Employment improved slightly in February

Employment continued to improve slowly in February. According to Statistics Finland's Labour Force Survey there were 32 000 more jobs in February compared to the corresponding period of the year before. The number of jobs increased most in the metal industry and business services.

The number of jobs for men increased by 21 000 and for women by 11 000. Compared to February 1995, the number of young people with jobs was up by 16 000.

Seasonally adjusted figures show a rise in employment by 2 000 and a fall in unemployment by 3 000 from January to February.

Unemployment stood at 423 000 in February, which is about 10 000 less than one year earlier. Out of those unemployed, 233 000 were men and 190 000 women.

Changes in the labour force from February 1995 to February 1996, 1 000 persons
Table

The unemployment rate or the proportion of those unemployed in the labour force was 17.3 per cent in February. The unemployment rate of men fell by 0.6 percentage points to 18.3 per cent and that of women by 0.4 percentage points to 16.3 per cent compared to February 1995. Youth unemployment declined by 5.2 percentage points to 27 per cent. In the whole 15-24 age group, numbering 632 000, 9 per cent were unemployed.

Higher unemployment figures in the Ministry of Labour

The data of the Labour Force Survey of Statistics Finland are collected by interviewing monthly some 12 000 Finns of working age. The Labour Force Survey is a panel survey based on a sample, in which the same person is surveyed five times over a period of eighteen months. The data to be published now are for the period 12-18 February.

The Labour Force Survey provides data both on employment and unemployment. It is based on the recommendations of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and it is comparable with the corresponding statistics of other countries.

The Ministry of Labour also publishes statistics on unemployment. The data on unemployed job applicants are from the last working day of the month. Owing to differences in methods and definitions, the unemployment figures of Statistics Finland and the Ministry of Labour are not comparable. However, the figures generally change in a parallel manner so that the figures of the Ministry of Labour exceed those of Statistics Finland by a few tens of thousands. At the end of February there were 462 600 unemployed persons in the Ministry of Labour's register of job applicants.

Source: Labour Force Survey 1996, February
Further Information: Tapio Oksanen, tel. +358 0 1734 3228,
Hannu Siitonen, tel. +358 0 1734 3225