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Labour market
Therefore, the information offered here is not updated regularly. See our GENESIS-Online database for current data.
Employment estimates in the context of national accounts on the one hand and Labour Force Survey on the other hand are two important statistics for figuring out the number of employed persons in Germany. However, the results of both statistics regarding this number differ from each other. For 2017, Labour Force Survey results show 2.5 million less employed persons than national accounts estimates.
This discrepancy is to be explained mainly by the different methods and techniques of the two statistics, but also in part by not completely matching definitions. The reconciliation table below visualizes the backgrounds of the different figures. According to definitions, the main distinctions lie in the differentiation of persons who have interrupted their employment. Regarding methods, it is meaningful that national accounts estimates are calculating an employment figure based on some 60 statistical sources, while Labour Force Survey as a household survey rests upon the statements of interviewed persons. This explains why discrepancies are to be found predominantly in the field of marginal employments. According to experience, the collection of small (side) jobs and of occupations in the border area of clandestine employment often proves to be problematic in household surveys. Therefore, national account estimates make use of additional approximations for areas which are difficult to measure, e. g. in the field of domestic servicing.
The reconciliation table numbers the differences between national accounts employment estimates and Labour Force Survey. Based on the national accounts estimates, discrepancies that stem from different definitions are shown first. For example, national accounts estimates assume 40,000 employed persons more than does the Labour Force Survey, because the former covers also employed persons under the age of 15 years. The second part shows differences due to methodological aspects. For that purpose, we show – subdivided by occupational status – the deviations of Labour Force Survey in comparison to important sources and additional approximations of national accounts employment estimations. The last part shows discrepancies between Labour Force Survey and the German Microcensus.
National account estimations are used primarily for the observation of employment in the context of the overall economical and cyclical development, while Labour Force Survey with its large number of variables is mainly utilized to analyze the situation of specific sections of the population, for interdisciplinary examinations, and for international comparisons.
in 1,000 persons | specification | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 From 2017 onwards the German Microcensus does not cover employed persons in collective households. Compared to previous versions the new deviation is introduced in the block of conceptual differences and deleted from the block of differences between the result of the Microcensus and the Labour Force Survey. The value is based on an estimation of the years 2011-2016. 2 Source: Federal Employment Agency Rounding differences in sums may occur. | |||||
44,155 | Result National Accounts - total employment (domestic concept) | ||||
-475 | Deviations due to definitions and concepts | -36 | Employed persons aged less than 152 | ||
-90 | Employed persons living in collective households1 | ||||
-370 | Employed persons on extended leave (> 3 months; < 50% salary)3 | ||||
+21 | Employed persons working in extraterritorial organisations and bodies3 | ||||
-2,037 | Deviations due to methodological differences | -1,329 | Net difference between main source used in NA and LFS for specific status in employment | +64 | employees fully covered by social security contributions2 |
-1,458 | marginal employees2 | ||||
+65 | puplic officials and soldiers4 | ||||
0 | self-employed and unpaid family workers3 | ||||
- 709 | Net difference of adjustments in the NA | ||||
41,641 | Result German Microcensus - employed (place of residence) | ||||
+26 | Difference due to household definition of Eurostat2 | ||||
41,663 | Labour Force Survey - employed persons in private households |
Additional background information regarding the varying results can be found in the following articles of the magazine “Wirtschaft und Statistik", "Körner/Marder-Puch 04/2015; Körner/Puch 06/2009; Projektbericht 2011. (only in German).
For current press releases on the theme of labour market please go to our press pages.