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Published: 21 July 2009

Unemployment rate in June 2,3 percentage points higher than one year previously

According to the Labour Force Survey of Statistics Finland, the number of employed persons in June 2009 was 2 565 000, or 103 000 lower than a year earlier. The number of wage and salary earners decreased, whereas that of self-employed persons stayed almost unchanged. The number of employed persons decreased relatively the most in Eastern Finland.

In June 2009 the employment rate , that is, the proportion of the employed among persons aged 15 to 64, stood at 71,4 per cent, which was 3,0 percentage points lower than one year before. Adjusted for seasonal and random variation, the trend of the employment rate fell to 68,2 per cent. Men’s employment rate fell from last year’s June by 4,6 percentage points to 72,0 per cent and women’s employment rate fell by 1,5 percentage points to 70,8 per cent.

Changes in the labour force 2009/06 – 2008/06 according to Statistics Finland’s Labour Force Survey

  Year/Month Change
2009/06 2008/06 2009/06 - 2008/06
1000 persons Per cent (%)
Population aged 15-74 4 024 4 004 0,5
Labour force, total 2 821 2 863 –1,5
Employed, total 2 565 2 668 –3,8
– employees 2 228 2 334 –4,6
– self-employed persons and unpaid family workers 337 334 1,1
Unemployed persons 255 195 31,2
Total persons not in labour force 1 204 1 141 5,5
  Per cent (%) Percentage points
Employment rate (persons aged 15 to 64), % 71,4 74,4 –3,0
Unemployment rate, % 9,1 6,8 2,3
Labour force participation rate, % 70,1 71,5 –1,4
Unrounded figures are used in the Change column.
The data comply with the ILO/EU definition.

According to the Labour Force Survey, there were 255 000 unemployed in June 2009, which was 61 000 more than in June of the year before. The number of unemployed men grew by 55 000 and that of unemployed women by 6 000 persons.

At 9,1 per cent, the unemployment rate was 2,3 percentage points higher in June than one year earlier. The trend of the unemployment rate rose to 8,8 per cent in June. The unemployment rate for men rose by 3,9 percentage points to 10,2 per cent, and that of women by 0,5 percentage points to 7,9 per cent. In June 2009 the unemployment rate among young people aged 15 to 24 was 22,5 per cent, which was 5,9 percentage points higher than in the previous year’s June. The trend of the unemployment rate among young people rose to 21,7 per cent. The unemployment rate was lowest in the Province of Southern Finland, where it stood at 7,1 per cent, and highest, at 12,9 percent, in the Province of Eastern Finland.

The number of persons not in the labour force was 63 000 higher in June than twelve months earlier. The number of persons aged 15 to 74, that is the working age population, grew by a total of 21 000.

Labour Force Survey data for the second quarter

Average figures on employment and unemployment are presented below for the second quarter of 2009. These figures are more accurate than the monthly data as they are based on a sample of three months. The quarterly data allow the presentation of more detailed data by e.g. industry or region and on the number of laid off persons, for which the monthly sample is insufficient.

Changes in the labour force 2009/II–2008/II according to Statistics Finland’s Labour Force Survey

  Year/Quarter Change
2009/II 2008/II 2009/II - 2008/II
1000 persons Per cent (%)
Labour force, total 2 762 2 776 –0,5
Employed, total 2 497 2 574 –3,0
Unemployed, total 264 202 30,7
– men 150 102 47,7
– women 114 101 13,5
Unrounded figures are used in the Change column.
The data comply with the ILO/EU definition.

According to the Labour Force Survey, the number of employed persons in the second quarter of 2009 averaged 2 497 000 persons, which was 77 000 persons fewer than one year previously. The number of employed men fell by 67 000 and that of employed women by 10 000. The biggest relative drop in the number of employed persons was recorded in the Provinces of Eastern Finland and Oulu. Despite the fall in the number of employees, the number of self-employed persons was, on average, 11 000 persons higher in the second quarter than in the respective period of the year before. Among employees the number of those in fixed-term and continuous full-time work fell, whereas that of persons working part-time stayed unchanged. The number of hours worked decreased by 8,5 per cent in the second quarter of 2009, which is partly explained by the fact that the second quarter of 2009 had three less working ways than the respective period of the previous year.

