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Published: 22 June 2010

Employment and unemployment in May close to one year ago

According to Statistics Finland’s Labour Force Survey the number of employed people was 13,000 lower than one year ago. At 10.5 per cent, the unemployment rate in May was 0.3 percentage points lower than one year earlier.

Employed and trend of employed 1989/01 – 2010/05

Employed and trend of employed 1989/01 – 2010/05

In May 2010, the number of employed persons was 2,482,000, which was 13,000 lower than a year earlier. This change fits within the margin of error for the number of employed persons (± 30,000). In particular, the number of self-employed persons was lower than in May 2009.

In May, the employment rate , that is, the proportion of the employed among persons aged 15 to 64, stood at 68.6 per cent, which was 0.7 percentage points lower than one year before. The employment rate of men was 68.3 per cent and that of women 69.0 per cent. The employment rate among 15 to 54-year-olds decreased, while that of 55 to 64-year-olds grew. Adjusted for seasonal and random variation, the trend of the employment rate was 67.8 per cent.

According to the Labour Force Survey, there were 293,000 unemployed in May 2010, which is 12,000 fewer than in May of the year before. This change fits within the margin of error for the number of unemployed persons (± 19,000).

At 10.5 per cent, the unemployment rate was 0.3 percentage points lower in May 2010 than one year earlier. The unemployment rate of men remained unchanged at 12.0 per cent and that of women declined by 0.7 percentage points to 9.0 per cent. Adjusted for seasonal and random variation, the trend of the unemployment rate was 8.4 per cent.

The number of 15 to 74-year-olds not in the labour force was 43,000 higher in May than twelve months earlier.

The Labour Force Survey’s unemployment figures are as a rule high in May , when students enter the labour market (graduate or look for summer jobs). The unemployment figures usually return to a lower level already in June.

In May the number of unemployed persons aged 15 to 24 was 137,000, which was 22,000 lower than a year earlier. The lower number of young unemployed was partly due to the fact that a larger share of 15 to 24-year-old students than before remained outside the labour market, that is, did not look for a job. Thus, the number of 15 to 24-year-olds not belonging to the labour force was now 28,000 higher than one year earlier.

The unemployment rate refers to the percentage of the unemployed in the labour force, i.e. employed and unemployed persons in total. Because a large share of 15 to 24-year-olds young people were schoolchildren and students not belonging to the labour force, the unemployment rate of persons of that age is considerably higher than the percentage of unemployed people in the whole age group of 15 to 24-year-olds. For example, the unemployment rate among 15 to 24-year-olds was, on average, 21.5 per cent in 2009, while the proportion of the unemployed in the whole age group was ten per cent, on average.

In May 2010 the unemployment rate among young people aged 15 to 24 was 35.2 per cent, which is 3.1 percentage points lower than one year earlier. When in May youth unemployment was at its highest level of the year, around every fifth in the whole age group of 15 to 24-year-olds was unemployed.

N.B. The latest trend figures, which are partly based on projections, should be viewed with certain reservations.

Changes in the labour force 2010/05 – 2009/05 according to Statistics Finland’s Labour Force Survey

  Year/Month Change
2010/05 2009/05 2010/05 - 2009/05
1000 persons Per cent (%)
Population aged 15-74 4 042 4 022 0,5
Labour force, total 2 775 2 799 –0,9
Employed, total 2 482 2 495 –0,5
– employees 2 158 2 139 0,9
– self-employed persons and unpaid family workers 324 355 –8,9
Unemployed persons 293 304 –3,8
Total persons not in labour force 1 267 1 224 3,5
  Per cent (%) Percentage points
Employment rate (persons aged 15 to 64), % 68,6 69,3 –0,7
Unemployment rate, % 10,5 10,9 –0,3
Labour force participation rate, % 68,7 69,6 –0,9
Unrounded figures are used in the Change column.
The data comply with the ILO/EU definition.

Employment Service Statistics of the Ministry of Employment and the Economy

At the end of May 2010, there were altogether 254,000 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 9,000 higher than in May 2009.

Unemployment grew from the previous year in the areas of nine Employment and Economic Development Centres (ELY). The number of unemployed job seekers increased most in Åland (23%), Varsinais-Suomi (17%), Uusimaa (10%) and Pirkanmaa (8%). Correspondingly, the number of unemployed job seekers decreased in the areas of seven ELY centres; the most in North Karelia (-12%), Kainuu (-11%) and Lapland (-4%). At the end of May, the number of temporarily laid off persons registered at the employment and economic development offices was 19,000, which was 11,000 lower than twelve months earlier.

The number of persons covered by labour market policy measures totalled 91,000 at the end of May, which was 6,000 more than in May of the year before. Altogether 3.3 per cent of the labour force was covered by labour market policy measures.

There were 31,000 unemployed job seekers aged under 25 registered at the employment and economic development offices. Their number was 3,000 higher than in last year's May. During this May, 38,000 new vacancies were reported to the employment and economic development offices, which was 3,000 more than in May 2009.

Changes 2010/05 – 2009/05 according to the Employment Service Statistics of the Ministry of Employment and the Economy

  Year/Month Change
2010/05 2009/05 2010/05 - 2009/05
1000 persons Per cent (%)
Unemployed job seekers 254 245 3,6
– unemployed over a year 53 40 33,0
Total measures 91 85 7,3
– employed with subsidised measures 35 36 –3,8
– in labour market training 35 31 12,2
– in trainee and job alternation places 21 18 21,6
New vacancies at employment and economic development offices 38 35 7,7
Unrounded figures are used in the Change column.

Contact information for the Ministry of Employment and the Economy:
Mr Petri Syvänen, tel. +358 10 604 8050, http://www.tem.fi/employmentbulletin

Links

Updated tables of the Labour Force Survey: http://tilastokeskus.fi/til/tyti/tau_en.html

Employment and unemployment in 2009
http://tilastokeskus.fi/til/tyti/2009/tyti_2009_2010-02-16_kat_001_en.html

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

About seasonally adjusted trend: http://tilastokeskus.fi/til/tramo_seats_en.html

Latest seasonally adjusted employment figures published by the EU  can be found 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 2010, May. Statistics Finland

Inquiries: Heidi Melasniemi-Uutela (09) 1734 2523, Kalle Sinivuori (09) 1734 3524, Juha Martikainen (09) 1734 3225, tyovoimatutkimus@stat.fi

Director in charge: Riitta Harala

Publication in pdf-format (444.4 kB)

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Appendix tables

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Quality descriptions

Updated 22.06.2010

Referencing instructions:

Official Statistics of Finland (OSF): Labour force survey [e-publication].
ISSN=1798-7857. May 2010. Helsinki: Statistics Finland [referred: 28.3.2024].
Access method: http://www.stat.fi/til/tyti/2010/05/tyti_2010_05_2010-06-22_tie_001_en.html