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Published: 24 June 2015

Unemployment rate 11.8 per cent in May

According to Statistics Finland’s Labour Force Survey, the number of unemployed persons in May 2015 was 324,000, which was 28,000 higher than one year ago. The unemployment rate was 11.8 per cent, having been 10.7 per cent in May of the year before. There were 27,000 fewer employed than in May of the previous year. The number of persons in the inactive population was 4,000 higher than one year earlier.

Unemployment rate and trend of unemployment rate 2005/05–2015/05, persons aged 15–74

Unemployment rate and trend of unemployment rate 2005/05–2015/05, persons aged 15–74

In May 2015, the number of employed persons was 2,433,000 (margin of error ±33,000), which was 27,000 lower than a year earlier. There were 18,000 fewer employed men and 9,000 fewer employed women than in May 2014.

In May, the employment rate , that is, the proportion of the employed among persons aged 15 to 64, stood at 68.0 per cent, which was 0.8 percentage points lower than one year before. The employment rate for men decreased by 0.9 percentage points to 68.3 per cent, and that of women by 0.7 percentage points to 67.8 per cent. Adjusted for seasonal and random variation, the trend of the employment rate was 67.9 per cent.

According to Statistics Finland's Labour Force Survey, there were 324,000 unemployed (margin of error ±22,000) in May 2015, i.e. 28,000 more than one year earlier. The number of unemployed men was 168,000 and that of women 156,000. The number of unemployed women grew by 28,000, while that of unemployed men remained unchanged from May 2014.

At 11.8 per cent, the unemployment rate in May was 1.0 percentage point higher than one year earlier. Men’s unemployment rate was 11.9 per cent and women’s 11.6 per cent. The trend of the unemployment rate was 9.7 per cent.

In May, there were a total of 645,000 young people aged 15 to 24 . Of them, 263,000 were employed and 150,000 unemployed. Thus, the labour force of young people (employed and unemployed) totalled 412,000. In May, the unemployment rate for young people aged 15 to 24, that is, the proportion of the unemployed among the labour force, stood at 36.3 per cent, which was 5.4 percentage points higher than one year previously. The trend of the unemployment rate among young people was 23.1 per cent. The share of unemployed young people aged 15 to 24 among the population in the same age group was 23.2 per cent.

There were 1,341,000 persons in the inactive population in May 2015, which was 4,000 more than one year earlier. Of the inactive population, 136,000 persons were in disguised unemployment , which was 14,000 more than in May 2014.

In May, the number of the unemployed in the Labour Force Survey is usually higher than in the other months of the year. Young people looking for a summer job and finishing their studies enter the labour market at the same time, which temporarily raises the number of unemployed and the unemployment rate. In May, the trend adjusted for seasonal and random variation gives a better picture of the level of unemployment than monthly estimates.

Changes in employment 2014/05–2015/05 according to Statistics Finland’s Labour Force Survey, population aged 15 to 74

  Year/Month Change
2014/05 2015/05 2014/05 - 2015/05
1000 persons Per cent, %
Population total 4 094 4 099 0,1
Active population total 2 756 2 758 0,0
Employed 2 460 2 433 –1,1
– employees 2 137 2 098 –1,8
– self-employed persons and unpaid family workers 324 335 3,7
Unemployed 296 324 9,5
Inactive population 1 337 1 341 0,3
– persons in disguised unemployment 122 136 11,7
  Per cent, % Percentage points
Employment rate, persons aged 15 to 64 68,9 68,0 –0,8
Unemployment rate 10,7 11,8 1,0
Activity rate 67,3 67,3 –0,1
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 May 2015, there were altogether 330,000 persons registered in accordance with the Employment Office Regulations as job seekers at the employment and economic development offices. The number of unemployed job seekers was 27,000 higher than in May 2014.

The number of unemployed job seekers increased in May from the corresponding period in 2014 in the areas of all Employment and Economic Development Centres apart from Kainuu (–0.4%): most in Uusimaa (15%), South Ostrobothnia (11%), Satakunta (10%), South Savo (10%), North Savo (10%), and Ostrobothnia (10%). At the end of May, the number of temporarily laid off persons registered at the employment and economic development offices was 23,000, which was 2,000 more than twelve months earlier.

The number of persons engaged in services included in the activation rate totalled 125,000 at the end of May, which was 2,000 fewer than in May of the year before. Altogether, 4.5 per cent of the labour force was covered by labour market policy services.

There were 40,000 unemployed job seekers aged under 25 registered at the employment and economic development offices. Their number was 2,000 higher than in last year's May. During this May, 39,000 new vacancies were reported to the employment and economic development offices, which is 3,000 more than in May 2014.

Changes 2014/05–2015/05 according to the Employment Service Statistics of the Ministry of Employment and the Economy

  Year/Month Change
2014/05 2015/05 2014/05 - 2015/05
1000 persons Per cent, %
Unemployed job seekers 1) 302 330 9,1
– unemployed over a year 87 105 21,0
Services, total 127 125 –1,8
– employed 40 32 –19,1
– in labour market training, in training 29 25 –13,6
– engaged in work/training trials 12 13 2,6
– as a job alternation substitute, in rehabilitative work, self-motivated studies supported by unemployment benefit 45 54 19,7
New vacancies at employment and economic development offices 36 39 8,1
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 employment 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 vacancy survey

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, May. Statistics Finland

Inquiries: Kirsi Toivonen 029 551 3535, Pertti Taskinen 029 551 2690, tyovoimatutkimus@stat.fi

Director in charge: Riitta Harala

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Appendix tables

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Quality descriptions

Updated 24.6.2015

Referencing instructions:

Official Statistics of Finland (OSF): Labour force survey [e-publication].
ISSN=1798-7857. May 2015. Helsinki: Statistics Finland [referred: 29.3.2024].
Access method: http://www.stat.fi/til/tyti/2015/05/tyti_2015_05_2015-06-24_tie_001_en.html