In the second quarter of the year the number of employed persons decreased most in the manufacture of wood, paper and paper products (activities 16-18), in the manufacture of machinery and equipment and vehicles (activities 26-30) and in wholesale trade (activity 46). An increase was recorded i.a. in human health and social work (activities 86-88). Data on employment by industry are now published for the second time from the Labour Force Survey by the revised, national TOL 2008 Standard Industrial Classification. The revised classification is based on the NACE Rev. 2 classification of the European Union and differs in many respects from its predecessor TOL 2002. The differences are explained more closely on Statistics Finland’s website at: http://tilastokeskus.fi/til/tol2008_en.html

In the second quarter of 2009 the number of unemployed persons was 62 000 higher than one year previously. In the second quarter the rate of unemployment stood at 9,6 per cent, having grown by 2,3 percentage points from twelve months back. Men's unemployment rate rose by 3,5 percentage points to 10,5 per cent and that of women rose by 1,0 percentage points to 8,5 per cent. In the second quarter the unemployment rate of young people aged 15 to 24 was 28,3 per cent, which was 6,2 percentage points higher than in the respective time one year previously.

According to Statistics Finland’s Labour Force Survey, the average number of temporarily laid off persons was 42 000 in the second quarter of 2009. In the first quarter of 2009 the number of temporarily laid off persons was roughly 38 000. The compilation method of statistics on laid off persons is described in the methodological description: http://tilastokeskus.fi/til/tyti/tyti_2009-04-28_men_006.html (in Finnish only).

Number of temporarily laid off persons 2009/II–2008/II-IV according to Statistics Finland’s Labour Force Survey

  Year/Quarter
2009/II        2009/I        2008/IV        2008/III        2008/II       
persons
Laid off persons, total 42 000 38 000 14 000 4 000 4 000
– for a fixed period 26 000 20 000 7 000 (3 000) ..
– until further notice 16 000 18 000 6 000 .. ..

Employment Service Statistics of the Ministry of Employment and the Economy

At the end of June 2009 there were altogether 276 000 persons registered, in accordance with the Unemployment Security Act and the Employment Office Regulations, as job seekers at the employment and economic development offices . The number of unemployed job seekers was 68 000 higher than in June 2008. Unemployment grew from the previous year in the areas of all Employment and Economic Development Centres. The number of unemployed job seekers increased most in South Ostrobothnia (46%), Pirkanmaa (43%) and Varsinais-Suomi (40%). At the end of June, the number of temporarily laid off persons registered at the employment and economic development offices was 28 000, which was 22 000 more than twelve months earlier. The number of persons covered by labour market policy measures totalled 75 000 the end of June, which was 2 000 fewer than in June of the year before. Altogether 2,7 per cent of the labour force was covered by labour market policy measures. There were 41 000 unemployed job seekers aged under 25 registered at the employment and economic development offices. Their number was 16 000 higher than in last year's June. During this June, 29 000 new vacancies were reported to the employment and economic development offices, which was 8 000 fewer than in June 2008.

Changes 2009/06 – 2008/06 according to the Employment Service Statistics of the Ministry of Employment and the Economy

  Year/Month Change
2009/06 2008/06 2009/06 - 2008/06
1000 persons Per cent (%)
Unemployed job seekers 276 208 32,4
– unemployed over a year 41 44 –7,1
Total measures 75 77 –2,4
– employed with subsidised measures 34 37 –7,6
– in labour market training 24 23 6,8
– in trainee and job alternation places 17 17 –3,2
New vacancies at employment and economic development offices 29 37 –22,0
Unrounded figures are used in the Change column.

Contact information for the Ministry of Employment and the Economy:
Mr Petri Syvänen, tel. +359 10 604 8050, http://www.tem.fi/employmentbulletin

Links

Differences between the Labour Force Survey and the Employment Service Statistics are explained in the quality description of the Labour Force Survey.

Latest seasonally adjusted employment figures published by the EU  can be found under the theme of Population and social conditions on Eurostat's home page http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu.

Job vacancy survey : http://tilastokeskus.fi/til/atp/index_en.html


Source: Labour force survey 2009, June. Statistics Finland

Inquiries: Heidi Melasniemi-Uutela (09) 1734 2523, Veli Rajaniemi (09) 1734 3434, tyovoimatutkimus@stat.fi

Director in charge: Riitta Harala

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Updated 21.07.2009

Referencing instructions:

Official Statistics of Finland (OSF): Labour force survey [e-publication].
ISSN=1798-7857. June 2009. Helsinki: Statistics Finland [referred: 16.4.2024].
Access method: http://www.stat.fi/til/tyti/2009/06/tyti_2009_06_2009-07-21_tie_001_en.html