279,700 unemployed jobseekers in September

The number of unemployed jobseekers rose by 29,900 from September of last year. The number of new vacancies reported totalled 29,700. In all, the number of unfilled vacancies in September was 56,200, which is 53,100 fewer than a year ago.

At the end of September, the number of unemployed jobseekers totalled 279,700. This is 29,900 more than a year earlier and 100 more than in the previous month. These figures are from the Employment Bulletin of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment.

The number of unemployed jobseekers includes the customers of Employment and Economic Development Offices and local government pilots on employment as well as people fully laid off. Of the unemployed jobseekers, 163,400, or 20,500 more than in September a year ago, were customers of municipalities participating in the local government pilots on employment.

At the end of September, the number of people laid off was 28,500; a year-on-year increase of 4,100. The number of people fully laid off totalled 19,100, representing an increase of 1,400 from September the year before. The number of people fully laid off grew by 2,000 from August.

98,700 unemployed in the long term

The number of long-term unemployed — that is those who had been unemployed without interruption for at least a year — amounted to 98,700, up 8,800 on the previous year. The number of unemployed jobseekers aged over 50 was 99,400, representing an increase of 8,100 on the year before.

The number of unemployed jobseekers aged under 25 was 31,000, representing an increase of 5,100 from September last year. Of the unemployment periods of youths, 56.0 per cent ended before reaching three months between January and September. This is 3.3 percentage points fewer than a year before.

Decrease in new vacancies

The number of new vacancies reported during September totalled 29,700, or 27,200 fewer than in September the previous year. In all, the number of unfilled vacancies in September was 56,200, which is 53,100 fewer than a year ago.

At the end of September, the number of persons covered by services included in the activation rate amounted to 111,700, down 1,000 on the previous year. These services include pay subsidies, labour market training, rehabilitative work and self-motivated studies.

Statistics Finland: The trend of the unemployment rate 8.4%

According to the Labour Force Survey issued by Statistics Finland, in September the number of people in employment was 54,000 less than on the previous year. The trend of the employment rate was 71.9%, which was 1.4 percentage points lower than in September the year before. According to the Survey, the unemployment total was 227,000, which is 29,000 more than a year ago. The trend of the unemployment rate was 8.4%, or 1.0 percentage points higher than the previous year.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

Key differences between Employment Service Statistics and the Labour Force Survey 

This information is based on the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment’s Employment Service Statistics 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 customer register of the Employment and Economic Development Offices and local government pilots on employment, 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 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 of being unemployed: a person is unemployed if they have actively sought employment during the preceding four weeks and are available for work over the coming two weeks. The figures of the Labour Force Survey of Statistics Finland are internationally comparable and thus they are the official Finnish unemployment statistics. 

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