Press releases 2004
31 December 2004Industrial output declined by 1.9 per cent in November from October
According to Statistics Finland, seasonally adjusted industrial output was 1.9 per cent lower in November 2004 than in October. The original output volume grew by 7.6 per cent from November 2003. In January to November, the original output volume increased by 4.2 per cent compared with the corresponding period of last year.
28 December 2004Change in the release time of Statistics Finland's data
As of 1 January 2005, Statistics Finland's notifications on the economic situation of Finland, other statistical releases as well as media releases will be made public at 9 am on weekdays. The latest releases can be found on our Internet pages under Press releases.
27 December 2004Consumers confident as Christmas approaches
In December, consumers' confidence in the economy was stronger than on the average since 1995. The consumer confidence indicator stood at 14.6, having been 10.8 in November and 12.2 one year ago. Of the four components of the confidence indicator, expectations concerning Finland's economy and the development of unemployment improved distinctly from the previous month while views about own economy and saving possibilities remained more or less unchanged. The data are based on Statistics Finland's Consumer Survey for which 1,578 persons resident in Finland were interviewed between 1 and 17 December.
22 December 2004GDP in October equal to September
According to the seasonally adjusted series of the Monthly Indicator of GDP calculated by Statistics Finland, the volume of GDP remained on level with the previous month. The trend of GDP still indicates growth for the economy.
21 December 2004Employment and unemployment in November 2004
- Number of employed persons 45,000 higher than
one year ago
- Employment rate 67.1 per cent
- Number of unemployed unchanged
- Rate of unemployment 8.1 per cent, 207,000 unemployed
- 22,000 new vacancies at labour exchange offices
Producer prices for manufactured products rose by 1.0 per cent in the year
According to Statistics Finland, producer prices for manufactured products went up by 1.0 per cent from this year's November to last year's November. The total point figure of the index was particularly raised by higher prices of oil products. Higher prices of iron, steel and iron alloys, plastic materials, copper and other organic basic chemicals also had a considerable impact on producer prices. The rise of prices was especially curbed by lower prices of electronic and electrical equipment.
14 December 2004Inflation slowed down to 0.5 per cent in November
According to Statistics Finland, the year-on-year change in consumer prices, i.e. inflation, slowed down to 0.5 per cent in November. In October, it stood at 0.9 per cent. Inflation slowed down mainly because the prices of liquid fuels fell from October to November.
9 December 2004GDP grew in the third quarter of the year
In the third quarter of 2004, the volume of Finland's gross domestic product grew by 1.1 per cent from the previous quarter. Compared with the third quarter of 2003, GDP was up by 3.2 per cent. According to revised data, in the second quarter of 2004 GDP also grew by 3.2 per cent from the corresponding quarter of 2003, and GDP for the January to September period was altogether 3.1 per cent greater than twelve months previously. This is indicated by the preliminary National Accounts data compiled by Statistics Finland.
3 December 2004R&D expenditure estimated to decrease in 2004
In 2003, expenditure on research and development grew by close on EUR 200 million in Finland and exceeded EUR 5 billion. R&D expenditure grew by 4 per cent, i.e. by almost the same amount as one year earlier. The GDP share of R&D expenditure remained unchanged at 3.5 per cent. The data derive from Statistics Finland's statistics on research and development activity in Finland in 2003.
30 November 2004Industrial output grew by 1 per cent in October from September
According to Statistics Finland, seasonally adjusted industrial output was 1 per cent higher in October 2004 than in September. The original output volume grew by nearly 2 per cent from October 2003. In January to October, the original output volume increased by 3.8 per cent compared with the corresponding period of last year.
29 November 2004Consumers' confidence in the economy strengthened slightly in November
Consumers' expectations concerning their own and Finland's economy, and the development of employment weakened slightly from the previous month in November. Nevertheless, the consumer confidence indicator rose to 10.8 as views about saving possibilities improved clearly from the small decline in October. However, consumers' confidence was still weaker in November than on the average since 1995. The data are based on Statistics Finland's Consumer Survey for which 1,466 persons resident in Finland were interviewed between 1 and 19 November.
