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Published: 22 January 2013

Unemployment rate 6.9 per cent in December

According to Statistics Finland’s Labour Force Survey, the number of unemployed persons in December 2012 was 180,000, which was 12,000 lower than one year ago. The unemployment rate was 6.9 per cent, having been 7.4 per cent in December of the year before. The amount of employed persons was nearly the same as in December 2011. The unemployment rate in the fourth quarter (October to December) was 7.0 per cent, which was 0.2 percentage points higher than in the respective quarter of 2011. In 2012, the employment rate was 7.7 per cent, having been 7.8 per cent in 2011.

Unemployment rate and trend of unemployment rate 1989/01 – 2012/12

Unemployment rate and trend of unemployment rate 1989/01 – 2012/12

In December 2012, the number of employed persons was 2,413,000, which was 2,000 higher than a year earlier (margin of error ± 31,000). There were 12,000 more employed men and 10,000 less employed women than in December 2011.

In December, the employment rate , that is, the proportion of the employed among persons aged 15 to 64, stood at 67.3 per cent, which was 0.2 percentage points higher than one year before. Adjusted for seasonal and random variation, the trend of the employment rate was 68.8 per cent. The employment rate for women fell by 0.5 percentage points from last year’s December to 65.5 per cent. The employment rate for men rose by 0.8 percentage points to 68.9 per cent.

According to the Labour Force Survey of Statistics Finland, there were 180,000 unemployed in December 2012, i.e. 12,000 fewer than in December of the year before (margin of error ± 16,000). The number of unemployed men was 102,000 and that of women 78,000.

At 6.9 per cent, the unemployment rate was 0.4 percentage points lower in December than one year earlier. Men’s unemployment rate was 7.5 per cent and women’s 6.3 per cent. The trend of the unemployment rate was 7.7 per cent. In December 2012, the unemployment rate among young people aged 15 to 24 was 16.4 per cent, which was 1.4 percentage points lower than in the previous year’s December. The trend of the unemployment rate among young people was 18.8 per cent.

Changes in employment 2011/12 – 2012/12 according to Statistics Finland’s Labour Force Survey, population aged 15 to 74

  Year/Month Change
2011/12 2012/12 2011/12 - 2012/12
1000 persons Per cent, %
Population total 4 067 4 082 0,4
Active population total 2 603 2 593 –0,4
Employed 2 411 2 413 0,1
– employees 2 074 2 079 0,3
– self-employed persons and unpaid family workers 337 334 –1,0
Unemployed 192 180 –6,1
Inactive population 1 464 1 489 1,7
  Per cent, % Percentage points
Employment rate, persons aged 15 to 64 67,1 67,3 0,2
Unemployment rate 7,4 6,9 –0,4
Activity rate 64,0 63,5 –0,5
Unrounded figures are used in the Change column.
The data comply with the ILO/EU definition.

Labour Force Survey data for the fourth quarter of 2012

The average number of employed persons in the fourth quarter of 2012 (October-December) was 2,448,000, or 9,000 lower than in the corresponding quarter of 2011. The number of employed persons increased most in the hotels and restaurants industry and in professional, scientific and technical activities and decreased in financial intermediation and insurance and in manufacturing.

The number of hours worked by employed persons was 1.1 per cent lower in the fourth quarter of 2012 than twelve months previously.

The average number of unemployed persons in the fourth quarter of 2012 was 185,000, which was 4,000 more than in the October to December period of 2011. The unemployment rate in the fourth quarter of the year was seven per cent, which was 0.2 percentage points higher than in the respective period of 2011.

In the last quarter of 2012, the number of persons in the inactive population was 1,447,000, which was 20,000 higher than a year earlier. One sub-group of the inactive population is persons in disguised unemployment. The number of persons in disguised unemployment in the fourth quarter of 2012 was 127,000, which was 22,000 more than in the corresponding period of 2011.

