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Published: 24 August 2010

Unemployment on level with last year

According to Statistics Finland’s Labour Force Survey, there were 206,000 unemployed persons in July, which is around 5,000 fewer than twelve months earlier. The rate of unemployment was 7.5 per cent. The number of employed persons went up slightly: increase from the previous year was 27,000 persons. The number of persons not in the labour force remained unchanged.

Unemployment rate and trend of unemployment rate 1989/01 – 2010/07

Unemployment rate and trend of unemployment rate 1989/01 – 2010/07

In July 2010, the number of employed persons was 2,549,000, which was 27,000 higher than a year earlier. This change narrowly fits within the margin of error for the number of employed persons (± 30,000). There were 23,000 more employed men and 4,000 more employed women than in July 2009. The number of employed persons went up in the areas of the Regional State Administrative Agencies (AVI) of Western and Inland Finland, Eastern Finland, and Lapland.

In July, the employment rate , that is, the proportion of the employed among persons aged 15 to 64, stood at 70.6 per cent, which was 0.3 percentage points higher than one year previously. Adjusted for seasonal and random variation, the trend of the employment rate was 67.9 per cent. The employment rate for men rose by 0.7 percentage points from last year’s July to 72.6 per cent. Women’s unemployment rate was almost unchanged, standing at 68.5 per cent.

According to the Labour Force Survey, there were 206,000 unemployed in July 2010, which was 5,000 fewer than in July of the year before. This change easily fits within the margin of error for the number of employed persons (± 16,000). As regards seasonal variation, July is a month when the Labour Force Survey always shows lower unemployment than in May and June.

At 7.5 per cent, the unemployment rate was 0.2 percentage points lower in July than one year earlier. The trend of the unemployment rate was 8.3 per cent in July. The unemployment rate among young people aged 15 to 24 was 12.6 per cent in July, which was 2.4 percentage points lower than in July of the previous year. The trend of the unemployment rate among young people fell to 21.1 per cent. Regionally, the unemployment rate was highest, or 10.8 per cent, in the area of Eastern Finland AVI.

The number of 15 to 74-year-olds not in the labour force remained almost unchanged.

Changes in the labour force 2010/07 – 2010/07 according to Statistics Finland’s Labour Force Survey

  Year/Month Change
2010/07 2009/07 2010/07 - 2009/07
1000 persons Per cent (%)
Population aged 15-74 4 044 4 026 0,5
Labour force, total 2 756 2 733 0,8
Employed, total 2 549 2 523 1,1
– employees 2 220 2 209 0,5
– self-employed persons and unpaid family workers 330 313 5,3
Unemployed persons 206 211 –2,2
Total persons not in labour force 1 289 1 293 —0,3
  Per cent (%) Percentage points
Employment rate (persons aged 15 to 64), % 70,6 70,3 0,3
Unemployment rate, % 7,5 7,7 –0,2
Labour force participation rate, % 68,1 67,9 0,2
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 July 2010, there were altogether 289,000 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 1,000 lower than in July 2009.

Unemployment grew from the previous year in the areas of four Employment and Economic Development Centres (ELY). The number of unemployed job seekers increased in Åland (14%), Varsinais-Suomi (8%), Uusimaa (4%) and Häme (1%). Respectively, the number of unemployed job seekers decreased most in North Karelia (-9%), South Ostrobothnia (-7%), Kainuu (-7%) and Lapland (-6%). At the end of July, the number of temporarily laid off persons registered at the employment and economic development offices was 17,000, which was 12,000 lower than twelve months earlier.

At the end of July, the number of persons covered by labour market policy measures totalled 74,000, which was 6,000 higher than in July of the previous year. Altogether 2.7 per cent of the labour force was covered by labour market policy measures.

There were 42,000 unemployed job seekers aged under 25 registered at the employment and economic development offices. Their number was 2,000 lower than in last year's July. During this July, 28,000 new vacancies were reported to the employment and economic development offices, which is 4,000 more than in July 2009.

Changes 2010/07 – 2009/07 according to the Employment Service Statistics of the Ministry of Employment and the Economy

  Year/Month Change
2010/07 2009/07 2010/07 - 2009/07
1000 persons Per cent (%)
Unemployed job seekers 289 290 —0,4
– unemployed over a year 57 41 39,1
Total measures 74 68 8,4
– employed with subsidised measures 34 33 5,2
– in labour market training 24 21 12,2
– in trainee and job alternation places 16 15 10,0
New vacancies at employment and economic development offices 28 25 14,5
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

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, July. Statistics Finland

Inquiries: Kalle Sinivuori (09) 1734 3524, Veli Rajaniemi (09) 1734 3434, tyovoimatutkimus@stat.fi

Director in charge: Riitta Harala

Publication in pdf-format (441.4 kB)

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Appendix tables

Figures
Quality descriptions

Updated 24.08.2010

Referencing instructions:

Official Statistics of Finland (OSF): Labour force survey [e-publication].
ISSN=1798-7857. July 2010. Helsinki: Statistics Finland [referred: 15.11.2024].
Access method: http://www.stat.fi/til/tyti/2010/07/tyti_2010_07_2010-08-24_tie_001_en.html