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Published: 26 October 2010

Unemployment rate 7.0 per cent in September

According to Statistics Finland’s Labour Force Survey, employment and unemployment were in September near the level where they were one year earlier. There were 6,000 fewer employed than in September of the previous year. The unemployment rate diminished by 0.3 percentage points to 7.0 per cent. There were 14,000 more employed in the third quarter (July-September) than one year previously. The number of hours worked was in the third quarter nearly the same as one year ago.

Unemployment rate and trend of unemployment rate 1989/01 – 2010/09

Unemployment rate and trend of unemployment rate 1989/01 – 2010/09

In September 2010, the number of employed persons was 2,430,000, which was 6,000 lower than a year earlier. This change fits within the margin of error for the number of employed persons (± 30,000). There were 13,000 more employed men and 19,000 fewer employed women than in September 2009. The number of employed persons increased in the area of the Regional State Administrative Agency (AVI) of Eastern Finland and decreased in those of Southern and Northern Finland.

In September, the employment rate , that is, the proportion of the employed among persons aged 15 to 64, stood at 67.3 per cent, which was 0.4 percentage points lower than one year before. Adjusted for seasonal and random variation, the trend of the employment rate was 67.8 per cent. Men’s employment rate rose by further 0.6 percentage points from last year’s September to 68.9 per cent whereas women’s employment rate fell by 1.3 percentage points to 65.7 per cent.

According to the Labour Force Survey, there were 183,000 unemployed in September 2010, i.e. 9,000 fewer than in September of the year before. This change fits within the margin of error for the number of unemployed persons (± 16,000). The number of unemployed women decreased, while that of unemployed men remained on level with the previous year.

At 7.0 per cent, the unemployment rate was 0.3 percentage points lower in September than one year earlier. The trend of the unemployment rate was 8.1 per cent in September. Women’s unemployment rate was 6.5 per cent and men’s 7.4 per cent. In September 2010 the unemployment rate among young people aged 15 to 24 was 16.2 per cent, which was 0.3 percentage points lower than in September of the previous year. The trend of the unemployment rate among young people was 20.3 per cent. The unemployment rate was lowest in the area of Southern Finland AVI, where it stood at 6.6 per cent, and highest, at 9.0 per cent, in the area of Eastern Finland AVI.

The number of 15 to 74-year-old women not in the labour force grew by 36,000. The number of men not in the labour force remained almost unchanged.

Changes in the labour force 2010/09 – 2009/09 according to Statistics Finland’s Labour Force Survey

  Year/Month Change
2010/09 2009/09 2010/09 - 2009/09
1000 persons Per cent (%)
Population aged 15–74 4 047 4 029 0,4
Labour force, total 2 613 2 628 –0,6
Employed, total 2 430 2 436 –0,2
– employees 2 102 2 094 0,4
– self-employed persons and unpaid family workers 328 342 –4,1
Unemployed persons 183 192 –4,8
Total persons not in labour force 1 434 1 401 2,3
  Per cent (%) Percentage points
Employment rate (persons aged 15 to 64), % 67,3 67,6 –0,4
Unemployment rate, % 7,0 7,3 –0,3
Labour force participation rate, % 64,6 65,2 –0,7
Unrounded figures are used in the Change column.
The data comply with the ILO/EU definition.

Labour Force Survey data for the third quarter of 2010

The average number of employed persons in the third quarter of 2010 was 2,490,000, or 14,000 higher than in the corresponding quarter of 2009. The number of employed persons went up in building construction, trade, education, and professional, scientific and technical activities. Employment decreased in manufacturing, and in human health and social work.

The average number of unemployed persons in the third quarter of the year was 195,000, which was 7,000 lower than in the July to September period of 2009. The unemployment rate in the third quarter of the year was 7.3 per cent, which was 0.3 percentage points lower than in the respective period of 2009.

In the third quarter of 2010 the number of hours worked by employed persons was down by around 4 million, or 0.4 per cent, when compared with the respective quarter of 2009.

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

  Year/Quarter Change
2010/III 2009/III 2010/III - 2009/III
1000 persons Per cent (%)
Labour force, total 2 686 2 679 0,3
Employed, total 2 490 2 476 0,6
Unemployed, total 195 202 –3,3
– men 106 106 –0,4
– women 89 96 –6,5
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 September 2010, there were altogether 243,000 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 23,000 lower than in September 2009.

Unemployment fell from the previous year in the areas of all Employment and Economic Development Centres (ELY). The number of unemployed job-seekers decreased most in South Ostrobothnia (-23%), Ostrobothnia (-17%) and North Karelia (-14%). At the end of September, the number of temporarily laid off persons registered at the employment and economic development offices was 14,000, which was 16,000 lower than twelve months earlier.

The total number of persons covered by labour market policy measures was 90,000 at the end of September, which was 11,000 higher than in September of the year before. Altogether 3.4 per cent of the labour force was covered by labour market policy measures.

There were 29,000 unemployed job seekers aged under 25 registered at the employment and economic development offices. Their number was 5,000 lower than in last year’s September. During this September, 40,000 new vacancies were reported to the employment and economic development offices, which was 10,000 more than in September 2009.

Changes 2010/09 – 2009/09 according to the Employment Service Statistics of the Ministry of Employment and the Economy

  Year/Month Change
2010/09 2009/09 2010/09 - 2009/09
1000 persons Per cent (%)
Unemployed job seekers 243 266 –8,5
– unemployed over a year 57 42 35,4
Total measures 90 79 13,8
– employed with subsidised measures 37 33 13,2
– in labour market training 35 29 17,9
– in trainee and job alternation places 19 17 7,7
New vacancies at employment and economic development offices 40 30 33,0
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.

Families and work in 2009 http://tilastokeskus.fi/til/tyti/2009/16/index_en.html

Employment and unemployment in 2009
http://tilastokeskus.fi/til/tyti/2009/tyti_2009_2010-02-16_kat_001_en.html

Methodological description concerning laid off persons (in Finnish only): http://tilastokeskus.fi/til/tyti/tyti_2009-04-28_men_006.html

About seasonally adjusted trend: http://tilastokeskus.fi/til/tramo_seats_en.html

Latest seasonally adjusted employment figures published by the EU  can be found 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, September. Statistics Finland

Inquiries: Kalle Sinivuori (09) 1734 3524, Juha Martikainen (09) 1734 3225, Veli Rajaniemi (09) 1734 3434, tyovoimatutkimus@stat.fi

Director in charge: Riitta Harala

Publication in pdf-format (609.0 kB)

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Appendix tables

Figures
Quality descriptions

Updated 26.10.2010

Referencing instructions:

Official Statistics of Finland (OSF): Labour force survey [e-publication].
ISSN=1798-7857. September 2010. Helsinki: Statistics Finland [referred: 29.3.2024].
Access method: http://www.stat.fi/til/tyti/2010/09/tyti_2010_09_2010-10-26_tie_001_en.html