24 April 1997
More jobs in services
The service sector saw an increase in the number of jobs by over 40 000 in the year to March, as indicated by the revised Labour Force Survey of Statistics Finland. There was a slight improvement in employment in the processing industries as well, whereas in primary production jobs decreased. The total number of employed persons in March amounted to 2 107 000, being 40 000 more than a year ago.
The employment of men was up by 26 000 jobs and that of women by over 13 000 compared to the year before. Seasonally adjusted employment improved from February to March.
There were 397 000 unemployed persons in March, which is 15 000 less than in March 1996. Men accounted for 52 per cent and women for 48 per cent of the unemployed. The seasonally adjusted unemployment figure of March was at the same level as in February.
The unemployment rate decreased by 0.7 percentage points in one year, down to 15.9 per cent. The unemployment rate of men fell to 15.7 per cent and that of women to 16.1 per cent. Youth unemployment stood at 83 000 persons in March.
The highest unemployment rate was still in construction, at 30.6 per cent.
Changes in the labour force 3/1996-3/1997, 1 000 persons
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| March | February | March | Change, % | |
| 1996 | 1997 | 1997 | 3/96-3/97 | |
| Employed, total | 2 067 | 2 094 | 2 107 | 1.9 |
| agriculture and forestry | 150 | 153 | 138 | -7.8 |
| processing industries | 551 | 546 | 557 | 1.1 |
| service sector | 1 360 | 1 388 | 1 404 | 3.3 |
| industry unknown | 6 | 7 | 8 | .. |
| Unemployed | 412 | 394 | 397 | -3.6 |
| 15-24 years of age | 76 | 63 | 83 | 8.9 |
| Unemployment rate, % | 16.6 | 15.8 | 15.9 | -0.7 |
| 15-24 years of age, % | 33.0 | 26.3 | 32.4 | -0.6 1 |
| Labour force participation | ||||
| of those aged 15-74, % | 64.5 | 64.5 | 64.9 | 0.4 1 |
| Not in labour force | ||||
| 15-74 years of age | 1 366 | 1 368 | 1 353 | -0.9 |
Unrounded figures are used in the Change column figures. 1 percentage points
Impact of the revision on comparability
The Labour Force Survey of Statistics Finland has been revised as of the beginning of 1997 to better correspond to the concepts and definitions used by the European Union and the International Labour Organisation (ILO). Owing to the revision of the Labour Force Survey comparisons made in 1997 on the year before will be less reliable than normally. An estimate was made on the impact that the revision had on the figures for March 1996 and the figures presented here were adjusted accordingly.
The revision was based on the results of the parallel survey conducted between March-December 1996. The sample in the survey was, however, fairly small and did not cover the whole year, so the revisions are crude. The comparability of the survey will reach the customary level in January 1998, when data for the revised survey will have been collected for a whole year.
Since the Labour Force Survey is a sample survey, random variation has to be taken into account when assessing the changes. The confidence interval of the March unemployment rate is ± 0.5 percentage points.
The data for the Labour Force Survey of Statistics Finland were collected by interviewing some 12 000 Finnish residents of working age. The data are from between March 10 and 16. The Labour Force Survey is a panel survey where over a period of 18 months each person is included five times in the sample.
The Labour Force Survey produces data both on employment and unemployment. It is based on the international recommendations of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the European Union and the survey is comparable to statistics produced by other countries.
424 000 unemployed job seekers in March
The Ministry of Labour also publishes statistics on unemployment. The data are on unemployed job seekers on the last working day of each month. Owing to differences in methods and definitions, the unemployment figures issued by Statistics Finland and the Ministry of Labour are not fully comparable. The trend in the changes is generally in the same direction, with the figures of the Ministry of Labour being higher by some thousands. At the end of March 424 000 unemployed persons were registered in the job applicants register of the Ministry of Labour.
Source: Labour Force Survey 1997, March. Statistics
Finland
Inquiries: Mr Tapio Oksanen tel. +358 9 1734 3228 and Mr Timo
Koskimäki,
tel. +358 9 1734 3517