Long-term unemployment continued to rise

At the end of May, there were a total of 325,300 unemployed jobseekers, which is 6 percent more than a year earlier. The number of new unemployment spells increased by 5,200 compared to last year. At the end of May, 399,800 jobseekers were in broad unemployment. Their number increased by 3 percent from the year before.

- The number of unemployed jobseekers includes unemployed clients of municipal employment services as well as those temporarily laid off full-time. In May, there were 15,000 persons laid off full-time, which is 3,100 fewer than a year earlier and 4,600 fewer than in April this year, notes Sebastian Adolfsson, researcher at the KEHA Centre.

Unemployment increased in all age groups

Compared to a year earlier, unemployment increased in all age groups. There were 39,900 unemployed jobseekers under the age of 25, which is 4,700 more than a year earlier. Of youth unemployment spells, 45.6 percent ended before reaching three months during January–May. This share increased by one percentage point compared to a year earlier. Of all unemployed jobseekers, 82,300 were aged over 55, which is 3,300 more than a year earlier. During January–May, 43.2 percent of unemployment spells among people over the age of 55 ended within three months. This share is 0.7 percentage points higher than in the corresponding period last year.

The number of new vacancies decreased by more than one-third

In May, 33,900 new job vacancies were posted on the Job Market Finland platform, which is 34 percent lower than in the corresponding period a year earlier. The largest decreases were observed among service and sales workers and among professionals. Overall, there were 62,000 vacancies open in May, i.e. 23,000 fewer than a year earlier.

Use of activation services declined further; data on employed persons have been revised

At the end of May, 74,500 persons were participating in services included in the activation rate, which is 6 percent lower than a year earlier. These services include, among others, pay subsidies, labour market training, rehabilitative work activities, and independent studies with unemployment benefit.

The activation rate at the end of May was 18.6 percent, i.e. 1.9 percentage points lower than a year earlier. The largest relative decreases were observed in rehabilitative work activities (-25%) and in work try-outs and training try-outs (-23%). In contrast, the number of participants in labour market training increased by 10 percent compared to a year earlier. The use of job coaching outside the activation rate has more than doubled over the past year.

At the end of May, the number of persons employed through employment services, meaning those claiming pay subsidies or receiving start-up grants, totalled 12,200, which is 9 percent lower than the year before. Long-standing open periods in the employment records have been corrected. These corrections significantly reduce the numbers of employed persons, persons participating in services, and the activation rate. In addition to the data for May 2026, the corrections have been applied to the data for April 2026 and May 2025. As a result, the figures presented in the May Employment Bulletin are comparable with those for the corresponding reference periods. The remaining monthly data for 2025 and 2026 will be revised later. For further information: Correction of employment data in Employment Service Statistics.

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.