Photo: Roni Rekomaa / Lehtikuva
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Finland’s unemployment rate remained among the highest in the European Union in September, with trend figures from Statistics Finland showing 9.9 percent of the labour force without work. The figure is unchanged from August and reflects a labour market under stress from both domestic and international factors.
The number of unemployed people rose by 32,000 compared to September last year, reaching a total of 259,000. Meanwhile, the number of employed persons also increased, albeit more modestly, by 16,000 to 2.589 million. The employment rate for people aged 20 to 64 fell slightly to 75.9 percent from 76.4 percent a year ago.
Among those aged 15 to 74, the unadjusted unemployment rate for September stood at 9.1 percent. In the 15 to 24 age group, youth unemployment increased to 16.6 percent, 0.5 percentage points higher than a year earlier. The trend rate for youth unemployment reached 21.2 percent.
The labour force participation rate rose to 68.3 percent, up from 67.4 percent in September 2024. Economists suggest the rise in participation is partly driven by prolonged economic strain and rising living costs, with more people returning to the labour market, including pensioners and working-age adults affected by higher expenses.
The gender distribution of employment showed a widening gap. The number of employed men increased by 30,000 from a year earlier, while the number of employed women fell by 14,000. Among men, the employment rate for ages 20 to 64 rose by 0.6 percentage points to 77.2 percent, while the rate for women declined by 1.6 percentage points to 74.5 percent.
The number of people outside the labour force dropped by 34,000 from last year to 1.32 million. The drop included 39,000 fewer men and 5,000 more women compared to September 2024.
In trend terms, only Spain recorded a higher unemployment rate than Finland among eurozone countries during the same period. While joblessness in Spain showed a slight decline, the Finnish rate remained close to a 15-year high.
The overall population in the 15 to 74 age group grew slightly to 4.169 million, while the size of the labour force increased by 48,000 to 2.849 million.
HT
- Next Article Finland sees fastest rise in public debt across EU
Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
