Finnish Jobless Rate Nears 11-Year High

Finland’s unemployment rate rose to 11.6% in April 2026 from 10.0% in the same month a year earlier, marking its highest level since May 2015. The number of unemployed increased by 48,000 year-on-year to 336,000, comprising 199,000 men and 136,000 women. By gender, male unemployment climbed to 13.3%, 1.9 percentage points higher than a year earlier, while the female rate increased to 9.8%, up 1.3 percentage points. Among younger workers aged 15–24, the jobless rate also rose to 28.0%, an increase of 0.8 percentage points year-on-year. Meanwhile, employment declined by 31,000 to 2.559 million, even as the labour force participation rate edged up to 69.5% from 69.1% a year earlier. The employment rate for those aged 20–64 also slipped, falling to 74.7% from 76.2%.

Finland’s unemployment rate rose to 11.1% in March 2026, up from 10.1% in the same month a year earlier, reaching its highest level since May 2015. The number of unemployed people increased by 30,000 year-on-year to 315,000, including 169,000 men and 148,000 women. The jobless rate for men climbed to 11.5%, 0.2 percentage points higher than a year earlier, while the rate for women rose to 10.7%, up 1.9 percentage points. Youth unemployment also increased, with the share of unemployed people aged 15–24 in the labour force reaching 24.3%, up 0.9 percentage points from a year earlier. Meanwhile, the number of employed people fell by 21,000 to 2.524 million, while the labour force participation rate stood at 68.0%, unchanged from a year earlier. The employment rate for those aged 20–64 declined to 74.2% from 75.6% a year earlier.

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.