321,700 unemployed jobseekers in December

The number of unemployed jobseekers rose by 24,000 from December of last year. The number of new vacancies reported totalled 22,800. In all, the number of unfilled vacancies in December was 43,400, which is 38,700 fewer than a year ago.

At the end of December, the number of unemployed jobseekers totalled 321,700. This is 24,000 more than a year earlier and 29,200 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, 180,200, or 18,200 more than in December a year ago, were customers of municipalities participating in the local government pilots on employment.

At the end of December, the number of people laid off was 48,500 persons; a year-on-year decrease of 1,300. The number of people fully laid off totalled 35,000, representing a decrease of 4,600 from December the year before. The number of people fully laid off grew by 10,400 from November.

109,600 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 109,600, up 19,000 on the previous year. The number of unemployed jobseekers aged over 50 was 111,500, representing an increase of 7,100 on the year before.

The number of unemployed jobseekers aged under 25 was 37,500, representing an increase of 4,100 from December last year. Of the unemployment periods of youths, 55.7 per cent ended before reaching three months between January and December. This is 4.0 percentage points fewer than the year before.

Decrease in new vacancies

The number of new vacancies reported during December totalled 22,800, or 22,000 fewer than in December the previous year. In all, the number of unfilled vacancies in December was 43,400, which is 38,700 fewer than a year ago.

At the end of December, the number of persons covered by services included in the activation rate amounted to 89,100, down 17,600 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 8.9%

According to the Labour Force Survey issued by Statistics Finland, in December the number of people in employment was 56,000 less than on the previous year. The trend of the employment rate was 71.5%, which was 1.5 percentage points lower than in December the year before. According to the Survey, the unemployment total was 226,000, which is 27,000 more than a year ago. The trend of the unemployment rate was 8.9%, or 1.2 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.