Employment of students: documentation of statistics
The documentation of the statistics describes how the statistics were compiled and what methods were used in the compilation. The data help interpret the figures of the statistics and evaluate their reliability and comparability. The quality report is based on the EU's SIMS model. The documentation also contains change releases describing changes in the statistics and possible specifying methodological descriptions.
If you are looking for statistical figures for these statistics, go to the statistics page: Employment of students
Quality report
Data description (SIMS 3.1)
The statistics have been discontinued. Statistics on transition from school to further education and work describe employment, transition to further education and regional placement of attainers of qualifications after a certain period of time from graduation. The statistics are produced by combining several register data.
Sector coverage (SIMS 3.3)
The statistics describe employment during studies at the end of the year among students attending post-basic level education leading to a qualification. Since 2005, only students aged 18 and over have been included in the statistics. The statistics for 1995 to 2004 contain employment data for students under the age of 18 unless otherwise stated.
Statistical unit (SIMS 3.5)
The statistics describe employed students aged 18 and over.
Statistical population (SIMS 3.6)
The data are produced by combining Statistics Finland’s individual-based data files on students with the data from employment statistics. The student data are based on data collected by Statistics Finland on students, and the data on employment are based on Statistics Finland’s employment statistics data. The statistics contain data on the employment of students in general upper secondary education, vocational education, university of applied sciences education and university education.
Reference area (SIMS 3.7)
The statistical data are classified according to the classifications of fields and levels of education by Statistics Finland, the Finnish National Agency for Education and certain international organisations, as well as according to diverse regional and demographic classifications.
Time coverage (SIMS 3.8)
The website of Statistics Finland contains statistical releases starting from 2003.
Unit of measure (SIMS 4)
- the number of students
- number of employed students
- age of students
Reference period (SIMS 5)
The reference period of the statistics is a calendar year.
Concepts and definitions (SIMS 3.4)
Education
An organised activity, the aim of which is to produce competence based on teaching. Comment: Education can be divided into education and training leading to a qualification or degree and non-qualification studies.
Educational institution
An educational institution refers to an administrative unit with a principal or other head, which has teachers and other personnel in its service (role of employers), and which is liable to keep books and compile other documentation, in which students are registered, whose activities are regulated by a legal act or decree, which follows a national curriculum, and which is financed and controlled by a public authority. An educational institution does not refer to a school building or facility. A new educational institution is established, an educational institution is abolished or merged with another educational institution at the decision of the organiser of education (maintainer of the educational institution) or a public authority. Statistics Finland has assigned an individualised educational institution ID to each educational institution. Educational institutions are classified according to a classification of types of educational institutions.
Educational system
Early childhood education and care, pre-primary education, general comprehensive education of nine years, liberal adult education and post-comprehensive education, which includes vocational education, general upper secondary education and tertiary education provided by universities of applied sciences and universities.
Level of education
Category into which programmes leading to a qualification or degree are divided on the basis of the requirement level. Comment: Selection to education on a particular level of education often requires completion of a lower level of education. The level of education is measured on the basis of both the overall duration or target time of the education and the requirement level. Levels of education: early childhood education and care and pre-primary education (duration varies), primary education (6 years), lower secondary education (3 years, in total 9 years from the beginning of comprehensive education), upper secondary education (3 years, in total 12 years from the beginning of comprehensive education), post-secondary non-tertiary education (1-2 years, in total 13-14 years from the beginning of comprehensive education), lowest tertiary education (2-3 years, in total 14-15 years from the beginning of comprehensive education), bachelor's or equivalent level (3-4 years, in total 15-16 years from the beginning of comprehensive education), master's or equivalent level (5-6 years, in total 17-18 years from the beginning of comprehensive education) and second stage of tertiary education (2-4 years, in total 19-22 years from the beginning of comprehensive education). The level of education indicator cannot be calculated directly on the basis of the duration presented in this concept.
Student
In the statistics on students and qualifications of educational institutions, on progress of studies, on employment of students and on transition from school to further education and work, students refer to the students attending upper secondary general, vocational, university of applied sciences education and university education leading to a qualification or degree and registered at educational institutions on 20 September and, since 2004, in respect of preparatory education for a skills examination and apprenticeship training, between 1 January and 31 December of the statistical reference year. In the statistics on students and qualifications of educational institutions, students also include comprehensive school students according to the situation on 20 September. Up to 2001, data on students in university education describe the situation on 31 December and include attainers of a degree in autumn.
Student
A learner studying in other than pre-primary or comprehensive education. Comment Students include persons studying in general upper secondary school, vocational upper secondary education and training, tertiary education and liberal adult education. Adults studying in comprehensive education are also referred to as students. In Statistics Finland's statistics the concept refers to upper secondary and tertiary level students. In Statistics Finland's statistics students are required to be registered at an educational institution.