25 November 2002In 2003 Finland's greenhouse gas emissions totalled 88.5 Mt CO2 (million tonnes of CO2 equivalent). The emissions exceeded by around 20 per cent (15 Mt) the level for the year 1990, to which Finland should limit its emissions during the Kyoto Agreement's first commitment period between 2008 and 2012. This appears from the preliminary emission calculation data for the year 2003 compiled by Statistics Finland.
23 November 2004Employment and unemployment in October 2004
- Number of employed persons 30,000 higher than
one year ago
- Employment rate 66.6 per cent
- Number of unemployed 7,000 lower than one year before
- Rate of unemployment 8.0 per cent, 203,000 unemployed
- 22,000 new vacancies at labour exchange offices
Import prices rose by 7.4 per cent in the year
According to Statistics Finland, import prices went up by 7.4 per cent from last year's October to this year's October. The rise of the index was mostly attributable to higher price of crude oil. Higher prices of processed metals, metal ores and basic chemicals also had a considerable impact. The rise of prices was especially curbed by lower prices of radio, TV and communication equipment.
15 November 2004According to the seasonally adjusted series of the Monthly Indicator of GDP calculated by Statistics Finland, the volume of GDP grew by 0.3 per cent in September from the previous month. The trend of GDP also indicates growth for September.
15 November 2004Inflation accelerated to 0.9 per cent in October
According to Statistics Finland, the year-on-year change in consumer prices, i.e. inflation, rose to 0.9 per cent in October. Acceleration of inflation was mostly due to higher prices of liquid fuels.
29 October 2004Heli Jeskanen-Sundström, Director General of Statistics Finland, has been appointed Member of the Governing Board of the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), the statistical branch of the United Nations Organisation for Education, Science and Culture, for the 2004 to 2007 term.
29 October 2004Industrial output fell by 1.2 per cent in September from August
According to Statistics Finland, seasonally adjusted industrial output was 1.2 per cent lower in September 2004 than in August. The original output volume grew by nearly 6 per cent from September 2003. In January to September, the original output volume increased by 4 per cent compared with the corresponding period of last year.
27 October 2004Consumers' estimates of saving possibilities grew more cautious
Consumers' confidence in the economy weakened in October for the second successive month. The consumer confidence indicator stood at 9.6, having still been 14.8 in August. Of the four components of the confidence indicator, estimates about Finland's economy and especially about saving possibilities weakened in October compared to September. Consumers' views about their own economy and development of unemployment remained more or less unchanged. On the other hand, consumers no longer regarded the time as favourable as before for making major purchases. The data are based on Statistics Finland's Consumer Survey for which 1,487 persons resident in Finland were interviewed between 1 and 18 October.
25 October 2004Proportion of women grew both among candidates and elected councillors
A total of 39,906 candidates were nominated in the Municipal elections. Of the candidates, 39.9 per cent were women. The number of women rose by 1.7 percentage points from the 2000 Municipal elections. Among the elected councillors, 36.3 per cent were women, which is 1.9 percentage points more than in the previous municipal elections. The proportion of women among elected councillors has been growing continuously ever since the 1950s.
20 October 2004According to the seasonally adjusted series of the Monthly Indicator of GDP calculated by Statistics Finland, the volume of GDP grew by 0.2 per cent in August from the previous month. The trend of GDP also indicates clear growth for August.
19 October 2004Employment and unemployment in September 2004
- Number of employed persons 17,000 higher than
one year ago
- Employment rate 67.2 per cent
- Number of unemployed 21,000 lower than one year before
- Rate of unemployment 7.2 per cent, 183,000 unemployed
- 25,000 new vacancies at labour exchange offices
Import prices rose by 6.7 per cent in the year
According to Statistics Finland, import prices went up by 6.7 per cent from last year's September to this year's September. The rise of the index was particularly attributable to the fact that prices of energy products increased by 29,2 per cent and prices of output commodities by 9,4 per cent. The rise of the index was curbed by lower prices of consumer durables.
14 October 2004Inflation 0.4 per cent in September
According to Statistics Finland, the year-on-year change in consumer prices, i.e. inflation, was 0.4 per cent in September. Inflation was thus the same as in August.
13 October 2004The election information service for the Municipal elections 2004 has been opened in Finnish on Statistics Finland's Internet site at: tilastokeskus.fi/kunnallisvaalit/2004. Starting from the night of the elections, 24 October 2004, the information will be supplemented in real time with statistics, analyses and maps as the election results are being completed. The election information service in English can be found at: tilastokeskus.fi/tk/he/vaalit/index_en.html; at the moment, it includes information on the previous municipal elections. In addition, a more extensive service subject to a charge is available to all interested parties.
