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Unemployment numbers in Denmark continue to fall

Ritzau/The Local
Ritzau/The Local - [email protected]
Unemployment numbers in Denmark continue to fall
Photo: Niels Hougaard/Polfoto/Ritzau

A continued rise in employment rates in Denmark can be seen in unemployment figures, say experts after new figures were released by Statistics Denmark.

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In November 2017, a ‘net’ total of 114,500 people was recorded for those out of work, a decrease of 2,200 on the previous month.

The ‘net’ categorisation refers to those not currently in employment who are available to begin work immediately.

Unemployment as a percentage remains stable at 4.3 percent, however.

A drop in the number of unemployed people receiving the state welfare support for refugees (integrationsydelse) is the primary reason for the overall unemployment decrease, according to Statistics Denmark.

The total number of unemployed people in November 2017 was greater than the equivalent figure for November 2016.

But that fact does not tell the entire story, according to Economic Council of the Labour Movement (ECLM) chief economist Erik Bjørsted.

The numbers should be seen in context of the growth in the size of the labour force, Bjørsted said.

“This is caused partly due to more seniors remaining on the labour market, foreign labour and better integration of refugees and immigrants onto the labour market.

“That gives fuel to the [economic] upturn, and helps us to avoid bottlenecking in the labour market,” Bjørsted wrote in a written comment.

Unemployment figures have been unclear to some extent in recent times due to persons receiving integration welfare payments being considered as available to work – which is not necessarily the case for all individuals in this group.

The integration payment type was introduced to the Daish welfare system in 2015, putting refugees on a different – and lower – social welfare scale than others in Denmark.

But an increasing proportion of this group is now finding work, and this is reflected in the latest figures.

“It is encouraging that the number of unemployed people on integration support is falling.

“That proves it was a good idea to declare more refugees able to work,” Mads Lundby Hansen, economist with liberal thinktank Cepos, wrote in a written comment.

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