Employment and unemployment in December 1999

- 65,000 more employed than a year ago
- Employment rate 65.6 per cent
- Rate of unemployment 9.1 per cent, 229,000 unemployed
- 13,000 new vacancies at labour exchange offices

According to the Labour Force Survey of Statistics Finland, there were 65,000 more employed in December than a year ago. The number of wage-earners was up by 67,000 on December 1998. The number of self-employed persons went down slightly. The number of wage-earners employed in continuous full-time jobs increased by 61,000 and that of persons in part-time employment by 24,000, whereas the number of persons with fixed-term jobs fell by 26,000. During December, 13,000 new vacancies were reported to the labour exchange offices, which is slightly more than in December 1998.

In December, the employment rate, that is, the proportion of the employed among persons aged 15 to 64, stood at 65.6 per cent, which is 1.7 percentage points higher than in December 1998. Adjusted for seasonal variation, the employment rate stood at 66.6 per cent in December. Of economic activities, jobs increased most in manufacturing, construction and business services. Jobs increased in the Province of Southern Finland by good 50,000.

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Changes in the labour force 12/1998 - 12/1999, thousand
	December	December		CHANGE, %
	1999	1998		12/98 - 12/99
Statistics Finland Labour Force Survey:
Employed, total	2,286		2,221		2.9
- wage earners	1,969		1,902		3.5
Employment rate, %	65.6		63.9		1.7 ²
Unemployed ¹	229		253		-9.2
Labour force, total	2,515		2,474		1.7
Unemployment rate, %	9.1		10.2		-1.1 ²
Economically inactive, total	1,381		1,410		-2.0
- discouraged job seekers	42		43		-1.7
- other disguised unemployment	87		113		-22.9
Ministry of Labour Employment Exchange Statistics:
Unemployed job seekers	357		376		-5.1
- unemployed over a year	94		105		-10.6
Employed with subsidised measures	43		54		-20.6
In labour market training	36		37		-2.0
In trainee and job alternation places	14		14		1.8
New vacancies in labour exchange offices	13		13		1.5
Unrounded figures are used in the CHANGE column ¹ Based on the recommendations of the International Labour Organisation (ILO)		² percentage points

According to the Labour Force Survey, there were 229,000 unemployed in December, which is 24,000 fewer than a year earlier. The rate of unemployment was 9.1 per cent, which is 1.1 percentage points lower than in December 1998. The male unemployment rate stood at 8.4 per cent and the female one at 9.9 per cent. Adjusted for seasonal variation, the unemployment rate stood at 9.8 per cent in December.

At the end of December, there were 357,000 persons registered, in accordance with the Unemployment Security Act and the Labour Exchange Office Regulations, as job seekers at the labour exchange offices. This is about 19,000 fewer than in December 1998. The number of unemployed job seekers declined in the areas of all employment and economic development centres, except for Satakunta where unemployment increased slightly. The number of those covered by employment policy measures fell by 12,000 from the previous year's December and was 3.9 per cent of the labour force.

According to the Labour Force Survey, the unemployment rate, that is, the proportion of the unemployed of the labour force, among persons aged 15 to 24 was 15.6 per cent, which is 2.2 percentage points lower than a year before. There were 44,000 unemployed job seekers aged under 25 registered at the labour exchange offices. Their number fell by 5,000 from the previous year.

Differences between the Labour Force Survey and the Labour Exchange Statistics

The employment situation is monitored monthly both with the sample-based Labour Force Survey of Statistics Finland and with the register-based Labour Exchange Statistics of the Ministry of Labour. Calculations in the Labour Exchange Statistics are based on the status quo on the last working day of the month, whereas the Labour Force Survey describes the week that includes the 15th day of the month.

The Labour Force Survey follows the recommendations of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the practices required by Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities. The Labour Exchange Statistics are based on legislation and administrative regulations.

The Labour Force Survey and the Labour Exchange Statistics apply two basically different statistical criteria to how actively a person seeks work and makes him/herself available on the labour market. For this reason, the number of unemployed job seekers does not agree with the number of unemployed calculated in accordance with the ILO recommendations. The difference between the December unemployment figures of Statistics Finland and the Ministry of Labour was of the same magnitude as a year earlier. Unemployed persons who have neither contacted a labour exchange office for over four weeks, nor actively sought work in any other way either, are generally classified in the Labour Force Survey as belonging to disguised unemployment. However, in compliance with the ILO recommendations, the Survey also classifies as unemployed persons seeking jobs by means other than through labour exchange offices.

In the Labour Force Survey, persons who could accept a job but are not actively seeking one are classified as belonging to disguised unemployment. The Survey divides disguised unemployment into two categories: discouraged job seekers are those who do not seek work because they do not think they would find any. Other disguised unemployment consists of persons who do not seek work because of studies, childcare or some other reason, although they would be prepared to accept work if it were offered. In accordance with the ILO recommendations, all persons in disguised unemployment are classified in the Survey as not belonging to the labour force.

Since the Labour Force Survey is a sample survey, its data allow for random variation. In respect of the unemployment rate, for example, the 95 per cent confidence interval is plus minus 0.5 percentage points. The confidence interval for the number of unemployed is approximately plus minus 14,000 persons.

Inquiries:
Statistics Finland: Ms Salme Kiiski +358 9 1734 3230, Mr Tapio Oksanen +358 9 1734 3228, Mr Hannu Siitonen (09) 1734 3225, Ms Annukka Ruuhela +358 9 1734 3524; e-mail tyovoima.tilastokeskus@stat.fi, Internet http://www.stat.fi/tk/el/tyoll.html
Ministry of Labour: Mr Oiva Lönnberg +358 9 1856 8048, e-mail oiva.lonnberg@mol.fi; Internet http://www.mol.fi/katsaukset/
Latest seasonally adjusted unemployment figures published by the EU for November 1999 at http://europa.eu.int/en/comm/eurostat/compres/en/0100/3-04012000-en-ap.htm