Number of unemployed jobseekers decreases in July

The number of long-term unemployed — that is those who had been unemployed without interruption for at least a year — amounted to 65,100, down 11,900 on the previous year.

The number of unemployed jobseekers over 50 years of age was 93,500, or 5,500 fewer than at the same time a year earlier, said a government press release.

Unemployed jobseekers under 25 years of age numbered 36,700, representing a decrease of 2,500 from July last year. On average, 66.1 per cent of the unemployment periods of youths ended before reaching three months between January and July. This is 1.9 percentage points less than a year before.

The number of long-term unemployed -that is those who had been unemployed without interruption for at least a year — amounted to 65,100, down 11,900 on the previous year. The number of unemployed jobseekers over 50 years of age was 93,500, or 5,500 fewer than at the same time a year earlier.

Unemployed jobseekers under 25 years of age numbered 36,700, representing a decrease of 2,500 from July last year. On average, 66.1 per cent of the unemployment periods of youths ended before reaching three months between January and July. This is 1.9 percentage points less than a year before.

According to the Labour Force Survey issued by Statistics Finland, in July the number of people in employment was 3 000 fewer than on the previous year. The employment rate was 74.5%, which was 0.4 percentage points higher than in July the year before. According to the Survey, the unemployment total was 169,000, which is 14,000 fewer than a year ago. The unemployment rate was 6.0%, or 0.5 percentage points lower than the previous year.

This information is based on the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment’s Employment Service Statistics and the Labour Force Survey of Statistics Finland. The Employment Service Statistics of the Ministry are compiled on the basis of the information in the Employment and Economic Development Offices’ customer register, while the Labour Force Survey of Statistics Finland is based on sampling.

In the Ministry’s Employment Service Statistics, people that are not in an employment relationship or employed in business are listed as unemployed. Persons fully laid-off but not full-time students are also categorised as unemployed in the Employment Service Statistics. The Labour Force Survey of Statistics Finland has a stricter definition for being unemployed: a person is unemployed if he or she has actively sought employment during the preceding four weeks and is available for work over the coming two weeks. The figures of the Labour Force Survey of Statistics Finland are internationally comparable and thus they are the official Finnish unemployment statistics.