20 November 1997
Inquiries: Hannu Siitonen tel. +358 9 1734 3225,
Salme Kiiski tel. +358 9 1734 3230,
Timo Koskimäki tel. +358 9 1734 3517
Statistical Director in charge: Risto Lehtonen
Continued improvement in employment in October
According to the Statistics Finland Labour Force Survey, Finland had 1 832 000 persons in employment in October, i.e. a good 20 000 more than a year before. The increase in jobs was most marked in construction and transport and in the county of Uusimaa.
There were in October 324 000 unemployed persons or nearly 50 000 fewer than a year before. The unemployment rate, i.e. the unemployed as a percentage of the labour force, was 13.1 per cent; this was 1.7 per cent down on the previous October. The unemployment rate for men was 12.7 and for women 13.4. The drop in unemployment was most pronounced in construction, but even here the rate was still the highest at 17.5 per cent.
The unemployment rate for young people, i.e. the young unemployed as a percentage of the total young labour force, fell close on 2 percentage points over the year to 22.4 per cent; 8.5 per cent of the total under25 age group of 642 000 were unemployed.
The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 13.8 per cent.
>
| Changes in the labour force 10/1996 - 10/1997, 1 000 persons | |||||
| October | September | October | CHANGE, % | ||
| 1996 | 1997 | 1997 | 10/96 - 10/97 | ||
| Employed wage earners | 1 810 | 1 841 | 1 832 | 1.2 | |
| Processing industries | 539 | 543 | 540 | 0.1 | |
| Service sector | 1 224 | 1 264 | 1 251 | 2.2 | |
| other industries | 47 | 34 | 41 | -10.9 | |
| Employed entrepreneurs + assisting family members | 315 | 316 | 320 | 1.7 | |
| Employed, total | 2 125 | 2 159 | 2 155 | 1.4 | |
| Unemployed, total | 370 | 315 | 324 | -12.5 | |
| under 25 years of age | 57 | 57 | 54 | -3.8 | |
| Unemployment rate, % | 14.8 | 12.7 | 13.1 | -1.7 1 | |
| under 25 years of age, % | 24.3 | 23.6 | 22.4 | -1.9 1 | |
| Economically inactive | 1 359 | 1 392 | 1 388 | 2.1 | |
| aged 15 to 74 | |||||
| Unrounded figures are used in the CHANGE column. | 1 percentage points | ||||
In addition to the unemployed, there were in October some 93 000 persons able to take on a job who were not seeking one; 20 000 of these people, generally classified in concealed unemployment, believed jobseeking to be fruitless and were therefore not seeking a job. About 73 000 did not seek work because they were studying, looking after their children, or for some other reason. Both categories are classified as not belonging to the labour force. All in all there were 1 388 000 persons aged 15 74 who were not in the labour force.
Of the 248 000 parttime workers in October, 86 000 would have liked to work fulltime.
During the period JanuaryOctober there were on average 43 000 more persons in employment and 28 000 fewer persons unemployed than in the corresponding period in 1996.
>
Labour force and changes in January - October 1996 - 97, 1 000 persons (mean value) |
|||||
| Jan-Oct. | Jan-Oct. | CHANGE | CHANGE, % | ||
| 1996 | 1997 | 1-10/96 - 1-10/97 | 1-10/96 - 1-10/97 | ||
| Employed wage earners | 1 804 | 1 846 | 43 | 2.4 | |
| processing industries | 527 | 542 | 16 | 3.0 | |
| service sector | 1 232 | 1 262 | 30 | 2.4 | |
| other industries | 45 | 42 | -3 | -5.8 | |
| Employed entrepreneurs + assisting family members |
327 | 322 | -5 | -1.6 | |
| Employed, total | 2 131 | 2 170 | 39 | 1.9 | |
| Unemployed, total | 404 | 376 | -28 | -7.1 | |
| under 25 years of age | 77 | 83 | 6 | 7.8 | |
| Unemployment rate, % | 16.0 | 14.8 | .. | -1.2 1 | |
| under 25 years of age, % | 28.5 | 27.8 | .. | -0.7 1 | |
| Economically inactive | 1 314 | 1 315 | 1 | 0.1 | |
| aged 15 to 74 | |||||
| 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), and to better meet the demands of international comparability. Although most of the effects of the revision were anticipated and the figures for October 1996 accordingly adjusted, year-on-year comparisons remain somewhat uncertain. The final revised figures for 1996 will be released in March 1998. Until then the revised data will remain preliminary.
This year it is advisable to assess the unemployment trend on the basis of the changes in the number of wage earners. The adoption of the statistical principles of the EU at the beginning of this year makes comparisons especially in the numbers of entrepreneurs to the 1996 figures difficult.
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 October 13 and 19. 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 in the October unemployment rate is ±0.5 percentage points.
378 000 unemployed jobseekers in the Ministry of Labour registers
The Ministry of Labour also publishes statistics on unemployment. The data are on the number of unemployed jobseekers on the last working day of each month. At the end of October there were 378 300 unemployed jobseekers in the job applicant's register of the Ministry of Labour.
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.
396 000 persons received unemployment benefit for August
Statistics on the amount of unemployment benefits paid are compiled by the Social Insurance Institution and the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. The statistics of both institutions indicate the number of beneficiaries during the month, which means that unemployment spells that started and ended in that month are also recorded, as well as the adjusted daily unemployment allowance of those working part-time or on short employment contracts.
Unemployment benefits were paid to altogether about 396 000 unemployed people for August. The number of unemployment recipients fell by approximately 41 000 compared to August 1996.
Source: Labour Force Survey, October 1997. Statistics Finland