Diferencias entre paro registrado y paro EPA en España: Una evaluación a partir de microdatos de Galicia

The two official statistics that periodically measure the evolution of unemployment in Spain, that is, the Labour Force Survey (LFS) and the registered unemployment series of the Ministry of Employment and Social Security, show both a similar trend of rapid employment destruction since the beginning of the recent economic crisis. But, they show striking level differences as well, which cause confusion, in particular among the public opinion. For instance, at the end of 2011 the unemployed individuals according to the LFS exceeded by 851.241 the registered unemployed at the public employment service (SPE). Possible explanations to this apparent paradox are: the methodological differences, the different groups at which both statistics are targeted, and the limitations of the administrative source to measure the evolution of unemployment in downturns, where a low probability of finding a job disincentives the job search through the SPE offices. This latter explanation, however, does not apply to all regions. The aim of the present study is to test the validity of the LFS estimates in a specific regionthe Galician labor market by exploiting the microdata from a unique survey of job seekers in 2008 that was specifically designed to measure their real labor market status.