Home > Statistics > Job vacancy survey > 2017 > 4th quarter > More open job vacancies in the last quarter of 2017 than one year earlier

Published: 19 February 2018

More open job vacancies in the last quarter of 2017 than one year earlier

The number of open job vacancies was 37,200 in the last quarter of 2017, while the figure was 26,400 one year before. The data appear from Statistics Finland’s Job Vacancy Survey and describe the situation on the first of December. In the whole of 2017, there were 41,600 open job vacancies, on average, which is 22 per cent more than in the previous year (33,900).

Job vacancies 2016/IV – 2017/IV

	Year/Quarter
	2016/IV		2017/IV
	Number	Share, %	Number	Share, %
Job vacancies	26 400		37 200
Part-time	5 200	20	6 900	19
Fixed term	8 100	31	9 500	26
Hard-to-fill vacancies	13 200	50	19 900	54
The sub-groups are not mutually exclusive so their sum does not correspond with the total number of open job vacancies.

In the last quarter of 2017 , in all, 27,400 or 74 per cent of the job vacancies were offered by establishments owned by private enterprises. One year earlier, the number of job vacancies in the private sector was 21,600 or 82 per cent of all open job vacancies Compared with the year before, the number of open job vacancies increased most in the major region of Southern Finland. Examined by the industry of the establishment, open job vacancies increased most in the industry groups of manufacturing, mining and quarrying and other industry (+3,100) and public administration, education, human health and social work activities (+2,800).

In the fourth quarter, 26 per cent of open job vacancies were for fixed-term jobs, while in the corresponding period of the year before the share was 31 per cent. The share of part-time jobs in all open job vacancies was 19 per cent, or almost the same as one year earlier. Employers estimated that 54 per cent of the open job vacancies were hard-to-fill, while the corresponding share one year earlier was 50 per cent. For example, establishments in manufacturing and trade had plenty of jobs considered hard to fill.

The number of open job vacancies can also be viewed on the annual level as averages of the quarterly figures . Of the open job vacancies in 2017, on average, 77 per cent were offered by private enterprises, while the corresponding share in 2016 was 80 per cent. Examined by the industry of the establishment, the growth of open job vacancies was divided into nearly all industry groups. Compared with the previous year, job vacancies increased most in the major region of Northern and Eastern Finland.

Examined on the annual level, 19 per cent of all job vacancies were part-time jobs and 40 per cent fixed-term. The shares were close to the previous year's level. Employers reported having experienced difficulties in filling open job vacancies more often than in the previous year. Employers estimated that 45 per cent of the open job vacancies were hard-to-fill in 2017, while one year earlier, the share was 40 per cent.

Job vacancies in 2016 – 2017

	Year
	2016		2017
	Number	Share, %	Number	Share, %
Job vacancies	33 900		41 600
Part-time	7 200	21	7 700	19
Fixed term	14 600	43	16 800	40
Hard-to-fill vacancies	13 600	40	18 600	45
The sub-groups are not mutually exclusive so their sum does not correspond with the total number of open job vacancies. Annual figures on job vacancies are averages of quarterly figures.

Statistics Finland has been collecting data on open job vacancies quarterly since 2002. The inquiry is directed to persons responsible for recruitment in private and public sector establishments . The data provider can respond either using the web questionnaire or through a telephone interview. The data collection includes approximately 2,500 different establishments in every quarter. The statistics are based on Regulation (EC) No 453/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council. The objective is to produce up-to-date and comparable information about the number and structure of job openings on the labour markets of EU Member States.

More information about open job vacancies is available in the appendix tables of this release and in the database tables of the statistics. The figures in the tables are rounded, for which reason the sums do not always amount to the totals. The accuracy of figures and standard errors are explained in the quality description of the statistical release (only in Finnish).

Latest data on open job vacancies published by the EU can be found on Eurostat's home page http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat .

Source: Job vacancy survey 2017, 4th quarter. Statistics Finland.

Inquiries: Minna Wallenius 029 551 2749, tyovoimatutkimus@stat.fi

Director in charge: Jari Tarkoma

Publication in pdf-format (266.6 kB)

Tables

Tables in databases

Pick the data you need into tables, view the data as graphs, or download the data for your use.

• Database tables and their variables
• Archived tables

Appendix tables

• Appendix table 1. Job vacancies by the quarters 2016/IV - 2017/IV (19.2.2018)
• Appendix table 2. Job vacancies by size of the establishment 2016/IV - 2017/IV (19.2.2018)
• Appendix table 3. Job vacancies by employer sector of the establishment 2016/IV - 2017/IV (19.2.2018)
• Appendix table 4. Job vacancies by location (major region 2012) of the establishment 2016/IV - 2017/IV (19.2.2018)
• Appendix table 5. Job vacancies by industry (TOL 2008) of the establishment 2016/IV - 2017/IV (19.2.2018)
• Appendix table 6. Job vacancies by employer sector of the establishment in 2016 - 2017 (19.2.2018)
• Appendix table 7. Job vacancies by location (major region 2012) of the establishment in 2016 - 2017 (19.2.2018)
• Appendix table 8. Job vacancies by industry (TOL 2008) of the establishment in 2016 - 2017 (19.2.2018)

Figures

• Appendix figure 1. Job vacancies by quarter (19.2.2018)
• Appendix figure 2. Job vacancies by quarter by type of employment relationship (19.2.2018)

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Updated 19.2.2018