University education
Tertiary education provided by universities. Comment: The objective of the education is a bachelor’s or master’s degree or a scientific postgraduate degree, which are licentiate's and doctoral degrees. Education not leading to a qualification or degree can also be completed.
Vocational education and training
Education and training completed after the comprehensive education syllabus, aimed at producing vocational competence. Comment: Initial, further and specialist vocational qualifications can be obtained in vocational education and training. In addition to completing a qualification, parts of a qualification can also be completed in vocational education and training.
Institutional mandate (SIMS 6)
The compilation of statistics is guided by the Statistics Act. The Statistics Act contains provisions on collection of data, processing of data and the obligation to provide data. Besides the Statistics Act, the General Data Protection Regulation, the Data Protection Act and the Act on the Openness of Government Activities are applied to processing of data when producing statistics.
Statistics Finland compiles statistics in line with the EU’s regulations applicable to statistics, which steer the statistical agencies of all EU Member States.
Further information: Statistical legislation
Legal acts and other agreements (SIMS 6.1)
The compilation of statistics is guided by the general act of the national statistical service, the Statistics Act (280/2004, amend. 361/2013). Only the necessary data that are not available from administrative data sources are collected from data suppliers. Index series are published so that no individual enterprise’s data or development can be deduced from them.
Data sharing (SIMS 6.2)
Data of the statistics are made available to the Ministry of Education and Culture and the Finnish National Agency for Education in accordance with the H9098-OKM-OPH information service agreement.
Source data (SIMS 18.1)
These statistics are based on individual-based data files collected by Statistics Finland from the organisers of education and from the national data reserve of higher education institutions, as well as on the register-based data from preliminary employment statistics. The data represent total data.
The population is students attending post-basic level education leading to a qualification on 20 September. Since 2005, only students aged 18 and over have been included in the population. The statistics for 1995 to 2004 contain employment data for students under the age of 18 unless otherwise stated. The data on student employment describe the situation of the last week of the statistical reference year.
Frequency of data collection (SIMS 18.2)
The data are collected once a year.
Data collection (SIMS 18.3)
The data on are produced by combining Statistics Finland’s individual-based data files on students with the data from employment statistics. The student data are based on the data collected by Statistics Finland from the organisers of education and from the national data reserve of higher education institutions.
The employment data have been produced utilising existing administrative data such as registers of earnings-related pension providers and tax authorities. The employment data for 2018 are based on preliminary data on employment due to the delay in the schedule of the final data on employment statistics. The data for 2017 are based on the data on final employment data, and the data before 2017 are based on preliminary employment statistics.
No separate data collection has been carried out for compiling these statistics.
Data validation (SIMS 18.4)
The data of the statistics on employment of students are validated in many stages during the statistical process. During the data processing process, the high quality of the data is ensured through a wide range of statistical verification programs, data requests addressed to data providers and comparisons with similar statistics and other data sources.
Data compilation (SIMS 18.5)
During data processing, the high quality of the student and employment data on which the statistics are based is ensured by means of various statistical checking software and by comparison to corresponding previous statistics and other data sources.
Overall accuracy (SIMS 13.1)
Since 2005, only students aged 18 and over have been included in the statistics, because data on the employment of students aged 15 to 17 are no longer available in the earnings-related pension data. The statistics for 1995 to 2004 contain employment data for students under the age of 18 unless otherwise stated.
The employment data for 2017 are based on the final data on the population’s main type of activity in Statistics Finland’s employment statistics. In 2018 and before 2017, the statistics on employment of students were based on preliminary data on employment.
Due to the incomplete nature of the preliminary data, the number of employed persons in the data differs from the final figures by around 0.2 to 0.3 per cent at the level of Finland as a whole. Before 2005, the deviation was ±1 per cent. The data for 2018 to 2017, as well as data for 2017 and beyond, are therefore not fully comparable. The data for 2018 are based on preliminary data on employment due to the change in the schedule of the final data on employment statistics.
Quality assurance (SIMS 11.1)
Quality management requires comprehensive guidance of activities. The European Statistics Code of Practice forms the basis for the common quality system of the European Statistical System.
The Code of Practice is based on 16 principles that concern statistical authorities' independence, accountability and the quality of the processes and data to be published.
The principles are in line with the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics approved by the United Nations Statistics Commission and are supplementary to them. The quality criteria of Official Statistics of Finland are compatible with the European Statistics Code of Practice.
Further information: European Statistics Code of Practice | Statistics Finland and Recommendations of the Advisory Board of Official Statistics of Finland | Statistics Finland
Quality assessment (SIMS 11.2)
During the processing of the data, the high quality of the student and employment data on which the statistics are based is ensured through various statistical verification programs, as well as by comparing the data with previous comparable statistics and other data sources.