30 September 2004Industrial output declined by 0.5 per cent in August from July
According to Statistics Finland, seasonally adjusted industrial output was 0.5 per cent lower in August 2004 than in July. The original output volume grew by nearly 9 per cent from August 2003. In January to August, the original output volume increased by 3.8 per cent compared with the corresponding period of last year.
27 September 2004Consumers estimate unemployment to deteriorate
Consumers' confidence in the economy weakened slightly in September compared with August. The consumer confidence indicator stood at 12.2 in September, which is still higher than in the corresponding period last year. Of the four components of the confidence indicator, estimates about one's own economy and saving possibilities improved somewhat in September from one month ago. In contrast, views about Finland's economy and especially about development of unemployment became darker. The data are based on Statistics Finland's Consumer Survey for which 1,563 persons resident in Finland were interviewed between 1 and 17 September.
22 September 2004According to the seasonally adjusted series of the Monthly Indicator of GDP calculated by Statistics Finland, the volume of GDP grew by 0.3 per cent in July from the previous month. The trend of GDP also indicates growth for July.
21 September 2004Employment and unemployment in August 2004
- Number of employed persons 7,000 lower than
one year ago
- Employment rate 68.8 per cent
- Number of unemployed 7,000 higher than one year before
- Rate of unemployment 8.0 per cent, 209,000 unemployed
- 28,000 new vacancies at labour exchange offices
Import prices rose by 5.7 per cent in the year
According to Statistics Finland, import prices went up by 5.7 per cent from this year's August to last year's August. The rise was particularly due to higher prices of crude oil, processed metals, metal ores and chemicals and chemical products. Prices of metal ores rose most, by 45.2 per cent.
14 September 2004Almost a billion euros for environmental protection in 2005
A total of 934 million euros of projected Finnish government expenditure for 2005 has been earmarked for environmental protection - amounting to 2.5% of the total budget. Government spending on the environment in 2004 is expected to amount to €932 million (2.5% of overall expenditure). In addition to central government spending, Finland's local authorities spent a total of 646 million euros on environmental measures in 2003, while environmental investments in the industrial sector amounted to €498M in 1999 (the most recent year for which figures are available).
14 September 2004Inflation 0.4 per cent in August
According to Statistics Finland, the year-on-year change in consumer prices, i.e. inflation, was 0.4 per cent in August. In July it was 0.3 per cent.
8 September 2004GDP grew in the second quarter of the year
In the second quarter of 2004, the volume of Finland's gross domestic product grew by 0.7 per cent from the first quarter. Compared with the second quarter of 2003, GDP was up by 3.2 per cent. According to revised data, in the first quarter of 2004 GDP grew by 2.9 per cent from the corresponding quarter of 2003, and GDP for the first half of 2004 was 3.0 per cent up on the year before. This is indicated by the preliminary National Accounts data compiled by Statistics Finland.
31 August 2004Industrial output grew by 3 per cent in July from June
According to Statistics Finland, seasonally adjusted industrial output was 3 per cent higher in July 2004 than in June. The original output volume grew by 5 per cent from July 2003. In January to July, the original output volume increased by 3.1 per cent compared with the corresponding period of last year.
27 August 2004Consumers' confidence stronger than average in August
Consumers' confidence in the economy has strengthened after a drop in July. The consumer confidence indicator stood at 14.8 in August, i.e. several units higher than one month or year ago. At the same time, the indicator exceeded its long-time average. All the four components of the confidence indicator improved in August compared with July. This was most visible in consumers' views about saving possibilities and development of unemployment. The data are based on Statistics Finland's Consumer Survey for which 1,532 persons resident in Finland were interviewed between 2 and 19 August.
24 August 2004Employment and unemployment in July 2004
- Number of employed persons 16,000 higher than
one year previously
- Employment rate 70.6 per cent
- Number of employed persons nearly unchanged
- Unemployment rate 7.8 per cent, 212,000 unemployed
- 19,000 new vacancies at labour exchange offices
Gunnar Modeen medal to Asta Manninen
The Gunnar Modeen medal awarded every three years by the Finnish Statistical Society was this year granted to Asta Manninen, Acting Director of the City of Helsinki Urban Facts. The medal was presented to Ms Manninen in connection with the Nordic Statistical Meeting on 20 August 2004.
