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Published: 22 February 2011

Unemployment rate 8.2 per cent in January

According to Statistics Finland’s Labour Force Survey, the number of unemployed persons in January was 215,000, which is 35,000 lower than one year ago. At 8.2 per cent, the unemployment rate was 1.4 percentage points lower than one year earlier. There were 43,000 more employed persons than in January of the previous year.

Unemployment rate and trend of unemployment rate 1989/01 – 2011/01

Unemployment rate and trend of unemployment rate 1989/01 – 2011/01

In January 2011, the number of employed persons was 2,410,000, which was 43,000 higher than a year earlier. Employment increased among both men and women. The number of employed persons went up in the areas of the Regional State Administrative Agencies (AVI) of Eastern Finland, Southwestern Finland and Southern Finland.

In January, the employment rate , that is, the proportion of the employed among persons aged 15 to 64, stood at 66.8 per cent, which was 1.3 percentage points higher than one year earlier. Adjusted for seasonal and random variation, the trend of the employment rate was 68.1 per cent. Both women's and men's employment rate went up from the previous year's January. Men’s employment rate was 67.6 per cent and women’s 65.9 per cent.

According to Statistics Finland's Labour Force Survey, there were 215,000 unemployed persons in January 2011, i.e. 35,000 fewer than in January of the year before..

At 8.2 per cent, the unemployment rate was 1.4 percentage points lower in January than one year earlier. The trend of the unemployment rate was 8.0 per cent. Men's unemployment rate was 9.0 per cent and women’s 7.3 per cent. The unemployment rate among young people aged 15 to 24 was 19.1 per cent in January, or 3.6 percentage points lower than in the previous year’s January. The trend of the unemployment rate among young people was 20.4 per cent. The unemployment rate was lowest in the area of Southern Finland AVI.

Changes in the active population 2010/1 – 2011/1 according to Statistics Finland’s Labour Force Survey, population aged 15 to 74

  Year/Month Change
2010/11 2011/11 2010/11 - 2011/11
1000 persons Per cent (%)
Population total 4 035 4 051 0,4
Active population, total 2 617 2 625 0,3
Employed, total 2 367 2 410 1,8
– employees 2 050 2 086 1,8
– self-employed persons and unpaid family workers 317 324 2,2
Unemployed persons 250 215 –13,9
Inactive population 1 418 1 426 0,6
  Per cent (%) Percentage points
Employment rate (persons aged 15 to 64) 65,6 66,8 1,3
Unemployment rate 9,5 8,2 –1,4
Activity rate 64,9 64,8 –0,1
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 January 2011, there were altogether 266,000 persons registered in accordance with the Employment Office Regulations as job seekers at the employment and economic development offices . The number of unemployed job seekers was 29,000 lower than in January 2010.

Unemployment decreased from the previous year in the areas of all Centres of Economic Development, Transport and the Environment (ELY). The number of unemployed job seekers declined most in South Ostrobothnia (-19%), Ostrobothnia (-17%), Pirkanmaa (-13%) and North Savo (-12 %). At the end of January, the number of temporarily laid off persons registered at the employment and economic development offices was 21,000, which was 13,000 lower than twelve months earlier.

The number of persons covered by labour market policy measures totalled 107,000 at the end of January, which was 19,000 more than in January of the year before. Altogether 4.1 per cent of the active population was covered by labour market policy measures.

There were 34,000 unemployed job seekers aged under 25 registered at the employment and economic development offices. Their number was 7,000 lower than in January of the year before. During this January, 54,000 new vacancies were reported to the employment and economic development offices, which is 16,000 more than in January 2010.

Changes 2010/1– 2011/1 according to the Employment Service Statistics of the Ministry of Employment and the Economy

  Year/Month Change
2010/1 2011/1 2010/1- 2011/1
1000 persons Per cent (%)
Unemployed job seekers 295 266 –9,8
– unemployed over a year 49 59 19,0
Total measures 88 107 21,9
– employed with subsidised measures 30 35 16,6
– in labour market training 31 32 2,5
– in trainee and job alternation places 18 18 3,3
– in rehabilitative work, self-motivated studies (supported by unemployment benefit) 9 22 139,8
New vacancies at employment and economic development offices 38 54 41,7
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

Labour Force Survey 2010, Employment and unemployment in 2010: http://tilastokeskus.fi/til/tyti/2010/tyti_2010_2011-02-15_tie_001_en.html

Time series data of the Labour Force Survey 2000−2009 http://tilastokeskus.fi/til/tyti/2009/17/tyti_2009_17_2010-12-03_tie_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.

Methodological description concerning laid off persons (in Finnish only): http://tilastokeskus.fi/til/tyti/tyti_2009-04-28_men_006.html

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 2011, January. Statistics Finland

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

Director in charge: Riitta Harala

Publication in pdf-format (456.5 kB)

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Appendix tables

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Quality descriptions

Updated 22.2.2011

Referencing instructions:

Official Statistics of Finland (OSF): Labour force survey [e-publication].
ISSN=1798-7857. January 2011. Helsinki: Statistics Finland [referred: 22.12.2024].
Access method: http://www.stat.fi/til/tyti/2011/01/tyti_2011_01_2011-02-22_tie_001_en.html