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Published: 22 September 2009

Number of employed in August 95 000 lower than one year ago

Employment figures continued to fall and unemployment figures rise through August 2009. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate, which is the measure that best describes the level of unemployment, stood at 8,8 per cent in August. Men's unemployment rate went up by clearly more than women's. Unemployment increased further among young people and the seasonally adjusted youth unemployment rate was 22,4 per cent in August.

According to the Labour Force Survey of Statistics Finland, the number of employed persons in August 2009 was 2 471 000, or 95 000 lower than a year earlier. The number of wage and salary earners decreased but that of self-employed persons went up slightly. The number of employed persons decreased in all provinces.

In August 2009, the employment rate , that is, the proportion of the employed among persons aged 15 to 64, stood at 68,7 per cent, or 2,8 percentage points lower than one year before. Adjusted for seasonal and random variation, the trend of the employment rate fell to 67,4 per cent. From last year’s August, men’s employment rate fell by 4,7 percentage points to 68,9 per cent and women’s by 0,9 percentage points to 68,5 per cent.

According to the Labour Force Survey, there were 203 000 unemployed in August 2009, which was 52 000 more than in August of the year before. The number of unemployed men grew by 45 000 and that of unemployed women by 8 000.

Changes in the labour force 2009/08 – 2008/08 according to Statistics Finland’s Labour Force Survey

  Year/Month Change
2009/08 2008/08 2009/08 - 2008/08
1000 persons Per cent (%)
Population aged 15-74 4 028 4 008 0,5
Labour force, total 2 674 2 717 –1,6
Employed, total 2 471 2 566 –3,7
– employees 2 132 2 236 –4,6
– self-employed persons and unpaid family workers 339 330 2,7
Unemployed persons 203 151 34,6
Total persons not in labour force 1 354 1 291 4,9
  Per cent (%) Percentage points
Employment rate (persons aged 15 to 64), % 68,7 71,5 –2,8
Unemployment rate, % 7,6 5,6 2,0
Labour force participation rate, % 66,4 67,8 –1,4
Unrounded figures are used in the Change column.
The data comply with the ILO/EU definition.

At 7,6 per cent, the unemployment rate was 2,0 percentage points higher in August than one year earlier. The trend of the unemployment rate was 8,8 per cent in August. At its lowest in April 2008, the trend of the unemployment rate was 6,1 per cent. The unemployment rate for men went up by 3,4 percentage points to 8,0 per cent, and that for women by 0,6 percentage points to 7,1 per cent. This August, the unemployment rate among young people aged 15 to 24 was 17,7 per cent, which was 5,9 percentage points higher than in August 2008. The trend of the unemployment rate among young people rose to 22,4 per cent. The unemployment rate was lowest in the Province of Southern Finland, where it stood at 6,4 per cent, and highest in the Province of Eastern Finland at 10,3 per cent.

In August, there were 1 354 000 persons of working age not in the labour force , which was 63 000 more than one year earlier.

Employment Service Statistics of the Ministry of Employment and the Economy

At the end of August 2009, there were altogether 270 000 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 74 000 higher than in August 2008. Unemployment grew from the previous year in the areas of all Employment and Economic Development Centres. The number of unemployed job seekers increased most in Pirkanmaa (52 %), South Ostrobothnia (52 %), and Varsinais-Suomi (50%). At the end of August, the number of temporarily laid off persons registered at the employment and economic development offices was 28 000, which was 23 000 more than twelve months earlier. The total number of persons covered by labour market policy measures was 75 000 the end of August, which was 1 000 fewer than in August of the year before. Altogether 2,8 per cent of the labour force was covered by labour market policy measures. There were 37 000 unemployed job seekers aged under 25 registered at the employment and economic development offices. Their number was 15 000 higher than in last year's August. The number of new vacancies reported to the employment and economic development offices during this August was 32 000, or 14 000 fewer than in August 2008.

Changes 2009/08 – 2008/08 according to the Employment Service Statistics of the Ministry of Employment and the Economy

  Year/Month Change
2009/08 2008/08 2009/08 - 2008/08
1000 persons Per cent (%)
Unemployed job seekers 270 195 38,0
– unemployed over a year 41 42 –3,0
Total measures 75 77 –1,8
– employed with subsidised measures 33 37 –9,8
– in labour market training 26 23 12,0
– in trainee and job alternation places 16 16 –3,4
New vacancies at employment and economic development offices 32 45 –29,8
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

Press release concerning recording of students in the Labour Force Survey statistics (in Finnish and Swedish only): http://tilastokeskus.fi/ajk/tiedotteet/2009/tiedote_008_2009-07-31.html

Methodological description concerning laid off persons (in Finnish only):
http://tilastokeskus.fi/til/tyti/tyti_2009-04-28_men_006.html

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

About seasonally adjusted trend (in Finnish only): http://tilastokeskus.fi/til/tyti/tyti_2007-06-19_men_003.html

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 2009, August. Statistics Finland

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

Director in charge: Riitta Harala

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Updated 22.09.2009

Referencing instructions:

Official Statistics of Finland (OSF): Labour force survey [e-publication].
ISSN=1798-7857. August 2009. Helsinki: Statistics Finland [referred: 19.3.2024].
Access method: http://www.stat.fi/til/tyti/2009/08/tyti_2009_08_2009-09-22_tie_001_en.html