15. februar 2012, 12:17 – opdateret 15. februar 2012, 12:22

The latest Labour Force Survey (LFS) provides a far more pessimistic picture of the Danish job market than the official unemployment statistics.

The jobless queue lengthened by 5,000 people in Q4, 2011, as the labour market shrank by 8,000, far in excess of the official figures that showed a rise of no more than 1,900 unemployed. The Labour Force Survey, a standard household-based survey of work-related statistics, includes data not included in the official statistics, such as those who aren’t covered by unemployment insurance or eligible for benefits.

Senior economist Jens Nærvig Pedersen of the Danske Bank said: “LFS statistics provide a far more depressing picture of the real state of the labour market. The number of people given notice and the number of businesses going bust has risen sharply over the past two months, a sign that companies are going to have implement even more cutbacks over the next few months. We can expect to see 10-15,000 jobs lost this year.”