19 August 2004International construction of
indicators raises concern
- Spotlights and smokescreens?
Heinrich Brüngger, Director of the Statistical Division of the UN Economic Commission for Europe, is concerned about growing construction of indicators. In his view, users of statistics find it increasingly harder to know when it is a question of indicators based on official statistics, when of other matters. At best, official indicators are spotlights shedding light on the state of things, while unofficial ones are at worse smokescreens meant to obscure things. Heinrich Brüngger spoke in the opening session of the Nordic Statistical Conference held in Turku on 18 to 21 August.
19 August 2004Nordic Statistical Conference in
Turku
- Knowledge for the future
The 23rd Nordic Statistical Conference is organised in Turku between 18 and 21 August 2004. The topic of the conference is knowledge for the future and it has over 300 participants from the Nordic and Baltic Countries. Corresponding extensive meetings are arranged every third year.
17 August 2004Producer prices for manufactured products rose by 1.2 per cent in the year
According to Statistics Finland, producer prices for manufactured products rose by 1.2 per cent from July 2003 to July 2004. The rise was mainly attributable to higher prices of oil products, electricity and non-ferrous metals. The rise of the overall index was curbed by lower prices of electronic and electrical products, certain chemical products, and paper and paperboard.
13 August 2004Inflation accelerated to 0.3 per cent in July
According to Statistics Finland, the year-on-year change in consumer prices, i.e. inflation, rose to 0.3 per cent in July. The acceleration of inflation from June's -0.1 per cent was mainly due to higher prices of vegetables and halted fall in interest rates.
13 August 2004According to the seasonally adjusted series of the Monthly Indicator of GDP calculated by Statistics Finland, the volume of GDP grew by 0.6 per cent in June from the previous month. The trend of GDP also indicates strong growth for June.
30 July 2004Industrial output fell by 1.7 per cent from May to June
According to Statistics Finland, seasonally adjusted industrial output was 1.7 per cent lower in June than in May 2004. However, compared to June 2003, seasonally adjusted industrial output grew by 4.9 per cent. Over the January to June period, industrial output increased by 2.1 per cent from the corresponding time period in 2003.
27 July 2004Consumers' confidence in the economy weakened slightly in July
The strengthening of Finnish consumers' confidence in the economy halted in July. The consumer confidence indicator stood at 11.4, which is still higher than it was at the corresponding time last year. Of the four components of the confidence indicator, assessments of saving possibilities and views on unemployment grew gloomier from June, but expectations concerning own and Finland's economy remained more or less unchanged. The data are based on Statistics Finland's Consumer Survey, for which 1,565 persons resident in Finland were interviewed between 1 and 19 July.
23 July 2004According to the seasonally adjusted series of the Monthly Indicator of GDP calculated by Statistics Finland, the volume of GDP went up by 0.6 per cent in May from April. With the May data the trend of GDP also indicates a growth direction for the economy.
20 July 2004Employment and unemployment in June 2004
- Number of employed persons unchanged
- Employment rate 70.5 per cent
- Number of unemployed persons 23,000 lower than one year
earlier
- Rate of unemployment 8.9 per cent, 241,000 unemployed
- 23,000 new vacancies at labour exchange offices
Producer prices for manufactured products rose by 1.2 per cent in the year
According to Statistics Finland, producer prices for manufactured products went up by 1.2 per cent from June 2003 to June this year. This was mainly attributable to higher prices of oil products, electricity and non-ferrous metals. The rise of the overall index was curbed by lower prices of electronic and electrical equipment, certain inorganic basic chemicals, and paper, board and paper products.
14 July 2004Inflation stayed at -0.1 per cent in June
According to Statistics Finland, the year-on-year change in consumer prices, i.e. inflation, was -0.1 per cent in June. Inflation, thus, remained unchanged from May.
30 June 2004Industrial output grew by as much as 5.6 per cent in May from April
According to Statistics Finland, seasonally adjusted industrial output was 5.6 per cent higher in May than in April. The growth rate of industrial output accelerated in May. Monthly growth was last this high four years ago in May 2000.
