Finnish Jobless Rate Rises to 10-Month High

Finland’s unemployment rate rose to 10.9% in February 2026, up from 9.4% in the corresponding month a year earlier, and hitting the highest level since May 2020. The number of unemployed persons increased by 49,000 year-on-year to 312,000, comprising 180,000 men and 133,000 women. The jobless rate for men climbed to 11.9%, 1.8 percentage points higher than a year ago, while the rate for women rose to 9.8%, up 1.1 percentage points. Youth unemployment also increased, with the share of unemployed people aged 15-24 in the labor force reaching 24.6%, up 0.7 percentage points from a year earlier. Meanwhile, the number of employed persons rose by 24,000 to 2.553 million, while the labor force participation rate increased to 68.6% from 67% a year ago. The employment rate for persons aged 20-64 increased to 75.3% from 74.5% a year earlier.

Finland’s unemployment rate rose to 10.4% in January 2026 from 9.5% in the same month last year. This marked the highest reading since May, driven by a rise in the number of unemployed persons, which grew by 26,000 year-on-year to 295,000. Of that total, 166,000 were men and 129,000 were women. The jobless rate for men rose to 11.5%, 1.3 percentage points higher than a year earlier, while the rate for women increased to 9.4%, up 0.6 percentage points. Youth unemployment also rose, with the share of unemployed people aged 15–24 in the labour force reaching 23.7% in January, 3.6 percentage points higher than a year ago. Meanwhile, the number of employed persons decreased by 25 thousand to 2.531 million, while the labor force participation rate edged down to 67.7% from 67.8% a year ago. The employment rate for persons aged 20-64 declined to 74.8% from 75.8%.

Finland’s unemployment rate rose to 9.8% in December 2025 from 8.1% in the same month last year, marking the highest reading since June. The number of unemployed persons increased by 51 thousand from a year earlier to 277 thousand, including 154 thousand men and 123 thousand women. The unemployment rate for people aged 15-24 jumped to 19.5%, which was 2.2 percentage points more than a year ago. Meanwhile, the number of employed persons decreased by 7 thousand to 2.547 million, while the labor force participation rate rose to 67.7% from 66.8% a year ago. The employment rate for persons aged 20-64 decreased to 75.0% from 75.9%.