. The logic behind both unemployment statistics is to count people 'without work' only when they are 'actively looking' and 'available for work'. This logic does not coincide necessarily with the understanding of unemployment in the general public. That's why governments and Public Employment Services (PES) are often blamed to 'hide' unemployed individuals participating in active labour market measures or being temporarily ill. Our methodological study provides an in-depth analysis of the discrepancies between registered unemployment (RU) and internationally harmonised unemployment (LFSU) in a comparative view. For ten selected EU-countries (Austria, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden and the UK) we show in which countries the registers are more restrictive than the survey and vice versa. We then identify the populations groups which help to understand the discrepancies between both figures in most countries (young and older people, marginally employed, participants in active labour market programmes) and extend the view to additional indicators of non-employment. Finally, we explore differences in the calculation of the length of individual unemployment spells between both data sources and show that neither register based national nor survey based international statistics adequately reflect the long-term exclusion from regular, genuinely market-based employment." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Suggested Citation

  • Konle-Seidl, Regina & Lüdeke, Britta, 2017. "What harmonised and registered unemployment rates do not tell," IAB-Forschungsbericht 201706, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany].
  • Handle: RePEc:iab:iabfob:201706
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Andrea Brandolini & Piero Cipollone & Eliana Viviano, 2006. "Does The Ilo Definition Capture All Unemployment?," Journal of the European Economic Association, MIT Press, vol. 4(1), pages 153-179, March.
    2. Richard V. Burkhauser & Mary C. Daly & Nicolas R. Ziebarth, 2016. "Protecting working-age people with disabilities: experiences of four industrialized nations [Absicherung von Personen mit Erwerbsminderung: Erfahrungen aus vier Industrieländern]," Journal for Labour Market Research, Springer;Institute for Employment Research/ Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), vol. 49(4), pages 367-386, December.
    3. Lammers, Marloes & Bloemen, Hans & Hochguertel, Stefan, 2013. "Job search requirements for older unemployed: Transitions to employment, early retirement and disability benefits," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 31-57.
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    Cited by:

    1. Marco Guerrazzi & Ilham Ksebi, 2019. "Measuring Unemployment by Means of Official Data and Administrative Records: Empirical and Theoretical Perspectives," QUADERNI DI ECONOMIA DEL LAVORO, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2019(110), pages 17-49.
    2. Alexandra M. Espinosa & Ignacio Díaz-Emparanza, 2023. "Assessing the Spanish immigration policy with frequency-wise causality in Hosoya’s sense," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 65(1), pages 111-147, July.
    3. Aho, Simo & Konle-Seidl, Regina & Nørup, Iben & Rhein, Thomas & Rothe, Thomas, 2019. "Magnitude, structure and dynamics of chronic unemployment in Denmark, Finland and Germany," IAB-Discussion Paper 201909, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany].

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