28 June 2004Consumers' confidence in the economy strengthened further in June
The consumer confidence indicator measuring consumers' economic expectations stood at 14.3 in June, or slightly higher than in May and clearly higher than 12 months earlier. Of the four components of the confidence indicator, assessments of saving possibilities improved from May and views about their own and Finland's economy and about unemployment remained more or less unchanged. The data are based on Statistics Finland's Consumer Survey, for which 1,589 persons resident in Finland were interviewed between 1 and 17 June.
22 June 2004GDP in April of the same magnitude as in March
According to the seasonally adjusted series of the Monthly Indicator of GDP calculated by Statistics Finland, the volume of GDP was in April of the same magnitude as in March. However, with the April data the trend of GDP indicates a growth direction for the economy.
22 June 2004Employment and unemployment in May 2004
- Number of employed persons almost
unchanged
- Employment rate 67.7 per cent
- Number of unemployed 7,000 higher than one year before
- Rate of unemployment 11.6 per cent, 313,000 unemployed
- 31,000 new vacancies at labour exchange offices
Producer prices for manufactured products rose by 1.2 per cent in the year
According to Statistics Finland, producer prices for manufactured products increased by 1.2 per cent from May 2003 to May 2004. The rise was mainly attributable to higher prices of oil products, electricity and non-ferrous metals. The fall of the overall index was curbed by lower prices of electronic and electrical equipment, and paper, paperboard and paper products.
14 June 2004Voting turnout rose higher than in the previous elections
Voting turnout in the European Parliament elections was 41.1 per cent. Voting turnout rose in the whole country by 9.7 percentage points compared with the European Parliament elections 1999. Now the number of voters was over 400,000 higher than in 1999.
14 June 2004Inflation -0.1 per cent in May
According to Statistics Finland, the year-on-year change in consumer prices, i.e. inflation, was -0.1 per cent in May. In April it stood at -0.4 per cent. The fall of consumer prices slowed down primarily on account of higher prices of liquid fuels.
9 June 2004GDP grew in the first quarter of the year
In the first quarter of 2004, the volume of Finland's gross domestic product grew by 0.7 per cent from the last quarter of 2003. Compared with the first quarter of 2003, GDP was up by 2.7 per cent. The growth was strongest in service industries. This is indicated by the preliminary National Accounts data compiled by Statistics Finland.
31 May 2004Industrial output grew by one per cent from March to April
According to Statistics Finland, seasonally adjusted industrial output was one per cent higher in April than in March 2004. Industrial output has shown slight growth in the last three months.
27 May 2004Consumers confident about their saving possibilities
Finnish consumers' confidence in the economy strengthened further in May. The consumer confidence indicator stood at 13.5 in May, or at the level of its long-term average and clearly higher than 12 months earlier. Of the four components of the confidence indicator, assessments of saving possibilities improved clearly from April, but views about their own economy, unemployment and especially about Finland's economy deteriorated. The data are based on Statistics Finland's Consumer Survey, for which 1,584 persons resident in Finland were interviewed between 3 and 18 May.
25 May 2004Employment and unemployment in April 2004
- 45,000 fewer employed than a year ago
- Employment rate 65.3 per cent
- Number of unemployed same as one year earlier
- Rate of unemployment 10.6 per cent, 272,000 unemployed
- 32,000 new vacancies at labour exchange offices
Producer prices for manufactured products rose by 0.3 per cent in the year
According to Statistics Finland, producer prices for manufactured products rose by 0.3 per cent from April 2003 to April 2004. The rise was mainly attributable to higher prices of electricity, oil products and non-ferrous metals. The rise of the overall index was curbed by lower prices of electronic and electrical products, and paper, pulp, paperboard and paper products.
14 May 2004Inflation -0.4 per cent in April
According to Statistics Finland, the year-on-year change in consumer prices, i.e. inflation, was -0.4 per cent in April. In March it was -0.5 per cent. The difference was mostly due to higher prices of petrol from the year before.
14 May 2004According to the seasonally adjusted series of the Monthly Indicator of GDP calculated by Statistics Finland, the volume of GDP grew by 0.5 per cent in March from the previous month. With the March data, the trend of GDP also indicates a growth direction for the economy.
