Employment service statistics

Processing of personal data

The employment service statistics of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment include the key information about job applicants registered with the Employment and Economic Development Offices (TE Offices), the labour policy services and vacancies. Unemployed persons must register as unemployed jobseekers with a TE Office to receive unemployment benefits. The figures also include the customers of the municipal employment trials.

The intended purpose of the employment service statistics is primarily to be a monitoring and measuring instrument for the operations of the economic affairs and employment administration. The information included in the statistics is used for developing the services required by customer groups and the service volumes. In addition, the information in the employment service statistics is used in research and public administration, as well as by those who actively monitor the labour market. 

As a rule, we receive the information required in the employment service statistics from the customer service system of the TE Office and the municipal employment trials.

What data do we collect on you for the employment service statistics?

Personal data to be collected for the employment service statistics include

  • personal identity code, name (the first 10 characters);
  • gender and background information such as education, occupation, home municipality;
  • the main diagnoses in accordance with the ICD-10 classification of diseases, reported to the TE Office by the person;
  • citizenship, language and fund membership;
  • the following information concerning each period: information about job searches, unemployment and participation in services (employment provision, labour policy education, coaching, work trial, etc.), as well as plans and labour policy statements. 

The personal data in the employment service statistics are stored permanently in an electronic format.

What is our data processing based on?

We process your personal data to comply with our statutory obligation or to perform a task concerning the public interest.

The tasks of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment are laid down in the following, among others:

  • Government Decree on the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment 
  • Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment Decree on the Rules of Procedure of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment 

In addition, the following have an essential effect on the maintenance of the employment service statistics:

  • Act on the Openness of Government Activities
  • Statistics Act 
  • Act on Public Employment and Business Service 
  • Unemployment Security Act 
  • Act on the Promotion of Immigrant Integration 
  • Act on Rehabilitative Work Activities 
  • Act on Job Alternation Leave 

Disclosure and transfer of personal data

We have outsourced the information system of the employment service statistics to external service providers for quality improvement. The statistics servers of the employment service statistics are in Finland. 

Under sections 14 and 15 of the Statistics Act, a state authority is obliged, any provisions on confidentiality notwithstanding, to provide Statistics Finland with the personal data necessary for compiling statistics.

With the exception of Statistics Finland, personal data are not disclosed in an identifiable format to other external parties. Access can be permitted in individual cases for scientific research or statistical reports by erasing any data identifying individuals directly. However, data on age, gender, occupation and education may be disclosed for aforementioned purposes, including identification data.

Data in statistical format can be disclosed upon request in accordance with the Act on the Openness of Government Activities, as long as an individual person cannot be identified, even indirectly.

We do not disclose your data for direct marketing or market and opinion polls.

Right to inspect

According to the Statistics Act, a person does not have the right to inspect their personal data collected for statistical purposes.

For more information about the employment service statistics, please contact Suvi Timonen ([email protected])