234,800 unemployed jobseekers in November

The number of unemployed jobseekers decreased by 17,900. The number of new vacancies reported in November totalled 73,100. In all, the number of unfilled vacancies amounted to 135,600, which is 32,600 less than a year ago.

At the end of November, a total of 234,800 unemployed jobseekers were registered at the Employment and Economic Development Offices and municipalities participating in the local government pilots on employment. This is 17,900 fewer than a year earlier and 2,500 more than in the previous month. 

Of the unemployed jobseekers, 129,300, or 5,700 fewer than in November a year ago, were customers of municipalities participating in the local government pilots on employment. The number of unemployed jobseekers also includes those fully laid off. These figures are from the Employment Bulletin of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment.

At the end of November, the number of people laid off was 19,700 in the whole country, which was 8,100 fewer than at the same time the year before. The number of people fully laid off totalled 13,900, representing a decrease of 4,800 from November the year before. The number of people fully laid off increased by 3,000 from October.

86,100 unemployed in the long term

The number of long-term unemployed — i.e. those who had been unemployed without interruption for at least a year — totalled 86,100, down 20,100 on the previous year. The number of unemployed jobseekers aged over 50 was 90,300, or 9,500 fewer than at the same time a year earlier.

The number of unemployed jobseekers aged under 25 was 23,200, representing a decrease of 3,300 from November last year. Of the unemployment periods of youths, 62.2 per cent ended before reaching three months between January and November. This is 1.1 percentage points more than the year before.

Decrease in new vacancies

The number of new vacancies reported during November totalled 73,100, or 20,000 less than in November the previous year. In all, the number of unfilled vacancies in November was 135,600, which is 32,600 less than a year ago.

At the end of November, the number of persons covered by services included in the activation rate amounted to 117,600, up 2,700 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 6.7%

According to the Labour Force Survey issued by Statistics Finland, in November the number of people in employment was 62,000 more than on the previous year. The trend of the employment rate was 74.7%, which was 1.6 percentage points higher than in November the year before. According to the Survey, the unemployment total was 164,000, which is the same number than a year ago. The trend of the unemployment rate was 6.7%, or 0.3 percentage points lower 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 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 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 he or she has actively sought employment during the preceding four weeks and is 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. 

Further information on the differences in the statistics.

Inquiries:
Petri Syvänen, Ministerial Adviser, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, tel. +358 295 048 050