Number of unemployed jobseekers rises in 2024

The number of unemployed jobseekers was 321,700 in Finland at the end of 2024 and the number is 24,000 more than a year earlier and 29,200 more than in the previous month, according to the Employment Bulletin of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment published on Friday.

The number of unemployed jobseekers includes the customers of Employment and Economic Development Offices and local government pilots on employment as well as people fully laid off.

Of the unemployed jobseekers, 180,200, or 18,200 more than in December a year ago, were customers of municipalities participating in the local government pilots on employment.

At the end of December, the number of people laid off was 48,500 persons; a year-on-year decrease of 1,300. The number of people fully laid off totalled 35,000, representing a decrease of 4,600 from December the year before. The number of people fully laid off grew by 10,400 from November.

The number of long-term unemployed — that is those who had been unemployed without interruption for at least a year — amounted to 109,600, up 19,000 on the previous year.

The number of unemployed jobseekers aged over 50 was 111,500, representing an increase of 7,100 on the year before.

The number of unemployed jobseekers aged under 25 was 37,500, representing an increase of 4,100 from December last year. Of the unemployment periods of youths, 55.7 per cent ended before reaching three months between January and December. This is 4.0 percentage points fewer than the year before.

The number of new vacancies reported during December totalled 22,800, or 22,000 fewer than in December the previous year. In all, the number of unfilled vacancies in December was 43,400, which is 38,700 fewer than a year ago.

At the end of December, the number of persons covered by services included in the activation rate amounted to 89,100, down 17,600 on the previous year. These services include pay subsidies, labour market training, rehabilitative work and self-motivated studies.

According to the Labour Force Survey issued by Statistics Finland, in December the number of people in employment was 56,000 less than on the previous year.

The trend of the employment rate was 71.5%, which was 1.5 percentage points lower than in December the year before.

According to the Survey, the unemployment total was 226,000, which is 27,000 more than a year ago. The trend of the unemployment rate was 8.9%, or 1.2 percentage points higher than the previous year.

There are some key differences between Employment Service Statistics and the Labour Force Survey.

The Employment Service Statistics of the Ministry are compiled on the basis of the information in the customer register of the Employment and Economic Development Offices and local government pilots on employment, while the Labour Force Survey of Statistics Finland is based on sampling.