The number of unemployed jobseekers decreased in July

A total of 329,000 unemployed jobseekers were registered at the Employment and Economic Development Offices at the end of July. This is 49,400 less than a year earlier. The number of unemployed jobseekers increased by 8,900 from the previous month. The figures are from the Employment Bulletin of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment.

The number of long-term unemployed — that is those who had been unemployed without interruption for more than a year — amounted to 106,100, down 21,000 on the previous year. The number of unemployed jobseekers over 50 years of age was 115,700, or 15,600 less than at the same time a year earlier.

Unemployed jobseekers under 25 years of age numbered 45,700, representing a decrease of 9,100 from July last year. Among unemployed young people, the period of unemployment ended within three months on average in 63.2% of cases between January and July, which is 2.5 percentage points more than the year before.

Increase in number of new vacancies

The number of new vacancies reported to Employment and Economic Development Offices during July totalled 39,200, or 3,200 more than in July the previous year. In all, the number of unfilled vacancies at Employment and Economic Development Offices in July amounted to 75,200, which is 7,500 more than a year ago.

At the end of July, the number of people laid off was 22,300 in the whole country, which is 9,300 less than the year before. The number of people fully laid off totalled 13,900, representing a decrease of 7,700 from July the year before.

The number of advance declarations of employers regarding potential lay-offs has increased. According to the advance declarations, it is possible that 700 people will be laid off in the near future, which is 100 more than a year ago. The number of upcoming lay-offs decreased by 400 from June to July.

At the end of July, the number of persons covered by services included in the activation rate amounted to 99,800, up 400 on the previous year. These services include pay subsidies, labour market training, work trials and self-motivated studies.

Statistics Finland: Unemployment rate 7.5%

According to the Labour Force Survey issued by Statistics Finland, in July the number of people in employment was up 31,000 on the previous year. The employment rate was 72.0%, which was 0.9 percentage points higher than in July the year before. According to the Survey, the unemployment total was 207,000 which is 6,000 less than a year ago. The unemployment rate was 7.5%, or 0.3 percentage points less than the previous year.

Key differences between Employment Service Statistics and the Labour Force Survey

The information is based on the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment’s Employment Service Statistics and monitoring of upcoming lay-offs, and the Labour Force Survey of Statistics Finland. The Employment Service Statistics of the Ministry are compiled on the basis of the information in the Employment and Economic Development Offices’ customer register, while the Labour Force Survey of Statistics Finland is based on sampling.

In the Employment Service Statistics of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, persons that are not in an employment relationship or employed in business are listed as unemployed. Persons fully laid-off but not full-time students are also categorised as unemployed in the Employment Service Statistics. The Labour Force Survey of Statistics Finland has a stricter definition for being unemployed: a person is unemployed if he or she has actively sought employment during the preceding four weeks and is available for work within two weeks. The figures of the Labour Force Survey of Statistics Finland are internationally comparable and thus they are the official Finnish unemployment statistics.

Further information on the differences in the statistics

Inquiries:
Petri Syvänen, Ministerial Adviser, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, tel. +358 29 504 8050

Links:
Employment Bulletin of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment

Information on upcoming lay-offs

Key definitions of the Employment Service Statistics

More detailed information on the Employment Service Statistics is available in the Ministry’s ‘Sector Online’ information system: http://www.toimialaonline.fi/ path: Statistical base – Labour market – Employment service statistics

Joint publication of Statistics Finland and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment