Employment and unemployment in July 1999

- 71,000 more employed than a year ago
- Employment rate up in the year by 1.8 percentage points to 69.7 per cent
- Rate of unemployment 8.6 per cent, 227,000 unemployed
- 17,000 new vacancies at labour exchange offices

According to the Labour Force Survey of Statistics Finland, there were 71,000 more employed in July than a year ago. The number of wage-earners went up by 84,000 in the year to July, while the number of self-employed persons fell by 13,000. The number of wage-earners employed in continuous full-time jobs increased by 55,000 and that of persons in part-time and fixed-term jobs by almost 30,000. During July, 17,000 new vacancies were reported to the labour exchange offices, which is the same as in the corresponding period last year.

Over the year, the employment rate, that is, the proportion of the employed among persons aged 15 to 64, went up by 1.8 percentage points to 69.7 per cent. During the summer months the employment rate is seasonally at its highest. Adjusted for seasonal variation, the employment rate stood at 66.0 per cent in July. Of economic activities, jobs increased most in business services, construction, and in public and other services. Employment improved in all provinces.

According to the Labour Force Survey, there were 227,000 unemployed in July, which is 38,000 fewer than a year ago. The rate of unemployment was 8.6 per cent, which is 1.5 percentage points lower than in July 1998. The male unemployment rate stood at 8.3 per cent and the female one at 8.9 per cent. Adjusted for seasonal variation, the unemployment rate was 9.8 per cent in July.

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Changes in the labour force 7/1998 - 7/1999, thousand
	July	July	CHANGE, %
	1999	1998	7/98 - 7/99
Statistics Finland Labour Force Survey:
Employed, total	2,426	2,355	3.0
- wage earners	2,111	2,027	4.1
Employment rate, %	69.7	67.9	1.8 ²
Unemployed ¹	227	265	-14.2
Labour force, total	2,653	2,619	1.3
Unemployment rate, %	8.6	10.1	-1.5 ²
Economically inactive, total	1,237	1,259	-1.8
- discouraged job seekers	58	43	34.1
- other disguised unemployment	75	86	-12.5
Ministry of Labour Employment Exchange Statistics:
Unemployed job seekers	366	388	-5.9
- unemployed over a year	100	115	-13.1
Employed with subsidised measures	49	53	-7.5
In labour market training	27	29	-5.9
In trainee and job alternation places	13	14	-4.8
New vacancies in labour exchange offices	17	17	-2.1
Unrounded figures are used in the CHANGE column ¹ Based on the recommendations of the International Labour Organisation (ILO)		² percentage points

At the end of July, there were 366,000 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 23,000 fewer than in July 1998. The number of unemployed job seekers declined in the areas of all employment and economic development centres. The number of those covered by employment policy measures fell by 6,000 from the previous year's July and was 3.6 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 13.6 per cent, which is 2.0 percentage points lower than the year before. There were 55,000 unemployed job seekers aged under 25 registered at the labour exchange offices. Their number fell by 2,000 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 July 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 15,200 persons.

Inquiries:
Statistics Finland: Ms Salme Kiiski +358 9 1734 3230, Mr Tapio Oksanen +358 9 1734 3228, Mr Timo Koskimäki +358 9 1734 3517, 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/tilasto/tk