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Labour market

This landing page presents thematic content regarding labour market in the Nordic Region. Several topics are covered on this page, such as economy, demography, employment, unemployment, work-related accidents and absences from work. The Labour market section in the Nordic Statistics database can be found here

The menu in the top right corner allows for navigation on this page by browsing the sections listed under Areas. Links to the database and news section are also provided in the menu. 

For more statistics related to the Nordic labour market, please visit the Dashboard for Current economic state. In the dashboard, key economic measurements are presented on a quarterly and monthly basis. Furthermore, a new landing page for the related topic of integration and migration is currently under production. In the meantime, please visit the integration and migration section in the database for recently updated data on this related topic. 

Economy and demography

This section covers data on Gross Domestic Product (GDP), economic growth, inflation rate and dependency ratios.

GDP per capita

Gross domestic product (GDP) is the total monetary or market value of all the finished goods and services produced in a country. GDP is often expressed per capita and for comparison between countries it is often measured in Purchasing power standard (PPS) per capita. PPS is an artificial currency unit where one PPS theoretically can buy the same amount of goods and services in each country.


Source: Nordic statistics database, NAAC04

The figure displays GDP in PPS/euro by reporting country and time.

Economic growth rate by quarter

Economic growth can be measured as the change in GDP compared with the GDP previous quarter. The growth rate is calculated on the basis of chain linked volumes (GDP in constant prices) which removes the impact of price changes and shows the volume change in GDP.


Source: Nordic statistics database, KEY02

The figure displays real gross domestic product quarterly growth by reporting country and time.

Economic growth rate by year

Annual economic growth rate displays the change in GDP compared with the GDP previous year. The growth rate is calculated on the basis of chain linked volumes (GDP in constant prices).


Source: Nordic statistics database, NAAC02

The figure displays real gross domestic product annual growth by reporting country and time.

Inflation rate by month

Harmonised index of consumer prices (HICP) is a standardized measurement used for comparison of inflation rates between countries. HICP is used by the European Central Bank to measure inflation in the Eurozone and the European Union. The index reflects the change in price development between the current month and the same month the previous year.


Source: Nordic statistics database, KEY03

The figure displays Harmonised index of consumer prices by reporting country and time. 

Inflation rate by year

The harmonised index of consumer prices (HICP) is hereby presented on an annual basis as an index (2015=100)


Source: Nordic statistics database, PRIC06

The figures displays Harmonised index of consumer prices (HICP) by reporting country and time.

Old age dependency ratio

Old age dependency ratio is a measurement that describes the ratio between the number of individuals over the age of 65 years to the number of individuals aged 20-64 years, expressed as a percentage. A higher ratio implies a larger elderly population in relation to the working age population. 

Both historical and projected values are displayed. Projected values are based on official population projections in the Nordic countries and are visualized with dotted lines. 


Source: Nordic statistics database, POPU11

The figure displays old age dependency ratio by reporting country and time. 

Employment

The employment section contains employment rates for different age groups, both over time and by gender. The section also contains employment rates by educational attainment level and citizenship status.

Data for most countries in this section are collected from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). LFS adopted a new methodology from 2021 onward, leading to a break in time series. For more information, please see metadata in the source matrices. 

Employment rate by quarter

The number of employed individuals in an age group divided by the number in the total population in the same age group gives the employment rate. Usually, the age group 20-64 years is used, but any age group can be used. It can also be calculated, for example, only for women or for any subpopulation.

The employment rate can also be calculated by different time frames, as in the figure below where the employment rate is presented on a quarterly basis. The following figures in this section is presented on an annual basis. Please note that quarterly and annual rates will differ slightly due to different time periods being used as basis for calculations.


Source: Nordic statistics database, KEY02

The figure displays employment rate by reporting country and time. 

Employment rate by year

The share of employed individuals in the total population aged 20-64 years on an annual basis. Note that the figures for Greenland refer to the age group 20-65 years from 2017. 


Source: Nordic statistics database, WORK02

The figure displays employment rate by reporting country and time. 

Employment rate by gender

The share of employed men and women in the population aged 20-64 years. 


Source: Nordic statistics database, WORK02

The figure displays employment rate by reporting country and gender. 

Employment rate 65-69 years

The share of employed individuals in the total population aged 65-69 years. 


Source: Nordic statistics database, WORK02

The figure displays employment rate for 65-69-year-olds by reporting country and time.

Employment rate by gender 65-69 years

The share of employed men and women in the population aged 65-69 years. 


Source: Nordic statistics database, WORK02

The figure displays employment rate for 65-69-year-olds by reporting country and gender.

Employment rate by educational attainment level

The share of employed individuals in the age group 20-64 years by three aggregated educational attainment levels. Based on the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) 2011. 


Source: Nordic statistics database, LABO11

The figure displays employment rate by reporting country and educational attainment level.

Employment rate by citizenship

The share of employed individuals in the age group 20-64 years by citizenship status. 


Source: Nordic statistics database, LABO11

The figure displays employment rate by reporting country and citizenship.

Unemployment

The unemployment section contains unemployment and long-term unemployment rates by time and gender. The section also covers the share of young people neither in employment nor in education and training (NEET rate) and unemployment rate by level of activity limitation.

Data for most matrices and countries in this section are collected from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). LFS adopted a new methodology from 2021 onward, leading to a break in time series. For more information, please see metadata in the source matrices. 

Unemployment rate by month

The number of unemployed individuals in an age group divided by the number in the labour force in the same age group gives the unemployment rate. Any age group can be used and it can also be calculated, for example, only for women or for any subpopulation.

The unemployment rate can also be calculated for different time frames, as in the figure below where it is presented on a monthly basis for the age group 15-74 years. Please note that monthly and annual rates will differ slightly due to the different time periods used for calculations.


