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Published: 23 February 2010

Unemployment rate 9.5 per cent in January

According to the Labour Force Survey of Statistics Finland, there were 87,000 fewer persons employed in January 2010 than in January 2009. The number of unemployed persons increased by 66,000 and the unemployment rate went up by 2.6 percentage points from twelve months back. The number of persons not in the labour force was 42,000 higher in January 2010 than one year earlier.

Unemployment rate and trend of unemployment rate 1989/01 – 2010/01

Unemployment rate and trend of unemployment rate 1989/01 – 2010/01

In January 2010, the number of employed persons was 2,367,000, which was 87,000 lower than a year earlier. In January of the year before the number had already fallen by 26,000. This January the number of employed persons was at approximately the same level as in January 2006 and 2007. The numbers of both wage and salary earners and self-employed persons decreased. The number of employed persons diminished in the areas of all Regional State Administrative Agencies (AVI) apart from that of Lapland. Employment fell most in the area of Southwestern Finland AVI.

In January, the employment rate , that is, the proportion of the employed among persons aged 15 to 64, stood at 65.5 per cent, which was 2.7 percentage points lower than one year before. Adjusted for seasonal and random variation, the trend of the employment rate was 67.1 per cent. From last year’s January, men’s employment rate fell by 3.1 percentage points to 66.4 per cent and women’s by 2.4 percentage points to 64.7 per cent.

According to the Labour Force Survey of Statistics Finland, there were 250,000 unemployed in January 2010, i.e. 66,000 more than in January of the year before. The number of unemployed men grew by 49,000 and that of unemployed women by 17,000.

At 9.5 per cent, the unemployment rate was 2.6 percentage points higher in January than one year earlier. The trend of the unemployment rate was 9.1 per cent in January. The unemployment rate for men rose by 3.6 percentage points to 10.8 per cent, and that for women by 1.5 percentage points to 8.2 per cent. This January the unemployment rate among young people aged 15 to 24 was 22.7 per cent, which was 7.1 percentage points higher than in last year’s January. The trend of the unemployment rate among young people was 23.7 per cent. The unemployment rate was lowest in the area of Southern Finland AVI, where it stood at 7.6 per cent, and highest, at 14.1 per cent, in the area of Eastern Finland AVI.

In January 2010, there were 1,418,000 persons of working age not in the labour force , which was 42,000 more than one year earlier.

Changes in the labour force 2010/01 – 2009/01 according to Statistics Finland’s Labour Force Survey

  Year/Month Change
2010/01 2009/01 2010/01 - 2009/01
1000 persons Per cent (%)
Population aged 15-74 4 035 4 015 0,5
Labour force, total 2 617 2 639 –0,8
Employed, total 2 367 2 455 –3,6
– employees 2 050 2 128 –5,0
– self-employed persons and unpaid family workers 317 327 –2,8
Unemployed persons 250 184 35,6
Total persons not in labour force 1 418 1 377 3,0
  Per cent (%) Percentage points
Employment rate (persons aged 15 to 64), % 65,5 68,3 –2,7
Unemployment rate, % 9,5 7,0 2,6
Labour force participation rate, % 64,9 65,7 –0,9
Unrounded figures are used in the Change column.
The data comply with the ILO/EU definition.

Employment Service Statistics of the Ministry of Employment and the Economy

At the end of January 2010, there were altogether 297,000 persons registered, in accordance with the Unemployment Security Act and the Employment Office Regulations, as job seekers at the employment and economic development offices . The number of unemployed job seekers was 50,000 higher than in January 2009.

Unemployment grew from the previous year in the areas of all other ELY Centres apart from those of Kainuu (–4%) and North Karelia (–1%). The number of unemployed job seekers increased most in Southwest Finland (36%), Åland (36%), Uusimaa (34%) and Pirkanmaa (27%). At the end of January, the number of temporarily laid off persons registered at the employment and economic development offices was 35,000, which was 9,000 more than twelve months earlier.

The number of persons covered by labour market policy measures totalled 78,000 at the end of January, which was 1,000 more than in January of the year before. Altogether 3.0 per cent of the labour force was covered by labour market policy measures.

There were 38,000 unemployed job seekers aged under 25 registered at the employment and economic development offices. Their number was 7,000 higher than in last year's January. During this January, 38,000 new vacancies were reported to the employment and economic development offices, which is 7,000 fewer than in January 2009.

Changes 2010/01 – 2009/01 according to the Employment Service Statistics of the Ministry of Employment and the Economy

  Year/Month Change
2010/01 2009/01 2010/01 - 2009/01
1000 persons Per cent (%)
Unemployed job seekers 297 246 20,4
– unemployed over a year 50 41 21,3
Total measures 78 77 1,4
– employed with subsidised measures 30 34 –12,5
– in labour market training 31 28 10,5
– in trainee and job alternation places 17 15 16,5
New vacancies at employment and economic development offices 38 45 –15,4
Unrounded figures are used in the Change column.

Contact information for the Ministry of Employment and the Economy:
Mr Petri Syvänen, tel. +359 10 604 8050, http://www.tem.fi/employmentbulletin

Links

Tables of the Labour Force Survey: http://tilastokeskus.fi/til/tyti/tau_en.html

Differences between the Labour Force Survey and the Employment Service Statistics are explained in the quality description of the Labour Force Survey.

Latest seasonally adjusted employment figures published by the EU  can be found under the theme of Population and social conditions on Eurostat's home page http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu.

Job vacancy survey: http://tilastokeskus.fi/til/atp/index_en.html


Source: Labour force survey 2010, January. Statistics Finland

Inquiries: Juha Martikainen (09) 1734 3225, Kalle Sinivuori (09) 1734 3524, Veli Rajaniemi (09) 1734 3434, Anna Pärnänen (09) 1734 2607, tyovoimatutkimus@stat.fi

Director in charge: Riitta Harala

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Updated 23.02.2010

Referencing instructions:

Official Statistics of Finland (OSF): Labour force survey [e-publication].
ISSN=1798-7857. January 2010. Helsinki: Statistics Finland [referred: 29.3.2024].
Access method: http://www.stat.fi/til/tyti/2010/01/tyti_2010_01_2010-02-23_tie_001_en.html