The number of unemployed jobseekers decreased in June

A total of 320,100 unemployed jobseekers were registered at the Employment and Economic Development Offices at the end of June. This is 46,000 less than a year earlier. The number of unemployed jobseekers increased by 28,600 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 105,900, down 21,000 on the previous year. The number of unemployed jobseekers over 50 years of age was 113,600, or 14,600 fewer than at the same time a year earlier.

Unemployed jobseekers under 25 years of age numbered 45,800, representing a decrease of 8,400 from June last year. Among unemployed young people, the period of unemployment ended within three months on average in 63.1% of cases between January and June, which is 2.6 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 Junetotalled 44,100, or 4,900 more than in June the previous year. In all, the number of unfilled vacancies at Employment and Economic Development Offices in June amounted to 85,000, which is 10,000 more than a year ago.

At the end of June, the number of people laid off was 21,300 in the whole country, which is 9,700 less than the year before. The number of people fully laid off totalled 12,600, representing a decrease of 8,000 from June the year before.

The number of advance declarations of employers regarding potential lay-offs has decreased. According to the advance declarations, it is possible that 1,200 people will be laid off in the near future, which is 700 less than a year ago. The number of upcoming lay-offs also decreased by 700 from May to June.

At the end of June, the number of persons covered by services included in the activation rate amounted to 108,300, up 400 on the previous year. These services include pay subsidies, labour market training, work trials and self-motivated studies.

Statistics Finland: Unemployment rate 8.9%

According to the Labour Force Survey issued by Statistics Finland, in June the number of people in employment was up 15,000 on the previous year. The employment rate was 72.5%, which was 0.5 percentage points higher than in June the year before. According to the Survey, the unemployment total was 250,000 which is 14,000 less than a year ago. The unemployment rate was 8.9%, or 0.5 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. +358 295 048 050

Links to material (in Finnish):
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 path: Statistical base – Labour market – Employment service statistics

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