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Published: 25 May 2010

Unemployment rate 9.3 per cent in April

According to the Labour Force Survey of Statistics Finland, there were 15,000 more persons unemployed in April 2010 than in April 2009. The unemployment rate grew by 0.6 percentage points to 9.3 per cent from one year ago. The number of employed persons decreased by 15,000.

Unemployment rate and trend of unemployment rate 1989/01 – 2010/04

Unemployment rate and trend of unemployment rate 1989/01 – 2010/04

In April 2010, the number of employed persons was 2,417,000, which was 15,000 lower than a year earlier. The number of employed declined in the areas of Regional State Administrative Agencies (AVI) of Southwestern Finland, Lapland, and Western and Inland Finland.

In April, the employment rate , that is, the proportion of the employed among persons aged 15 to 64, stood at 66.9 per cent, which was 0.7 percentage points lower than one year before. Adjusted for seasonal and random variation, the trend of the employment rate was 67.6 per cent. From last year’s April, men’s employment rate fell by 0.8 percentage points to 67.4 per cent and women’s by 0.6 percentage points to 66.5 per cent.

According to the Labour Force Survey, there were 248,000 unemployed in April 2010, i.e. 15,000 more than in April of the year before. Only the number of unemployed men increased.

At 9.3 per cent, the unemployment rate was 0.6 percentage points higher in April than one year earlier. The trend of the unemployment rate was 8.7 per cent in April. Men’s unemployment rate rose by 1.1 percentage points to 10.5 per cent, while that of women remained at the eight per cent level. In April 2010, the unemployment rate among young people aged 15 to 24 was 26.6 per cent, which was 2.9 percentage points higher than in the previous year’s April. The trend of the unemployment rate among young people was 23.2 per cent. The unemployment rate was lowest in the areas of Southern Finland AVI, where it stood at 7.3 per cent, and highest, at 19 per cent, in the area of Lapland AVI.

The number of 15 to 74-year-olds not belonging to the labour force grew by 19,000, of whom 15,000 were women.

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

Changes in the labour force 2010/04 – 2009/04 according to Statistics Finland’s Labour Force Survey

  Year/Month Change
2010/04 2009/04 2010/04 - 2009/04
1000 persons Per cent (%)
Population aged 15-74 4 040 4 021 0,5
Labour force, total 2 666 2 666 0,0
Employed, total 2 417 2 432 –0,6
– employees 2 092 2 115 –1,1
– self-employed persons and unpaid family workers 325 317 2,6
Unemployed persons 248 233 6,4
Total persons not in labour force 1 374 1 355 1,4
  Per cent (%) Percentage points
Employment rate (persons aged 15 to 64), % 66,9 67,6 –0,7
Unemployment rate, % 9,3 8,8 0,6
Labour force participation rate, % 66,0 66,3 –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 April 2010, there were altogether 264,000 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 12,000 higher than in April 2009.

Unemployment grew from the previous year in the areas of nine Employment and Economic Development Centres (ELY). The number of unemployed job seekers increased most in Åland (34 %), Varsinais-Suomi (21 %), Uusimaa (19%) and Pirkanmaa (13%). Correspondingly, the number of unemployed job seekers decreased in the areas of seven ELY centres; the most in Kainuu (-13%) and in North Karelia (-11%). At the end of April, the number of temporarily laid off persons registered at the employment and economic development offices was 26,000, which was 10,000 lower than twelve months earlier.

The number of persons covered by labour market policy measures totalled 92,000 at the end of April, which was 7,000 more than in April of the year before. Altogether 3.5 per cent of the labour force was covered by labour market policy measures.

There were 31,000 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 April. During this April, 40,000 new vacancies were reported to

Changes 2010/04 – 2009/04 according to the Employment Service Statistics of the Ministry of Employment and the Economy

  Year/Month Change
2010/04 2009/04 2010/04 - 2009/04
1000 persons Per cent (%)
Unemployed job seekers 264 252 4,8
– unemployed over a year 52 40 30,5
Total measures 92 85 8,1
– employed with subsidised measures 33 35 –6,8
– in labour market training 38 33 15,6
– in trainee and job alternation places 22 18 24,0
New vacancies at employment and economic development offices 40 39 4,1
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, April. Statistics Finland

Inquiries: Veli Rajaniemi (09) 1734 3434, Kalle Sinivuori (09) 1734 3524, Anna Pärnänen (09) 1734 2607, tyovoimatutkimus@stat.fi

Director in charge: Riitta Harala

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Updated 25.05.2010

Referencing instructions:

Official Statistics of Finland (OSF): Labour force survey [e-publication].
ISSN=1798-7857. April 2010. Helsinki: Statistics Finland [referred: 28.3.2024].
Access method: http://www.stat.fi/til/tyti/2010/04/tyti_2010_04_2010-05-25_tie_001_en.html