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Published: 24 February 2015

Unemployment rate 8.8 per cent in January

According to Statistics Finland’s Labour Force Survey, the number of unemployed persons in January 2015 was 230,000, which was 9,000 higher than one year ago. The unemployment rate was 8.8 per cent, having been 8.5 per cent in January of the year before. There were 14,000 more employed persons than in January of the previous year. The number of persons in disguised unemployment in the inactive population was 9,000 fewer than one year earlier.

Unemployment rate and trend of unemployment rate 2005/01–2015/01, persons aged 15–74

Unemployment rate and trend of unemployment rate 2005/01–2015/01, persons aged 15–74

In January 2015, the number of employed persons was 2,399,000 which was 14,000 higher than a year earlier (margin of error ±32,000). There were almost the same number of employed men and 15,000 more employed women than in January 2014. The number of employed persons decreased in the private sector and grew in the public sector compared with January 2014.

In January 2015, the employment rate , that is, the proportion of the employed among persons aged 15 to 64, stood at 66.7 per cent, having been 67.0 per cent one year earlier. The employment rate for men fell by 1.0 percentage point from last year’s January to 66.3 per cent. Women's employment rate was 67.2 per cent and it increased by 0.5 per cent compared with January 2014. Adjusted for seasonal and random variation, the trend of the employment rate was 68.3 per cent.

According to Statistics Finland's Labour Force Survey, there were 230,000 unemployed in January 2015, i.e. 9,000 more than one year earlier (margin of error ±18,000). The number of unemployed men was 133,000 and that of women 97,000.

At 8.8 per cent, the unemployment rate in January was 0.3 percentage points higher than one year earlier. Men’s unemployment rate was 9.9 per cent and women’s 7.6 per cent. The trend of the unemployment rate was 8.9 per cent.

In January, there were a total of 649,000 young people aged 15 to 24 . Of them, 222,000 were employed and 56,000 unemployed. Thus, the labour force of young people (employed and unemployed) totalled 278,000. In January, the unemployment rate for young people aged 15 to 24, that is, the proportion of the unemployed among the labour force, stood at 20.0 per cent, which was 1.2 percentage points lower than one year previously. The trend of the unemployment rate among young people was 20.8 per cent. The share of unemployed young people aged 15 to 24 among the population in the same age group was 8.6 per cent.

There were 1,471,000 persons in the inactive population in January 2015, which was 14,000 fewer than one year earlier. Of the inactive population, 144,000 persons were in disguised unemployment , which was 9,000 fewer than in January 2014.

Changes in employment 2014/01–2015/01 according to Statistics Finland’s Labour Force Survey, population aged 15 to 74

  Year/Month Change
2014/01 2015/01 2014/01 - 2015/01
1000 persons Per cent, %
Population total 4 091 4 101 0,2
Active population total 2 606 2 630 0,9
Employed 2 385 2 399 0,6
– employees 2 047 2 036 –0,5
– self-employed persons and unpaid family workers 338 363 7,3
Unemployed 221 230 4,2
Inactive population 1 485 1 471 –0,9
– Persons in disguised unemployment 153 144 –5,8
  Per cent, % Percentage points
Employment rate, persons aged 15 to 64 67,0 66,7 –0,2
Unemployment rate 8,5 8,8 0,3
Activity rate 63,7 64,1 0,4
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 January 2015, there were altogether 360,000 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 January 2014.

Unemployment increased from the previous year's January in the areas of all Employment and Economic Development Centres; most in Uusimaa (15%), Ostrobothnia (13%), Satakunta (13%), South Ostrobothnia (12%) and North Savo (12%). At the end of January, 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 122,000 at the end of January, which was 4,000 more than in January of the previous year. Altogether, 4.6 per cent of the labour force was covered by labour market policy services.

There were 48,000 unemployed job seekers aged under 25 registered at the employment and economic development offices. Their number was 5,000 higher than in last year's January. During this January, 53,000 new vacancies were reported to the employment and economic development offices, which is 1,000 fewer than in January 2014.

Changes 2014/01–2015/01 according to the Employment Service Statistics of the Ministry of Employment and the Economy

  Year/Month Change
2014/01 2015/01 2014/01 - 2015/01
1000 persons Per cent, %
Unemployed job seekers 1) 328 360 9,8
– unemployed over a year 86 102 18,7
Services, total 118 122 3,5
– employed 34 33 –3,5
– in labour market training, in training 27 25 –7,9
– in trainee places, engaged in work/training trials 12 11 –5,3
– as a job alternation substitute, in rehabilitative work, self-motivated studies supported by unemployment benefit 44 52 18,2
New vacancies at employment and economic development offices 54 53 –1,1
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 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 published by the EU on job vacancies can be found on Eurostat's home page http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat


Source: Labour force survey 2015, January. Statistics Finland

Inquiries: Pertti Taskinen 029 551 2690, Tuomas Remes 029 551 3682, tyovoimatutkimus@stat.fi

Director in charge: Riitta Harala

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Appendix tables

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Updated 24.2.2015

Referencing instructions:

Official Statistics of Finland (OSF): Labour force survey [e-publication].
ISSN=1798-7857. January 2015. Helsinki: Statistics Finland [referred: 28.12.2024].
Access method: http://www.stat.fi/til/tyti/2015/01/tyti_2015_01_2015-02-24_tie_001_en.html