30 April 2004Industrial output grew by 0.2 per cent in March from February
According to Statistics Finland, seasonally adjusted industrial output went up by 0.2 per cent in March 2004 from February 2004. Industrial output has grown slightly in two successive months.
27 April 2004Consumers' views on development of unemployment less pessimistic
Consumers' confidence in the economy was unchanged in April compared with March but stronger than one year ago. The consumer confidence indicator stood at exactly 13 in April. Of the four components of the confidence indicator, estimates about own economy and saving possibilities weakened from one month ago and correspondingly, views on Finland's economy improved slightly and pessimism about the development of unemployment decreased. The data are based on Statistics Finland's Consumer Survey, for which 1,579 persons resident in Finland were interviewed between 1 and 19 April.
21 April 2004GDP in February at the same level as in January
According to the seasonally adjusted series of the Monthly Indicator of GDP calculated by Statistics Finland, the volume of GDP was equal in February 2004 to that in January 2004. With the February data, the trend of GDP indicates a slightly positive direction.
20 April 2004Employment and unemployment in March 2004
- Number of employed persons 13,000 lower than
a year ago
- Employment rate 65.8 per cent
- Number of unemployed 15,000 lower than one year before
- Rate of unemployment 9.5 per cent, 242,000 unemployed
- 42,000 new vacancies at labour exchange offices
Producer prices for manufactured products fell by 1.3 per cent in the year
According to Statistics Finland, producer prices for manufactured products fell by 1.3 per cent from March 2003 to March this year. This was mainly attributable to lower prices of electronic and electrical products and oil products. The fall of the overall index was curbed by higher prices of electricity, basic chemicals and non-ferrous metals.
14 April 2004Cut in alcohol tax brought inflation down to -0,5 per cent in March
Consumer prices were 0.5 per cent lower this March than in March last year. The fall was caused by lowered taxation on alcohol. Inflation was last preceded by a minus sign in October 1955.
31 March 2004Industrial output went up by 0.2 per cent from January to February
According to Statistics Finland, seasonally adjusted industrial output was 0.2 per cent higher in February than in January 2004. In January 2004, seasonally adjusted output decreased by 2.7 per cent from December 2003.
29 March 2004Consumers' confidence in own economy record high
The consumer confidence indicator, condensing economic views in Finland, stood at 12.8 in March, or slightly higher than one month or 12 months earlier. All four components of the confidence indicator showed improvement compared to February and consumers' confidence in the future of their own economy increased in particular. The data are based on Statistics Finland's Consumer Survey, for which 1,651 persons resident in Finland were interviewed between 1 and 18 March.
23 March 2004Employment and unemployment in February 2004
- 12,000 fewer employed than a year ago
- Employment rate 65.6 per cent
- Number of unemployed same as one year earlier
- Rate of unemployment 9.0 per cent, 229,000 unemployed
- 35,000 new vacancies at labour exchange offices
GDP showed fractional growth in January
According to the trend of the Monthly Indicator of GDP calculated by Statistics Finland, the volume of GDP grew by 0.1 per cent in January 2004 from December 2003. The growth, which was especially sustained by trade, was curbed by contracting manufacturing output.
17 March 2004Producer prices for manufactured products fell by 2.2 per cent in the year
According to Statistics Finland, producer prices for manufactured products fell by 2.2 per cent from February 2003 to February 2004. This was mainly attributable to lower prices of electronic and electrical equipment, paper and paperboard, and oil products. The fall of the overall index was curbed by higher prices of basic chemicals, electricity and non-ferrous metals.
15 March 2004Inflation 0.1 per cent in February
According to Statistics Finland, the year-on-year change in consumer prices, i.e. inflation, was 0.1 per cent in February. In January, it stood at 0.2 per cent.
27 February 2004Gross domestic product grew by 1.9 per cent last year
According to Statistics Finland's preliminary data, the volume of Finland's gross domestic product grew by 1.9 per cent in 2003. Gross domestic product, or the combined value added of the goods and services produced, amounted to EUR 143 billion last year.
27 February 2004Industrial output fell by 2.7 per cent in January from December
According to Statistics Finland, seasonally adjusted industrial output went down by 2.7 per cent in January 2004 from December 2003. In December, seasonally adjusted output increased by 0.2 per cent from November.
