25 September 1997
Inquiries: Mr Tapio Oksanen, tel. +358 9 1734 3228, or
Mr Hannu Siitonen, tel. +358 9 1734 3225, or Ms Salme Kiiski, tel.
+358 9 1734 3230, or Mr Timo Koskimäki , tel. +358 9 1734
3517
Statistical director in charge: Mr Risto Lehtonen, tel. +358 9 1734
3531
Higher employment rate in August
According to the Labour Force Survey of Statistics Finland there were 1 868 000 wage earners in August, which is a good 40 000 more than the year before. Employment improved the most in the processing industries, mainly in the metal industry. Employment improved in the provinces of Uusimaa, Turku and Pori, and Häme.
There were 313 000 unemployed people in August, about 50 000 less than a year earlier. The unemployment rate was 12.4 per cent, being 2.1 percentage points lower than the figure in August 1996. The unemployment rate of men was 11.2 per cent and that of women 13.7 per cent. Youth unemployment stood at 59 000 youths, being slightly less than a year ago.
The unemployment rate saw a fall in all branches of industry. The highest rate of unemployment was still registered in the construction industry, at 16.1 per cent. Owing to the revision of the Labour Force Survey the comparability of the figures on the year before remains unreliable.
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Changes in the labour force 8/1996-8/1997, 1 000 persons |
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| August | July | August | CHANGE, % | ||
| 1996 | 1997 | 1997 | 8/96-8/97 | ||
| Employed wage earners | 1 825 | 1 963 | 1 868 | 2.4 | |
| processing industries | 530 | 597 | 560 | 5.9 | |
| service sector | 1 254 | 1 313 | 1 264 | 0.8 | |
| other industries | 41 | 53 | 45 | 7.2 | |
| Employed entrepreneurs + | |||||
| assisting family members | 342 | 334 | 340 | -0.7 | |
| Employed, total | 2 167 | 2 301 | 2 210 | 2.0 | |
| Unemployed, total | 367 | 333 | 313 | -14.8 | |
| under 25 years of age | 62 | 71 | 59 | -5.2 | |
| Unemployment rate, % | 14.5 | 12.7 | 12.4 | -2.1 1 | |
| under 25 years of age, % | 24.2 | 18.4 | 21.6 | -2.6 1 | |
| Not in the labour force | |||||
| aged between 15-74 | 1 317 | 1 229 | 1 341 | 1.8 | |
| Unrounded figures are used in the CHANGE column. | 1 percentage points | ||||
In addition to the unemployed, there were about 20 000 people in August who believed jobseeking to be fruitless and therefore did not seek a job. Approximately 81 000 people did not seek a job because of studies, child minding or some other reason. Those in these two groups are classified in the statististics as economically inactive.
There were 212 000 part-time workers in August, of which 62 000 people would have liked to be able to work full-time.
All in all, in the January - August period there were an average 43 000 more wage earners and 26 000 less unemployed people than in the corresponding period last year.
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Labour force and changes in January - August 1996-97, 1 000 persons (mean value) |
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| Jan - Aug | Jan - Aug | CHANGE | CHANGE, % | |
| 1996 | 1997 | Jan - Aug 96-97 | Jan - Aug 96-97 | |
| Employed wage earners | 1 806 | 1 849 | 43 | 2.4 |
| processing industries | 527 | 543 | 16 | 3.0 |
| service sector | 1 234 | 1 263 | 29 | 2.4 |
| other industries | 45 | 43 | -2 | -3.8 |
| Employed entrepreneurs + | ||||
| assisting family members | 329 | 323 | -6 | -1.7 |
| Employed, total | 2 135 | 2 174 | 39 | 1.8 |
| Unemployed, total | 416 | 390 | -26 | -6.4 |
| under 25 years of age | 89 | 90 | 1 | 1.2 |
| Unemployment rate, % | 16.3 | 15.2 | .. | -1.1 1 |
| under 25 years of age, % | 30.9 | 28.7 | .. | -2.2 1 |
| Not in the labour force | ||||
| aged between 15-74 | 1 296 | 1 296 | 0 | 0.0 |
| Unrounded figures are used in the CHANGE column. | 1 percentage points | |||
Impact of the revision on comparability
Statistics Finland revised the Labour Force Survey at the beginning of 1997 to better correspond to the concepts and definitions used by the European Union and the International Labour Organisation (ILO). Seasonal variations in the labour markets are more evident in the revised Labour Force Survey. Although most of the effects of the revision were anticipated and the figures for August 1996 accordingly adjusted, year-on-year comparisons remain somewhat unreliable.
The revision was based on the results of a parallel survey conducted between March and December 1996. The sample in the survey was, however, fairly small and did not cover the whole year, so the revisions are crude. The results of the Labour Force Survey of early 1997 have also been used in the revisions.
The final revised figures for 1996 will be released in March 1998. Until then the revised data will remain preliminary. The comparability of the survey will improve in January 1998, when data for the revised survey will have been collected for the whole of 1997.
This year it is advisable to assess the employment trend primarily on the basis of the changes in the number of wage earners. This is due to the fact that the introduction of the statistical principles of the European Union at the beginning of this year makes it difficult to compare in particular the number of entrepreneurs with those of the year before.
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 August 11 and 17. The Labour Force Survey is a panel survey where over a period of 18 months each person is included five times in the sample.
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 August unemployment rate is ± 0,5 percentage points.
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 corresponding statistics produced in other countries.
396 000 unemployed jobseekers
The Ministry of Labour also publishes statistics on unemployment. The data are on unemployed jobseekers 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. However, the figures generally change in the same direction, so that the figures of the Ministry of Labour are some tens of thousands higher. At the end of August there were 396 000 unemployed jobseekers in the job applicants' register of the Ministry of Labour.
Source: Labour Force Survey,August 1997. Statistics Finland