258,100 unemployed jobseekers in February

The number of unemployed jobseekers decreased by 7,500. The number of new vacancies reported in February totalled 92,000. In all, the number of unfilled vacancies amounted to 198,400, which is 44,000 fewer than a year ago.

At the end of February, a total of 258,100 unemployed jobseekers were registered at the Employment and Economic Development Offices and municipalities participating in the local government pilots on employment. This is 7,500 fewer than a year earlier and the same amount as in the previous month. 

Of the unemployed jobseekers, 140,800, or 400 more than in February 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 February, the number of people laid off was 30,600 in the whole country, which was 4,800 fewer than at the same time the year before. The number of people fully laid off totalled 24,300, representing a decrease of 2,600 from February the year before. The number of people fully laid off increased by 1,900 from January.

85,100 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 85,100, down 18,700 on the previous year. The number of unemployed jobseekers aged over 50 was 95,800, or 7,500 fewer than at the same time a year earlier.

The number of unemployed jobseekers aged under 25 totalled 27,000, representing a decrease of 1,200 from February last year. Of the unemployment periods of youths, 55.9 per cent ended before reaching three months in February. This is 1.7 percentage points fewer than the year before.

Decrease in new vacancies

The number of new vacancies reported during February totalled 92,000, or 30,500 fewer than in February the previous year. In all, the number of unfilled vacancies in February was 198,400, which is 44,000 fewer than a year ago.

At the end of February, the number of persons covered by services included in the activation rate amounted to 114,000, up 2,600 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 6.8%

According to the Labour Force Survey issued by Statistics Finland, in February the number of people in employment was 12,000 more than on the previous year. The trend of the employment rate was 74.2%, which was 0.5 percentage points higher than in February the year before. According to the Survey, the unemployment total was 186,000, which is 1,000 more than a year ago. The trend of the unemployment rate was 6.8%, 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 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