Changes in employment 2011/IV – 2012/IV according to Statistics Finland’s Labour Force Survey, population aged 15 to 74

  Year/Quarter Change
2011/IV 2012/IV 2011/IV - 2012/IV
1000 persons Per cent (%)
Active population total 2 637 2 633 –0,2
Employed persons total 2 456 2 448 –0,3
Unemployed total 181 185 2,2
– men 106 105 –0,4
– women 75 80 6,0
Inactive population 1 428 1 447 1,4
– disguised unemployed 105 127 21,5
Unrounded figures are used in the Change column.
The data comply with the ILO/EU definition.

Labour Force Survey annual averages for 2012

In 2012, the average number of employed persons was 2,483,000, which was 10,000 more than in 2011. In 2012, the employment rate was 69.0 per cent, having been 68.6 per cent in 2011.

The unemployment rate for 2012 was 7.7 per cent. In 2011, the unemployment rate was 7.8 per cent and in 2010, it was 8.4 per cent. In 2012, the average number of unemployed persons was 207,000, which was 2,000 lower than in 2011.

In 2012, the number of hours worked by employed persons was roughly the same as in 2011. The amount of labour input per employed person also remained almost unchanged.

The annual averages from the Labour Force Survey for the year 2012 have been published in the database tables of Statistics Finland's Labour Force Survey: http://pxweb2.stat.fi/database/StatFin/tym/tyti/tyti_en.asp . A general review on annual data concerning 2012 will be released on 05/03/2013.

Employment Service Statistics of the Ministry of Employment and the Economy

At the end of December 2012, there were altogether 282,000 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 27,000 higher than in December 2011.

Unemployment increased from the previous year's December in the areas of all Employment and Economic Development Centres; most in Varsinais-Suomi (16%), Pirkanmaa (13%), North Ostrobothnia (13%) and Åland (29%). At the end of December, the number of temporarily laid off persons registered at the employment and economic development offices was 24,000, which was 5,000 higher than twelve months earlier.

The number of persons covered by labour market policy measures totalled 102,000 at the end of December, which was 3,000 fewer than in December of the year before. Altogether 3.9 per cent of the labour force was covered by labour market policy measures.

There were 35,000 unemployed job seekers aged under 25 registered at the employment and economic development offices. Their number was 3,000 higher than in December of the year before. During December, 29,000 new vacancies were reported to the employment and economic development offices, which is 5,000 fewer than in December 2011.

Changes 2011/12– 2012/12 according to the Employment Service Statistics of the Ministry of Employment and the Economy

  Year/Month Change
2011/12 2012/12 2011/12 - 2012/12
1000 persons Per cent, %
Unemployed job seekers 255 282 10,5
– unemployed over a year 57 66 15,8
Total measures 104 102 –2,4
– employed with subsidised measures 33 28 –15,3
– in labour market training 26 27 2,0
– in trainee and job alternation places 18 19 3,3
– in rehabilitative work, self-motivated studies (supported by unemployment benefit) 27 29 5,0
New vacancies at employment and economic development offices 34 29 –13,5
Unrounded figures are used in the Change column.

Contact information for the Ministry of Employment and the Economy:
Petri Syvänen tel. +358 29 504 8050, http://www.tem.fi/employmentbulletin

Links

Labour Force Survey tables in databases

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

Comparison between the statistics of Statistics Finland and the Ministry of Employment and the Economy

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


Source: Labour force survey 2012, December. Statistics Finland

Inquiries: Ari Väisänen 09 1734 2290, Kirsi Toivonen 09 1734 3535, Kalle Sinivuori 09 1734 3524, tyovoimatutkimus@stat.fi

Director in charge: Riitta Harala

Publication in pdf-format (637.3 kB)

Tables

Tables in databases

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Appendix tables

Figures
Quality descriptions

Updated 22.1.2012

Referencing instructions:

Official Statistics of Finland (OSF): Labour force survey [e-publication].
ISSN=1798-7857. December 2012. Helsinki: Statistics Finland [referred: 3.12.2024].
Access method: http://www.stat.fi/til/tyti/2012/12/tyti_2012_12_2013-01-22_tie_001_en.html