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Employment down by 28 000 persons
statistikk
2003-08-04T10:00:00.000Z
Labour market and earnings;Labour market and earnings;Immigration and immigrants
en
aku, Labour force survey, LFS, labour market, employees, unemployed, economically active, labour force, labour force status, employees by industry, underemployment, part-time work, hours of work, temporary staffUnemployment , Employment , Labour market and earnings, Labour market and earnings, Immigration and immigrants
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Labour force survey, Q2 2003

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Employment down by 28 000 persons

Unemployment was 4.7 per cent of the working force in the second quarter 2003. In the corresponding quarter of 2002 it was 4.0 per cent. The number of employed persons went down by 28 000, according to new figures from the Labour Force Surveys (LFS).

Seasonally adjusted figures: The labour market continues weakening

The number of employed persons went down by 12 000 from the three-month-period of January-March 2003 to April-June 2003, according to seasonally adjusted figures from the LFS. Over the same period the unemployment figures showed an increase of 10 000. As for the unemployment, this is outside the margin of errors derived from the selection uncertainty of the LFS, and the increase is consistent with the more long-term trend of increasing unemployment as shown by the LFS since autumn 1999.

The method of seasonally adjusting makes us more able to reveal the current development in the labour market, as an alternative to compare with the corresponding quarter in the last year. Seasonally adjusted figures are presented in a separate article.

Unemployed (Labour Force Survey - LFS), registered unemployed and registered employed + public sector job creation programmes. Seasonally adjusted figures in thousands

Unemployment increased

The number of unemployed persons in the second quarter 2003 was 111 000, according to the LFS. This is an increase of 16 000 from the corresponding quarter last year. As a result, the unemployed constituted 4.7 per cent of the working force, compared with 4.0 per cent one year earlier. The unemployment has not been higher in the second quarter since 1996. Among men the unemployment was 5.0 per cent, and for women 4.2 per cent. The increase from the corresponding quarter last year was mainly among men aged 25-54, and. Most of the growth occurred among persons wanting a full-time job.

Increased unemployment in the EU and the OECD

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in Norway increased from 4.1 to 4.6 per cent between February 2003 and May 2003. In the same period unemployment increased from 7.9 to 8.1 per cent as an average in the EU member countries. The unemployment rate in OECD-countries as a whole went up from 7.0 to 7.2 per cent. In May 2003 the unemployment rate amounted to 6.1 in USA, 0.3 percentage point higher than in February 2003. The unemployment rate in Denmark increased from 5.0 per cent in February 2003 to 5.2 per cent in May 2003, and from 5.2 to 5.4 per cent in Sweden. In Finland the rate stayed at 9.0 per cent. In the same period unemployment increased both in France and Germany, according to figures from the OECD and Eurostat .

More under-employed

86 000 persons were under-employed in the second quarter 2003, i.e. part-time employees seeking more work, an increase of 16 000 from the same quarter last year. As a percentage of all part-time employed, this corresponds to 14.2 per cent, compared with 11.7 per cent in the second quarter 2002. Approximately 55 per cent of the under-employed want full-time employment.

Workforce, employed and man-weeks worked. Seasonally adjusted figures in thousands

Lower labour force participation

The labour force participation decreased for both sexes from the second quarter 2002 to the second quarter 2003. About 69 per cent of the women aged 16-74 were participating in the labour force, compared with 77 per cent of the men. The overall labour force participation has not been lower in the second quarter since 1997.

Employment decreased

The number of employees went down by 28 000 from the second quarter 2002 to the second quarter 2003. Of the main industries, transport and communication had the largest decrease, 18 000, in this quarter.

Less temporary employment

198 000 were temporary employed in the second quarter 2003, 20 000 less than in the corresponding quarter 2002. This corresponds to 9.4 per cent of all employees in the second quarter 2003, compared with 10.3 per cent one year before. The rate of temporary employment was highest in the primary industries, hotels and restaurants, health and social work, and education sector. In the opposite end we find construction and manufacturing.

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