Employment and unemployment in September 1999

- 74,000 more employed than a year ago
- Employment rate 65.9 per cent
- Rate of unemployment 9.1 per cent, 230,000 unemployed
- 18,000 new vacancies at labour exchange offices

According to the Labour Force Survey of Statistics Finland, there were 74,000 more employed in September than a year ago. The number of wage-earners went up by 75,000 in the year to September. The number of wage-earners employed in continuous full-time jobs increased by 54,000 and that of persons in part-time and fixed-term jobs by almost 20,000. During September, 18,000 new vacancies were reported to the labour exchange offices, which is 1,000 more than in September last year.

In September, the employment rate, that is, the proportion of the employed among persons aged 15 to 64, stood at 65.9 per cent, which is two percentage points higher than in September last year. Adjusted for seasonal variation, the employment rate stood at 66.5 per cent in September. Of economic activities, jobs increased most in public and other services and in construction, trade and hotels. Employment improved in all provinces. In relative terms, jobs increased most in the province of Lapland.

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Changes in the labour force 9/1998 - 9/1999, thousand
	September	September	CHANGE, %
	1999	1998	9/98 - 9/99
Statistics Finland Labour Force Survey:
Employed, total	2,294	2,220	3.4
- wage earners	1,962	1,887	4.0
Employment rate, %	65.9	63.9	2.0 ²
Unemployed ¹	230	252	-8.8
Labour force, total	2,524	2,472	2,1
Unemployment rate, %	9.1	10.2	-1.1 ²
Economically inactive, total	1,369	1,409	-2.9
- discouraged job seekers	39	46	-15.8
- other disguised unemployment	85	108	-21.0
Ministry of Labour Employment Exchange Statistics:
Unemployed job seekers	328	348	-5.7
- unemployed over a year	95	108	-12.0
Employed with subsidised measures	50	59	-14.0
In labour market training	38	40	-3.7
In trainee and job alternation places	16	15	6.3
New vacancies in labour exchange offices	18	17	2.4
Unrounded figures are used in the CHANGE column ¹ Based on the recommendations of the International Labour Organisation (ILO)			² percentage points

According to the Labour Force Survey, there were 230,000 unemployed in September, which is 22,000 fewer than a year ago. The rate of unemployment was 9.1 per cent, which is 1.1 percentage points lower than in September 1998. The male unemployment rate stood at 7.6 per cent and the female one at 10.7 per cent. The male unemployment rate fell more than the female one. Unemployment continued to decline slower than employment was growing, because people not belonging to the labour force made themselves increasingly available on the labour market. Adjusted for seasonal variation, the unemployment rate was 9.8 per cent in September.

At the end of September, there were 328,000 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 20,000 fewer than in September 1998. The number of unemployed job seekers declined in the areas of all employment and economic development centres, except for Satakunta where unemployment increased. The number of those covered by employment policy measures fell by 9,000 from the previous year's September and was 4.3 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 17.6 per cent, which is 1.8 percentage points lower than the year before. There were 40,000 unemployed job seekers aged under 25 registered at the labour exchange offices. Their number fell by 3,000 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 September 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 0.6 percentage points. The confidence interval for the number of unemployed is approximately plus minus 14,800 persons.

Inquiries:
Statistics Finland: Mr Tapio Oksanen +358 9 1734 3228, Mr Hannu Siitonen +358 9 1734 3225, Ms Annukka Ruuhela +358 9 1734 3524, Ms Salme Kiiski +358 9 1734 3230; 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/katsaukset/
Most recent seasonally adjusted unemployment figures for August 1999 published by the EU at http://europa.eu.int/en/comm/eurostat/compres/en/10999/307101999-EN-AP.htm