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Published: 16 November 2021

Clearly more open job vacancies in the third quarter than one year ago

According to the Job Vacancy Survey of Statistics Finland, there were 62,400 open job vacancies in the third quarter of 2021, while the figure was 43,000 one year before. The number of open job vacancies was now higher than two years ago before the corona pandemic, when they numbered 48,500. These data derive from Statistics Finland's statistics on open job vacancies and describe the situation on the first day of September.

Job vacancies 2020/III – 2021/III

	Year/Quarter
	2020/III		2021/III
	Number	Share, %	Number	Share, %
Job vacancies	43 000		62 400
Part-time	9 900	23	11 200	18
Fixed term	13 100	30	17 600	28
Hard-to-fill vacancies	23 300	54	41 500	67
The sub-groups are not mutually exclusive so their sum does not correspond with the total number of open job vacancies.

In the third quarter of 2021, altogether 49,100 or 79 per cent of the job vacancies were in establishments owned by private enterprises, while one year earlier they amounted to 31,200 or 72 per cent of all job vacancies. Compared with the corresponding period of last year, the number of open job vacancies increased especially in establishments with at least 50 employees (+10,400). Examined by the industry of the establishment, job vacancies increased most in the industry groups of manufacturing, mining and quarrying and other industry (B to E) and in trade, transportation and storage, accommodation and food service activities (G to I). The number of open job vacancies increased in all major regions but most in Western Finland (+9,300).

In the third quarter, 28 per cent of all open job vacancies were fixed-term jobs. Eighteen per cent of all open job vacancies were part-time positions, while one year earlier the corresponding share was 23 per cent. Employers estimated that 67 per cent of the open job vacancies were hard-to-fill, while the corresponding share one year earlier was 54 per cent. Establishments in human health and social work activities (Q), manufacturing (C) and trade (G) had in absolute numbers most jobs considered hard to fill.

Statistics Finland has been collecting data on open job vacancies quarterly since 2002. The inquiry is directed to persons responsible for recruitment in private or public sector establishments. The survey is answered with either a web questionnaire or 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 match the total. 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 2021, 3rd quarter. Statistics Finland.

Inquiries: Matti Lahdenmäki 029 551 3690, Minna Wallenius 029 551 2749, tyovoimatutkimus@stat.fi

Head of Department in charge: Hannele Orjala

Publication in pdf-format (258.5 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 2020/III - 2021/III (16.11.2021)
• Appendix table 2. Job vacancies by size of the establishment 2020/III - 2021/III (16.11.2021)
• Appendix table 3. Job vacancies by employer sector of the establishment 2020/III - 2021/III (16.11.2021)
• Appendix table 4. Job vacancies by major region 2020/III - 2021/III (16.11.2021)
• Appendix table 5. Job vacancies by industry (TOL 2008) of the establishment 2020/III - 2021/III (16.11.2021)

Figures

• Appendix figure 1. Job vacancies by quarter (16.11.2021)
• Appendix figure 2. Job vacancies by quarter by type of employment relationship (16.11.2021)

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Updated 16.11.2021