253,900 unemployed jobseekers in March

The number of unemployed jobseekers rose by 3,200. The number of new vacancies reported in March totalled 95,200. In all, the number of unfilled vacancies amounted to 203,400, which is 55,700 fewer than a year ago.

At the end of March, a total of 253,900 unemployed jobseekers were registered at the Employment and Economic Development Offices and municipalities participating in the local government pilots on employment. This is 3,200 more than a year earlier and 4,200 fewer than in the previous month.

Of the unemployed jobseekers, 140,800, or 5,800 more than in March 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 March, the number of people laid off was 29,000 in the whole country; a year-on-year increase of 400. The number of people fully laid off totalled 22,900, representing an increase of 2,000 from March the year before. The number of people fully laid off decreased by 1,300 from February.

84,700 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 84,700, down 15,800 on the previous year. The number of unemployed jobseekers aged over 50 was 94,600, or 4,200 fewer than at the same time a year earlier.

The number of unemployed jobseekers aged under 25 was 26,400, representing an increase of 100 from March last year. Of the unemployment periods of youths, 57.8 per cent ended before reaching three months between January and March. This is 2.4 percentage points fewer than the year before.

Decrease in new vacancies

The number of new vacancies reported during March totalled 95,200, or 31,000 fewer than in March the previous year. In all, the number of unfilled vacancies in March was 203,400, which is 55,700 fewer than a year ago.

At the end of March, the number of persons covered by services included in the activation rate amounted to 116,700, up 2,500 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 6.6%

According to the Labour Force Survey issued by Statistics Finland, in March the number of people in employment was 37,000 more than on the previous year. The trend of the employment rate was 74.1%, which was 0.4 percentage points higher than in March the year before. According to the Survey, the unemployment total was 193,000, which is 1,000 more than a year ago. The trend of the unemployment rate was 6.6%, or 0.1 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. 

Further information on the differences in the statistics

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