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Published: 24 March 2015

Unemployment rate 10.1 per cent in February

According to Statistics Finland’s Labour Force Survey, the number of unemployed persons in February 2015 was 268,000, which was 27,000 higher than one year ago. The unemployment rate was 10.1 per cent, having been 9.1 per cent in February of the year before. There were 13,000 fewer employed persons than in February of the previous year. The number of persons in the inactive population was 5,000 fewer than one year earlier.

Unemployment rate and trend of unemployment rate 2005/02–2015/02, persons aged 15–74

Unemployment rate and trend of unemployment rate 2005/02–2015/02, persons aged 15–74

In February 2015, the number of employed persons was 2,392,000, which was 13,000 lower than a year earlier (margin of error ±32,000). The number of employed persons decreased in the private sector and grew in the public sector compared with February 2014.

In February 2015, the employment rate , that is, the proportion of the employed among persons aged 15 to 64, stood at 66.6 per cent, having been 66.9 per cent one year earlier. The employment rate for men fell by 0.6 percentage point from last year’s February to 66.7 per cent. Women’s employment rate was almost unchanged from February 2014 and stood at 66.6 per cent. Adjusted for seasonal and random variation, the trend of the employment rate was 68.2 per cent.

According to Statistics Finland's Labour Force Survey, there were 268,000 unemployed in February 2015, i.e. 27,000 more than one year earlier (margin of error ±19,000). The number of unemployed men was 142,000 and that of women 126,000.

At 10.1 per cent, the unemployment rate was one percentage point higher than one year earlier in February. Men’s unemployment rate was 10.5 per cent and women’s 9.7 per cent. The trend of the unemployment rate was 9.2 per cent.

In February, there were a total of 648,000 young people aged 15 to 24 . Of them, 220,000 were employed and 75,000 unemployed. Thus, the labour force of young people (employed and unemployed) totalled 296,000. In February, the unemployment rate for young people aged 15 to 24, that is, the proportion of the unemployed among the labour force, stood at 25.5 per cent, which was 2.6 percentage points higher than one year previously. The trend of the unemployment rate among young people was 21.6 per cent. The share of unemployed young people aged 15 to 24 among the population in the same age group was 11.6 per cent.

There were 1,441,000 persons in the inactive population in February 2015, which was 5,000 fewer than one year earlier. Of the inactive population, 121,000 persons were in disguised unemployment , which was 14,000 fewer than in February 2014.

Changes in employment 2014/02–2015/02 according to Statistics Finland’s Labour Force Survey, population aged 15 to 74

  Year/Month Change
2014/02 2015/02 2014/02 - 2015/02
1000 persons Per cent, %
Population total 4 093 4 101 0,2
Active population total 2 647 2 660 0,5
Employed 2 405 2 392 –0,5
– employees 2 082 2 062 –1,0
– self-employed persons and unpaid family workers 323 330 2,1
Unemployed 241 268 11,1
Inactive population 1 446 1 441 –0,4
– Persons in disguised unemployment 135 121 –10,4
  Per cent, % Percentage points
Employment rate, persons aged 15 to 64 66,9 66,6 –0,3
Unemployment rate 9,1 10,1 1,0
Activity rate 64,7 64,9 0,2
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 February 2015, there were altogether 355,000 persons registered in accordance with the Employment Office Regulations as unemployed job seekers at the  employment and economic development offices . The number of unemployed job seekers was 32,000 higher than in February 2014.

Unemployment increased from the previous year's February in the areas of all Employment and Economic Development Centres except for Kainuu (0%); most in Uusimaa (15%), Ostrobothnia (12%), Satakunta (12%), South Ostrobothnia (11%) and North Savo (11%). At the end of February, the number of temporarily laid off persons registered at the employment and economic development offices was 35,000, which was 3,000 more than twelve months earlier.

The number of persons engaged in services included in the activation rate totalled 126,000 at the end of February, which was 3,000 higher than in February of the year before. Altogether, 4.7 per cent of the labour force was covered by labour market policy services.

There were 46,000 unemployed job seekers aged under 25 registered at the employment and economic development offices. Their number was 5,000 higher than in February of the year before. During this February, 56,000 new vacancies were reported to the employment and economic development offices, which was 2,000 more than in February 2014.

Changes 2014/02–2015/02 according to the Employment Service Statistics of the Ministry of Employment and the Economy

  Year/Month Change
2014/02 2015/02 2014/02 - 2015/02
1000 persons Per cent, %
Unemployed job seekers 1) 324 355 9,7
– unemployed over a year 86 103 19,0
Services, total 123 126 2,3
– employed 35 33 –7,1
– in labour market training, in training 30 27 –8,5
– in trainee places, engaged in work/training trials 12 12 –2,3
– as a job alternation substitute, in rehabilitative work, self-motivated studies supported by unemployment benefit 45 53 18,0
New vacancies at employment and economic development offices 54 56 4,3
Unrounded figures are used in the Change column.
1) The law reform that entered into force at the beginning of 2013 and the change in the lay-off procedure on 1 July increase the number of unemployed job seekers somewhat.

Links: Law reform 1 January 2013
Change in the lay-off procedure 1 July 2013

Contact information for the Ministry of Employment and the Economy:
Petri Syvänen tel. +358 29 504 8050, http://www.temtyollisyyskatsaus.fi

Links

Labour Force Survey tables in databases

About seasonally adjusted trend

The accuracy of figures and the margins of error are explained in the quality description of the Labour Force Survey .

Comparison between the statistics of Statistics Finland and the Ministry of Employment and the Economy

Latest seasonally adjusted employment figures published by the EU can be found on Eurostat's home page http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat

Job vacancies

Latest data on open job vacancies published by the EU can be found on Eurostat's home page http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat


Source: Labour force survey 2015, February. Statistics Finland

Inquiries: Tuomas Remes 029 551 3682, Joanna Viinikka 029 551 3796, tyovoimatutkimus@stat.fi

Director in charge: Riitta Harala

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Appendix tables

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Updated 24.3.2015

Referencing instructions:

Official Statistics of Finland (OSF): Labour force survey [e-publication].
ISSN=1798-7857. February 2015. Helsinki: Statistics Finland [referred: 28.3.2024].
Access method: http://www.stat.fi/til/tyti/2015/02/tyti_2015_02_2015-03-24_tie_001_en.html