Timeliness (SIMS 14.1)
The delay between the completion of the data (students in education leading to a qualification or degree, used as background data for the statistics on employment of students) and the publication of the data is about four months. The delay between the compilation of the statistics and the publication is approximately 19 months.
Punctuality (SIMS 14.2)
There are no delays between the release date according to the release calendar and the actual date of release.
Comparability - geographical (SIMS 15.1)
The statistics use the National Classification of Education 2016, which is based on the UNESCO International Standard Classification of Education 2011 (ISCED 2011). The statistics cover the whole of Finland.
Comparability - over time (SIMS 15.2)
Since 2005, only students aged 18 and over have been included in the statistics, because data on the employment of students aged 15 to 17 are no longer available in the earnings-related pension data. The statistics for 1995 to 2004 contain employment data for students under the age of 18 unless otherwise stated. The employment data for 2017 are based on the final data on the population’s main type of activity in Statistics Finland’s employment statistics.
In 2018 and before 2017, the statistics on employment of students were based on preliminary data on employment. Due to the incomplete nature of the preliminary data, the number of employed persons in the data differs from the final figures by around 0.2 to 0.3 per cent at the level of Finland as a whole. Before 2005, the deviation was ±1 per cent. For this reason, the data for 2017 or later and data for 2016 and beyond, are not fully comparable. The data for 2018 are based on preliminary data on employment due to the change in the schedule of the final data on employment statistics.
Concerning vocational education and training, the cross-sectional data for 2018 cover all students, because the Vocational Education and Training Act (531/2017), which came into force at the beginning of 2018, no longer provides for the separation of education into education aimed at young people and education aimed at adults (preparatory education for a skills examination). The number of students in the cross-sectional data is not comparable with the number of students in previous years, because before 2018, the cross-sectional data (as of 20 September) only covered students in curriculum-based vocational education aimed at young people.
Coherence – cross domain (SIMS 15.3)
The statistics are based on the same data sources and have been compiled in accordance with the same principles as Statistics Finland’s statistics by educational sector. These statistics can be used in parallel, provided that the specific characteristics of the statistics are taken into account.
Data on the employment of students are also produced based on Statistics Finland’s sample-based Labour Force Survey. The survey has previously included questions regarding the employment of students. Register-based data and interview data differ in terms of the data collection method, timing of the collection and data content. See Labour Force Survey.
Coherence - internal (SIMS 15.4)
The statistics are based on the same data sources and have been compiled in accordance with the same principles as Statistics Finland’s statistics by educational sector. These statistics can be used in parallel, provided that the specific characteristics of the statistics are taken into account.
Data on the employment of students are also produced based on Statistics Finland’s sample-based Labour Force Survey. The survey has previously included questions regarding the employment of students. Register-based data and interview data differ in terms of the data collection method, timing of the collection and data content. See Labour Force Survey.
Release calendar (SIMS 8.1)
Statistics Finland publishes new statistical data at 8 am on weekdays in its web service. The release times of statistics are given in advance in the release calendar available in the web service. The data become public after they have been updated in the web service.
Further information: Publication principles for statistics at Statistics Finland
User access (SIMS 8.3)
The data are released to all users at the same time. Statistical data may be processed at Statistics Finland and information on them may be given before release only by persons involved in the production of the statistics concerned or who need the data of the statistics concerned in their own work before the data are published.
Further information: Publication principles for statistics
Unless otherwise specifically stated in connection with the product, data or service concerned, Statistics Finland is the producer and copyright owner of the data. The terms of use for statistical data.
Frequency of dissemination (SIMS 9)
The statistics are published once a year.
Confidentiality - policy (SIMS 7.1)
The data protection of data collected for statistical purposes is guaranteed. The compilation of statistics is guided by the Statistics Act. Alongside the Statistics Act, the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation and the Finnish Data Protection Act are applied to the processing of personal data. Provisions on the confidentiality of data collected for statistical purposes are laid down in the Act on the Openness of Government Activities.
The data are processed only by persons who need the data in their work. The use of data is restricted by usage rights. All persons employed by Statistics Finland have signed a pledge of secrecy, where they have obliged to keep secret the data prescribed as confidential by virtue of the Statistics Act or the Act on the Openness of Government Activities.
Further information: Data protection | Statistics Finland (stat.fi)
Confidentiality - data treatment (SIMS 7.2)
When compiling statistics, Statistics Finland observes the European Statistics Code of Practice (CoP) and the Quality Assurance Framework (QAF) based on them. The Code of Practice concerns
the independence and accountability of statistical authorities and the quality of processes and data to be published. The principles are in line with the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics approved by the United Nations Statistics Division and are supplementary to them. The quality criteria of Official Statistics of Finland are also compatible with the European Statistics Code of Practice. The principles are also compatible with those of the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM).
More information about this is available on Statistics Finland’s quality management pages.