Number of people in activation services on the rise

At the end of July, the number of unemployed jobseekers was 7 per cent higher than a year earlier. The number of people included in the broad measure of unemployment also increased by 7 per cent compared with the previous year.

“The number of unemployed jobseekers includes unemployed clients of municipal employment services as well as those temporarily laid off full-time. In July, there were 17,100 persons laid off full-time, which was 1,800 fewer than a year earlier and 1,500 more than in June this year”, says Miika Hakala, researcher at the KEHA Centre.

Unemployment increased in all age groups

Compared with a year earlier, unemployment increased in all age groups. There were 48,100 unemployed jobseekers under the age of 25, which was 6,200 more than a year earlier. Of youth unemployment spells, 46.8 per cent ended before reaching three months during January–July. This share increased by 1.2 percentage points  compared to a year earlier. Of all unemployed jobseekers, 86,200 were aged over 55, which was 3,600 more than a year earlier. During January–July, 43.3 per cent of unemployment spells among people over the age of 55 ended within three months. This share was 0.7 percentage points higher than in the corresponding period last year.

Slight increase in the number of new job vacancies

During July, 27,700 new job vacancies were reported to Job Market Finland, which was 2 per cent more than during the corresponding period a year earlier. An increase was observed mostly in the occupational group of craft and related trades workers. Altogether, 50,200 vacancies were open during July, which was 1,000 fewer than a year earlier.

Use of activation services increased; activation rate remained almost unchanged

At the end of July, 60,500 persons were participating in services included in the activation rate, which was 5 per cent higher than a year earlier. These services include, among others, pay subsidies, labour market training, rehabilitative work activities, and independent study supported by unemployment benefits.

“At the end of July, the activation rate was 14.3 per cent, which was 0.2 percentage points lower than a year earlier. Participation in activation services declined particularly in rehabilitative work activities, where the number of participants decreased by 25 per cent compared with a year earlier. By contrast, the number of participants in labour market training increased by 40 per cent compared with the situation a year ago,” notes Miika Hakala, Researcher at the KEHA Centre.

At the end of July, the number of persons employed through employment services, meaning those claiming pay subsidies or receiving start-up grants, totalled 11,700, which was 2 per cent lower than a year earlier. Long-standing open periods in the Employment Service Statistics database have been corrected. These corrections significantly reduced the numbers of persons employed through employment services, persons participating in services, and the activation rate. The revisions have been applied to all monthly data for 2025 and 2026. As a result, the 2026 figures presented in the Employment Bulletin are comparable with those for the corresponding period of the previous year.

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.

Further information

Miika Hakala, Researcher, KEHA Centre, tel. +358 295 021 040, tyonvalitystilasto@keha-keskus.fi, Evaluation and Knowledge Management Unit

More information

•  Employment Bulletin by the KEHA Centre (tyollisyyskatsaus.fi)
•  Statistical database of the Employment Service Statistics (tyonvalitystilasto.fi)
•  Employment Service Statistics data in the StatFin database (statfin.stat.fi)
•  Labour Force Survey by Statistics Finland (stat.fi/en/statistics)
•  More information on the differences between the statistics (media.stat.fi)