Unemployment increased in February, and the number of people in the activation services continued to decline

At the end of February, there were 348,000 unemployed jobseekers in total, which is 21,600 more than a year earlier. However, the number of new unemployment spells started was 3,500 more than a year ago. These figures are from the Employment Bulletin of the Employment, Development and Administrative Centre (KEHA Centre).

The number of unemployed jobseekers includes clients of municipal employment services as well as those who are fully laid off. In February, there were 28,300 fully laid-off individuals, which is 2,300 fewer than a year ago and 1,000 more than in January, states Petri Syvänen, Head researcher at the KEHA Centre. In total, there were 39,500 laid-off individuals (including those working reduced working week) across the country at the end of February, which is 4,700 fewer than a year earlier.

Long-term unemployment continued to rise – Unemployment increased across all age groups

There were 139,800 long-term unemployed in February, meaning individuals who have been unemployed jobseekers continuously for at least one year. This is 26,500 more than a year ago. Of these, 71,000 had been unemployed for over two years, which is 14,600 more than in February last year.

Unemployment increased across all age groups compared to the previous year. There were 42,600 unemployed jobseekers under the age of 25, which is 4,500 more than in February last year. Of the youth unemployment spells, 44.0 percent ended before reaching three months in January-February. This share decreased by 0.5 percentage points from the previous year. Among unemployed jobseekers, 87,900 were over 55 years old, which is 4,900 more than a year ago. Of the unemployment spells for those over 55, 37,7 percent ended before three months in January-February. The change from the previous year is -2,9 percentage points.

Number of new job vacancies decreased

During February, 46,100 new job vacancies were reported, which is 4,200 less than at the same time last year. Only the occupational group of specialist professionals grew compared to a year earlier, with 7,500 new job openings reported — that is, 1,100 more than in February last year. The largest decrease, in turn, was in the occupational group of experts, where 3,200 new job openings were reported in February, which is 2,300 fewer than a year earlier. In total, there were 98,900 open jobs in February, which is 14,400 less than a year ago.

At the end of February, 90,100 people were participating in services counted towards the activation rate, which is 10,000 fewer than a year earlier. Services included in the activation rate are, among others, wage subsidies, labour market training, rehabilitative work activities, and self-motivated studies with unemployment benefits.

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

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 KEHA Centre, 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.