Source: Nordic statistics database, KEY03

The figure displays unemployment rate by reporting country and time. 

Unemployment rate by year

The share of unemployed individuals in the labour force  aged 20-64 years on an annual basis. Note that the figures for Greenland refer to the age group 20-65 years from 2017. 


Source: Nordic statistics database, WORK02

The figure displays unemployment rate by reporting country and time. 

Unemployment rate by gender

The share of unemployed men and women in the labour force aged 20-64 years. Data for 2023 is pending for Greenland and Åland. 


Source: Nordic statistics database, WORK02

The figure displays unemployment rate by reporting country and gender. 

Long-term unemployment rate

Long-term unemployment rate is defined in the same way as unemployment rate but concerns individuals that are long-term unemployed. A person who has been unemployed for one year, or more, is considered long-term unemployed. The duration of unemployment is the duration of the search for employment or the length of the period since the person last worked; whichever period is shorter.

Note that figures for Faroe Islands refer to the age group 16-66 years. Data for Iceland is missing 2016-2019 due to low reliability. 


Source: Nordic statistics database, LABO13

The figure displays long-term unemployment rate by reporting country and time. 

Long-term unemployment rate by gender

The share of long-term unemployed men and women in the labour force aged 20-64 years. Note that figures for Faroe Islands refer to the age group 16-66 years. Data is missing for women in Iceland in 2023.


Source: Nordic statistics database, LABO13

The figure displays long-term unemployment rate by reporting country and gender. 

Young people neither in employment nor in education and training (NEET) by quarter

Share of young people aged 15-29 years neither in employment nor in education and training, abbreviated as NEET rate, here presented by quarter. The EU has set an EU-level target of 9 percent as a goal for 2030.


Source: Nordic statistics database, KEY02

The figure displays NEET rate by reporting country and time. 

Young people neither in employment nor in education and training (NEET) by year

Share of young people aged 15-29 years neither in employment nor in education and training, abbreviated as NEET rate. 


Source: Nordic statistics database, NEET01

The figure displays NEET rate by reporting country and time. 

Young people neither in employment nor in education and training (NEET) by gender

Share of young men and women aged 15-29 years neither in employment nor in education and training (NEET rate). 


Source: Nordic statistics database, NEET01

The figure displays NEET rate by country and gender. 

Unemployment rate by level of activity limitation

Activity limitation refers to long-standing limitation in performing usual activities due to one or more health problems. The limitation should have lasted for at least  six months and is based on self-reported activity limitation grouped into categories; none, some or severe.


Source: Nordic statistics database, LABO14

The figure displays unemployment rate by reporting country and level of activity limitation.

Work-related accidents

This section contains data on fatal and non-fatal work related accidents over time and by NACE activity. NACE is the the industry standard classification system used in the European Union.

An accident at work is defined as 'a discrete occurrence in the course of work which leads to physical or mental harm'. Data is collected within the framework of the administrative data collection European Statistics on Accidents at Work (ESAW).

Fatal accidents at work

A fatal accident at work is defined as an accident that leads to the death of a person within one year of the accident. The figures are expressed as incidence rates which refers to the number of accidents per 100 000 workers.

There were no registered fatal work-related accidents in Iceland 2011-2013. In 2021 however, the value is zero due to a potential bug in Eurostats IT-system. 


Source: Nordic statistics database, LABO12

The figure displays fatal accidents at work by reporting country and time. 

Non-fatal accidents at work

A non-fatal accident at work is defined as an accident resulting in more than 3 days absence from work. Note that in 2020 and 2021, many COVID-19 cases were reported as accidents at work in Denmark.

The value is zero for Iceland in 2021 due to a potential bug in Eurostats IT-system.


Source: Nordic statistics database, LABO12

The figure displays non-fatal accidents at work by reporting country and time. 

Fatal accidents at work per NACE activity

Fatal accidents at work per NACE activity describes the occurrence of fatal accidents within economic activities in the EU. The five economic activities with the highest mean incidence rates in the Nordic countries 2019-2021 are presented. 

As a help for interpretation we can note that Norway reported 24.4 fatal accidents per 100,000 workers in the sector 'Agriculture, forestry and fishing' in 2021.


Source: Nordic statistics database, LABO12

The figure displays fatal accidents at work by reporting country and NACE activity. 

Non-fatal accidents at work per NACE activity

Non-fatal accidents at work per NACE activity describes the occurrence of non-fatal accidents within economic activities in the EU. The five economic activities with the highest mean incidence rates in the Nordic countries 2019-2021 are presented (excluding the NACE activity 'Activities of extraterritorial organisations and bodies' due to voluntary reporting of this activity). 

As a help for interpretation Denmark reported 4 554.4 non-fatal accidents per 100,000 workers in the construction sector in 2021.


Source: Nordic statistics database, LABO12

The figure displays non-fatal accidents at work by reporting country and NACE activity. 

Absence from work

The section contains information on absences from work due to sickness among employed people. Data has been collected trough the Labour Force Survey (LFS) and display the percentage of workers that have been absent from work due to sickness for the whole reference week. Data for Norway is based on register data and has been collected through the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (NAV), comparisons to other countries should therefore be done with caution. 

Absence from work due to sickness

Share of employed individuals aged 16-64 years who declare that they have been absent from work for the whole reference week. 


Source: Nordic statistics database, SOCI02

The figure displays absence from work due to sickness by reporting country and time.

Absence from work due to sickness by gender

Share of employed men and women aged 16-64 years who declare that they have been absent from work for the whole reference week. 


Source: Nordic statistics database, SOCI02

The figure displays absence from work due to sickness by reporting country and gender.