Note: [1] Heikki Salmi, Master of Political Sciences, is head of the labour force statistics division at the Central Statistical Office in Finland.
Note: [2] Anna-Maija Lehto, Master of Social Sciences, is senior statistician working on the labour force survey at the Central Statistical Office of Finland.
Note: [3] Oiva Lönnberg, Master of Political Sciences, is researcher working on employment service statistics at the Ministry of Labour of Finland.
Note: [4] Hannele Sauli, Master of Political Sciences, is senior statistician working on living conditions statistics at the Central Statistical Office of Finland.
Abstract: The measurement of gross flows has become more and more important in the field of social and demographic statistics. It seems most probable that flow statistics will be one of the main areas of development when attempting to satisfy the new demands for more versatile manpower statistics in the 1980s as flows better than stocks can describe and explain labour market processes. The methodology in estimating flows is, however, far from satisfactory and a considerable amount of work is still required. In Finland, three methods have been developed to estimate the gross flows of manpower. Firstly, the labour force survey enables the following of the activities of the same persons at different points of time within the lapse of one year and from one year to another. The data concern flows between different types of employment status, various branches of industry and groups of industrial status. Secondly, by combining the data on individuals from different population censuses, structural changes, e.g., in occupations and branches, can be described. Thirdly, an individual follow-up of the unemployed in the registers of employment service is a suitable method to analyse the flows of the unemployed.
