Trends during 2008 and 2009
Örestat’s current version of the register-based labour market statistics is from 2007. This means that the register-based labour market statistics do not show the plunge in employment that hit the labour market in the Öresund region in connection with the crisis during autumn 2008. The report is therefore supplemented with current information from the Danish and Swedish Labour Force Surveys (LFS). The Labour Force Survey is a questionnaire survey and thus can only be broken down to a limited degree by age or on a regional level.
According to the LFS, a clear break in the trend occurred. A clear employment growth was even noted during the third quarter of 2008 in the entire Öresund region. Then the entire region experienced a sharp drop (see the graph). However, the most recent - national and not harmonised - LFS figures for the fourth quarter indicate that employment had passed the bottom and was in a recovery phase.
- Employment trends (LFS) Trended values 2007 Q4 – 2009 Q3
Source: Örestat (LFS)
Notice
An important barometer on the labour market is the number of persons who have been given notice of termination. On both sides of the Sound, companies are obligated to register planned terminations to the national labour market authorities2. The number of persons given notices of termination increased explosively during the fourth quarter of 2008, and has since then up until the end of the first six months of 2009 been at a very high rate. From the third quarter of 2009, the inflow of new notices has slowed down to the Swedish Public Employment Service and the Danish employment offices for the Copenhagen Region of Denmark and Zealand. During the fourth the quarter 5 200 persons were given notices of termination, which corresponds to 2.3 per thousand of the population aged 16-64; one year earlier roughly 9 400 persons were given notices (4.1 per thousand). The trend is pointing clearly downward. Compared to Öresund SE the situation for notices in Öresund DK can seem mild. While 2 800 persons in Öresund SE were given notices during the fourth the quarter of 2009 (3.7 per thousand), 2 400 (1.6 per thousand) in Öresund DK were given notices during the same period.
- Given notice of termination
Source: The Swedish Public Employment Service and Employment Region Copenhagen and Zealand, The Danish National Labour Market Authority