27 February 2004Only minor changes in consumers' views
The consumer confidence indicator, condensing economic views in Finland, stood at 11.1 in February, or more or less unchanged from one month or twelve months earlier. Of the components of the confidence indicator, saving possibilities and views on unemployment remained unchanged from January, whereas consumers' views on their own and on Finland's economy worsened slightly. The data are based on Statistics Finland's Consumer Survey, for which 1,634 persons resident in Finland were interviewed between 2 and 20 February.
24 February 2004Employment and unemployment in January 2004
- Number of employed persons 28,000 lower than
a year ago
- Employment rate 64.9 per cent
- Number of unemployed nearly the same as one year before
- Rate of unemployment 9.5 per cent, 241,000 unemployed
- 30,000 new vacancies at labour exchange offices
Government R&D funding up by nearly EUR 100 million in 2004
Government budget appropriations or outlays on research and development for 2004 amount to EUR 1,538 million. Increases following the Government programme can be seen in funding, since it is up by EUR 93 million from the previous year. In 2004 government research expenditure as a proportion of overall government spending exclusive of debt servicing stands at 4.5 per cent, which is slightly higher than the year before. In nominal terms research expenditure is set to rise by 6.4 per cent and even in real terms by 3.6 per cent. This represents the biggest growth since 1997.
17 February 2004Producer prices for manufactured products fell by 1.8 per cent in the year
According to Statistics Finland, producer prices for manufactured products decreased by 1.8 per cent from January 2003 to January 2004. The fall was mainly attributable to lower prices of electronic and electrical equipment, paper and paperboard, and oil products. The fall of the overall index was curbed by higher prices of electricity, basic chemicals and non-ferrous metals.
13 February 2004According to the trend of the Monthly Indicator of GDP calculated by Statistics Finland, the volume of GDP grew by 0.2 per cent in December compared with November. Growth in December revised the monthly trend changes for the whole quarter to positive. Changes in October to November in the seasonally adjusted series containing random variation indicate that the development at the beginning of the quarter had been weaker. According to the available data, output in the fourth quarter appears to have grown both from the previous quarter and from the quarter one year previously.
13 February 2004Inflation declined to 0.2 per cent in January
According to Statistics Finland, the year-on-year change in consumer prices, i.e. inflation, slowed to 0.2 per cent in January. In December it was 0.6 per cent. The slowing was mostly due to decreased prices of petrol and telephone call charges from the year before.
30 January 2004Industrial output went up by 0.7 in 2003
The exceptionally prolonged and strong period of growth in industrial output that started in the early 1990s came to a halt at the onset of the 2000s, and growth has remained quite moderate over the past three years. According to preliminary data published by Statistics Finland, industrial output went up by 0.7 per cent in 2003 from the year before.
27 January 2004Consumers' confidence in the economy unchanged in January
The consumer confidence indicator, condensing economic views in Finland, stood at 11.8 in January, or more or less unchanged from one month or twelve months earlier. However, consumers' views on their own and on Finland's economy brightened somewhat in January. Moreover, they felt that the time was favourable for making major purchases and raising a loan. The data are based on Statistics Finland's Consumer Survey, for which 1,635 persons resident in Finland were interviewed between 2 and 19 January.
21 January 2004According to the trend of the Monthly Indicator of GDP calculated by Statistics Finland, the volume of GDP fell by 0.1 per cent in November compared with October. In practice, this negative trend change of less than one tenth of a per cent indicates that growth compared with the previous month was not achieved in November.
20 January 2004Employment and unemployment in December 2003
- Number of employed persons 5,000 lower than a
year ago
- Employment rate 66.4 per cent
- Number of unemployed nearly the same as one year before
- Rate of unemployment 8.2 per cent, 209,000 unemployed
- 16,000 new vacancies at labour exchange offices
Export prices fell by 3.2 per cent in the year
According to Statistics Finland, export prices fell by 3.2 per cent from December 2002 to December 2003. The fall was particularly accelerated by lower prices of electronic and electrical equipment and pulp, paper and paperboard. The average export prices for the year 2003 were 4.3 per cent lower than those for the year 2002.
14 January 2004Inflation 0.6 per cent in December 2003
According to Statistics Finland, the year-on-year change in consumer prices, i.e. inflation, rose to 0.6 per cent in December 2003. In November 2003, it stood at 0.5 per cent. The average rate of inflation for the year 2003 was 0.9 per cent.