Number of New Vacancies Increased in June Compared to June Last Year

At the end of June, there were a total of 330,800 unemployed jobseekers. This is 37,500 more than a year earlier and 32,400 more than the previous month. The figures are from the Employment Bulletin of the Development and Administrative Services Centre (KEHA Centre).

“The number of unemployed jobseekers includes the customers of municipal employment services as well as those who are fully laid off”, explains researcher Silja Uusikangas from KEHA Centre. At the end of June, a total of 17,400 people were fully laid off, which is 2,400 fewer than in June last year. Since May, the number of fully laid off individuals decreased by 800. Nationwide, the total number of laid off individuals (including those working shorter hours) was 27,300 at the end of June, which is 1,100 fewer than a year earlier.

Youth Unemployment Rose, Long-Term Unemployment Continued to Increase

“In June, there were 126,100 long-term unemployed individuals, or individuals who had been unemployed for at least one year without interruption. This is 30,800 more than a year earlier. The number of people who had been unemployed for over two years was 61,100, which is 9,700 more than in June last year,” says Uusikangas.

The number of unemployed jobseekers under the age of 25 was 6,200 more than in June last year, totalling 42,000 individuals. In January–June, 45.4 per cent of the unemployment periods of young people ended before reaching three months of unemployment, which is 9.8 percentage points less than a year before. The number of unemployed jobseekers over the age of 50 was 110,500, up 10,700 from the previous year.

“Youth unemployment typically rises in June, but the last time unemployment among those under 25 was higher than it was in June this year was in December 2020, during the strict COVID-19 restrictions”, Uusikangas explains.

Number of New Job Vacancies Increased Compared to Last Year

“During June, 31,100 new vacancies were announced, which is 7,300 more than a year ago. The largest numerical increase in new vacancies was seen for craft and related trades workers (3,700 more vacancies), representing a 101 per cent increase compared to last year. In contrast, the number of new vacancies decreased the most for technicians and associate professionals (1000 less vacancies), a 31 per cent drop from last year,” says Uusikangas. In total, there were 71,300 unfilled vacancies during June, up 11,100 from the previous year.

At the end of June, 81,000 individuals were in services included in the activation rate, which is 24,700 fewer than a year earlier. These services include, for example, pay subsidy, labour market training, rehabilitative work activities, and self-motivated studies supported by unemployment benefit.

Statistics Finland: The trend of the unemployment rate 9.3% 

According to the Labour Force Survey issued by Statistics Finland, in June the number of people in employment was 23,000 less than on the previous year. The trend of the employment rate was 71.4%, which was 0.8 percentage points lower than in June the year before. According to the Survey, the unemployment total was 294,000, which is 52,000 more than a year ago. The trend of the unemployment rate was 9.3%, or 0.9 percentage points higher than the previous year. 

Key differences between the Employment Service Statistics and the Labour Force Survey

The information is based on the Employment Service Statistics of the KEHA Centre and the Labour Force Survey of Statistics Finland. The source of the Employment Service Statistics of the KEHA Centre is the customer register of municipal employment services, while the Labour Force Survey of Statistics Finland is a sample survey.

In the Employment Service Statistics of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, anyone who is not employed or acting as an entrepreneur is classified 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 of unemployed: a person is unemployed if they have actively sought employment during the preceding four weeks and are available for work within two weeks. The Labour Force Survey of Statistics Finland produces official unemployment figures that are internationally comparable.