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Published: 26 April 2016

Unemployment rate 10.1 per cent in March

According to Statistics Finland’s Labour Force Survey, the number of unemployed persons in March 2016 was 273,000, which was nearly the same as one year ago. The unemployment rate was 10.1 per cent, having been 10.3 per cent in March of the year before. There were 39,000 more employed than in March of the previous year. The unemployment rate was 9.6 per cent in the first quarter (January to March), having been 9.7 per cent in the respective quarter of 2015.

Unemployment rate and trend of unemployment rate 2006/03–2016/03, persons aged 15–74

Unemployment rate and trend of unemployment rate 2006/03–2016/03, persons aged 15–74

In March 2016, the number of employed persons was 2,420,000 (margin of error ±32,000), which was 39,000 higher than a year earlier. There were 30,000 more employed men and 8,000 more employed women than in March 2015.

In March, the employment rate , that is, the proportion of the employed among persons aged 15 to 64, stood at 68.0 per cent, having been 66.8 per cent one year earlier. From last year’s March, men’s employment rate rose by 1.8 percentage points to 69.3 per cent and women’s by 0.7 percentage points to 66.7 per cent. Adjusted for seasonal and random variation, the trend of the employment rate was 68.7 per cent.

According to Statistics Finland's Labour Force Survey, there were 273,000 unemployed in March 2016 (margin of error ±19,000), which was almost the same as one year earlier. The number of unemployed men was 145,000 and that of women 129,000.

At 10.1 per cent, the unemployment rate was 0.1 percentage points lower in March than one year earlier. Men’s unemployment rate was 10.3 per cent and women’s 9.9 per cent. The trend of the unemployment rate was 9.2 per cent.

In March, there were a total of 639,000 young people aged 15 to 24 . Of them, 240,000 were employed and 75,000 unemployed. The number of young people in the active population, i.e. the employed and unemployed in total, was 315,000. In March, the unemployment rate for young people aged 15 to 24, that is, the proportion of the unemployed among the labour force, stood at 23.8 per cent, which was 3.9 percentage points lower than one year previously. The trend of the unemployment rate among young people was 20.7 per cent. The share of unemployed young people aged 15 to 24 among the population in the same age group was 11.8 per cent.

There were 1,416,000 persons in the inactive population in March 2016, which was 29,000 fewer than one year earlier. Of the inactive population, 127,000 persons were in disguised unemployment , which was 3,000 fewer than in March 2015.

Changes in employment 2015/03 – 2016/03 according to Statistics Finland’s Labour Force Survey, population aged 15 to 74

  Year/Month Change
2015/03 2016/03 2015/03 - 2016/03
1000 persons Per cent, %
Population total 4 099 4 110 0,3
Active population total 2 654 2 694 1,5
Employed 2 382 2 420 1,6
– employees 2 031 2 082 2,5
– self-employed persons and unpaid family workers 351 339 –3,6
Unemployed 272 273 0,4
Inactive population 1 445 1 416 –2,0
– Persons in disguised unemployment 130 127 –2,4
  Per cent, % Percentage points
Employment rate, persons aged 15 to 64 66,8 68,0 1,2
Unemployment rate 10,3 10,1 –0,1
Activity rate 64,7 65,6 0,8
Unrounded figures are used in the Change column.
The data comply with the ILO/EU definition.

Labour Force Survey data for the first quarter of 2016

In the first quarter of 2016, the average number of employed persons was 2,396,000, or 5,000 higher than in the corresponding quarter of 2015. The number of employed persons increased most in transportation and storage (H) and decreased in education (P).

The number of hours worked by employed persons was 1.1 per cent higher in the first quarter of 2016 than twelve months previously.

The average number of unemployed persons in the first quarter of 2016 was 255,000, which was slightly lower than in the January to March period of 2015. The unemployment rate was 9.6 per cent in the first quarter of 2016, having been 9.7 per cent in the respective quarter of 2015.

In the first quarter of 2016, the number of persons in the inactive population was 1,459,000, which was 6,000 higher than a year earlier. Of the inactive population, 153,000 persons were in disguised unemployment , which was 21,000 more than in the corresponding period of 2015.

Changes in employment 2015/I – 2016/I according to Statistics Finland’s Labour Force Survey, population aged 15 to 74

  Year/Quarter Change
2015/I 2016/I 2015/I - 2016/I
1000 persons Per cent (%)
Active population total 2 648 2 651 0,1
Employed persons total 2 391 2 396 0,2
Unemployed total 257 255 –0,6
– men 144 140 –2,6
– women 113 115 1,8
Inactive population 1 452 1 459 0,4
– Persons in disguised unemployment 132 153 16,3
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 March 2016, there were altogether 351,000 persons registered in accordance with the Employment Office Regulations as unemloyed job seekers at the employment and economic development offices . The number of unemployed job seekers was 4,000 higher than in last year's March.

Unemployment fell in March from the corresponding period in 2015 in the areas of nine Employment and Economic Development Centres: most in Kainuu (–5%), Häme (–4%), Central Finland (–3%), and North Ostrobothnia (–3%). In the areas of all other Employment and Economic Development Centres, unemployment increased: most in Uusimaa (5%), Ostrobothnia (5%), Pirkanmaa (3%), and North Karelia (3%). At the end of March, the number of temporarily laid off persons registered at the employment and economic development offices was 28,000, which was 4,000 fewer than twelve months earlier.

The number of persons engaged in services included in the activation rate totalled 124,000 at the end of March, which was 5,000 fewer than in March of the year before. Altogether, 4.6 per cent of the labour force was covered by labour market policy services.

There were 45,000 unemployed job seekers aged under 25 registered at the employment and economic development offices. Their number was 1,000 higher than in last year’s March. During this March, 52,000 new vacancies were reported to the employment and economic development offices, which is almost the same figure as in last year's March.

Changes 2015/03–2016/03 according to the Employment Service Statistics of the Ministry of Employment and the Economy

  Year/Month Change
2015/03 2016/03 2015/03 - 2016/03
1000 persons Per cent, %
Unemployed job seekers 1) 347 351 1,2
– unemployed over a year 103 123 18,8
Services, total 129 124 –4,1
– employed 33 21 –37,3
– in labour market training, in training 28 24 –12,9
– engaged in work/training trials 13 14 3,1
– as a job alternation substitute, in rehabilitative work, self-motivated studies supported by unemployment benefit 55 65 18,3
New vacancies at employment and economic development offices 52 52 –0,5
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 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 2016, March. Statistics Finland

Inquiries: Joanna Viinikka 029 551 3796, Kirsi Toivonen 029 551 3535, tyovoimatutkimus@stat.fi

Director in charge: Jari Tarkoma

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Tables

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Appendix tables

Figures
Quality descriptions

Updated 26.4.2016

Referencing instructions:

Official Statistics of Finland (OSF): Labour force survey [e-publication].
ISSN=1798-7857. March 2016. Helsinki: Statistics Finland [referred: 28.3.2024].
Access method: http://www.stat.fi/til/tyti/2016/03/tyti_2016_03_2016-04-26_tie_001_en.html