249,500 unemployed jobseekers in August

The number of unemployed jobseekers rose by 10,400 from August of last year. The number of new vacancies reported totalled 64,700. In all, the number of unfilled vacancies in August was 114,400, which is 61,100 fewer than a year ago.

At the end of August, the number of unemployed jobseekers totalled 249,500. This is 10,400 more than a year earlier and 29,200 fewer 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, 144,500, or 9,500 more than in August a year ago, were customers of municipalities participating in the local government pilots on employment.

At the end of August, the number of people laid off was 19,700 persons; a year-on-year increase of 4,900. The number of people fully laid off totalled 14,700, representing an increase of 5,100 from August the year before. The number of people fully laid off decreased by 3,700 from July.

90,800 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 90,800, down 1,500 on the previous year. The number of unemployed jobseekers aged over 50 was 90,800, representing an increase of 500 on the year before.

The number of unemployed jobseekers aged under 25 was 26,100, representing an increase of 500 from August last year. Of the unemployment periods of youths, 57.8 per cent ended before reaching three months between January and August. This is 2.2 percentage points fewer than a year before.

Decrease in new vacancies

The number of new vacancies reported during August totalled 64,700, down by 30,700 from August the previous year. In all, the number of unfilled vacancies in August was 114,400, which is 61,100 fewer than a year ago.

At the end of August, the number of persons covered by services included in the activation rate amounted to 108,000, up 2,100 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 7.2%

According to the Labour Force Survey issued by Statistics Finland, in August the number of people in employment was 44,000 more than on the previous year. The trend of the employment rate was 74.1%, which was 0.3 percentage points higher than in August the year before. According to the Survey, the unemployment total was 192,000, which is 5,000 more than a year ago. The trend of the unemployment rate was 7.2%, or 0.2 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 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.

Inquiries:

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