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Published: 23 March 2010

Unemployment rate 9.2 per cent in February

According to the Labour Force Survey of Statistics Finland, there were 42,000 more persons unemployed in February 2010 than in February 2009. The unemployment rate grew by 1.6 percentage points to 9.2 per cent from one year ago. The number of employed persons decreased by 42,000.

Unemployment rate and trend of unemployment rate 1989/01 – 2010/02

Unemployment rate and trend of unemployment rate 1989/01 – 2010/02

In February 2010, the number of employed persons was 2,399,000, which was 42,000 lower than a year earlier. Compared with February 2008, the number has reduced by 67,000. The decrease in the number of employed centred in the areas of the Regional State Administrative Agencies (AVI) of Southern Finland, Southwestern Finland, and Western and Inland Finland.

In February, the employment rate , that is, the proportion of the employed among persons aged 15 to 64, stood at 66.4 per cent, which was 1.6 percentage points lower than one year previously. Adjusted for seasonal and random variation, the trend of the employment rate was 67.3 per cent. From last year’s February, men’s employment rate fell by 1.9 percentage points to 66.3 per cent and women’s by 1.2 percentage points to 66.5 per cent.

According to the Labour Force Survey of Statistics Finland, there were 242,000 unemployed in February 2010, i.e. 42,000 more than in February of the year before. The number of unemployed men grew by 27,000 and that of unemployed women by 15,000. Compared with February 2008, now 74,000 more were unemployed. The number of unemployed 15 to 24-year-olds and 55 to 64-year-olds increased the most in relative terms.

At 9.2 per cent, the unemployment rate was 1.6 percentage points higher in February than one year earlier. The trend of the unemployment rate was 9.1 per cent in February. The unemployment rate for men rose by 2.0 percentage points to 10.1 per cent, and that for women by 1.2 percentage points to 8.2 per cent. In February, the unemployment rate among young people aged 15 to 24 was 25.7 per cent, which was 5.9 percentage points higher than in the previous year’s February. The trend of the unemployment rate among young people was 23.9 per cent. The unemployment rate was lowest in the areas of Southwestern Finland AVI, where it stood at 7.3 per cent, and highest, at 12.7 per cent, in the area of Lapland Finland AVI.

The number of those belonging to the labour force , i.e. employed and unemployed persons, remained unchanged. The number of 15 to 74-year-olds not belonging to the labour forc e grew by 21,000.

N.B . The latest trend figures, which are partly based on projections, should be viewed with certain reservations.

Changes in the labour force 2010/02 – 2009/02 according to Statistics Finland’s Labour Force Survey

  Year/Month Change
2010/02 2009/02 2010/02 - 2009/02
1000 persons Per cent (%)
Population aged 15-74 4 037 4 017 0,5
Labour force, total 2 641 2 641 0,0
Employed, total 2 399 2 441 –1,7
– employees 2 064 2 108 –2,1
– self-employed persons and unpaid family workers 335 333 0,6
Unemployed persons 242 201 20,7
Total persons not in labour force 1 397 1 376 1,5
  Per cent (%) Percentage points
Employment rate (persons aged 15 to 64), % 66,4 68,0 –1,6
Unemployment rate, % 9,2 7,6 1,6
Labour force participation rate, % 65,4 65,8 –0,3
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 2010, there were altogether 287,000 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 37,000 higher than in February 2009.

Unemployment grew from the previous year in the areas of all other ELY Centres apart from those of Kainuu (–6%) and North Karelia (–4%). The number of unemployed job seekers increased most in Southwest Finland (31%), Åland (27%), Uusimaa (26%) and Pirkanmaa (20%). At the end of February, the number of laid off persons registered at the employment and economic development offices was 34,000, which was 3,000 more than twelve months earlier.

The number of persons covered by labour market policy measures totalled 84,000 at the end of February, which was 4,000 more than in February of the year before. Altogether 3.2 per cent of the labour force was covered by labour market policy measures.

There were 35,000 unemployed job seekers aged under 25 registered at the employment and economic development offices. Their number was 6,000 higher than in February of the year before. During this February, 49,000 new vacancies were reported to the employment and economic development offices, which is 2,000 more than in February 2009.

Changes 2010/02 – 2009/02 according to the Employment Service Statistics of the Ministry of Employment and the Economy

  Year/Month Change
2010/02 2009/02 2010/02 - 2009/02
1000 persons Per cent (%)
Unemployed job seekers 287 250 14,8
– unemployed over a year 51 40 25,2
Total measures 84 80 4,4
– employed with subsidised measures 31 35 –11,4
– in labour market training 34 30 13,5
– in trainee and job alternation places 19 16 21,3
New vacancies at employment and economic development offices 49 47 3,9
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

Updated 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, February. Statistics Finland

Inquiries: Heidi Melasniemi-Uutela (09) 1734 2523, Kalle Sinivuori (09) 1734 3524, Juha Martikainen (09) 1734 3225, tyovoimatutkimus@stat.fi

Director in charge: Riitta Harala

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Updated 23.03.2010

Referencing instructions:

Official Statistics of Finland (OSF): Labour force survey [e-publication].
ISSN=1798-7857. February 2010. Helsinki: Statistics Finland [referred: 29.3.2024].
Access method: http://www.stat.fi/til/tyti/2010/02/tyti_2010_02_2010-03-23_tie_001_en.html