Unemployment among foreigners still record high but growth appears to be slowing

There were 49,543 unemployed foreign jobseekers in Finland at the end of July. This is the highest number of unemployed foreign jobseekers ever recorded. In addition to the lacklustre economy, the increase in foreign labour explains this growth.

• In July, the number of unemployed foreign jobseekers totalled 49,543, which is 16 per cent of all unemployed jobseekers. The number of unemployed foreign jobseekers increased 17 per cent (7,024 persons) from the previous year.
  • The number of unemployed foreign jobseekers is now at its highest level ever. The growth has been driven not only by the poor economy but also by the increase in foreign labour. 
  • The number of unemployed jobseekers aged under 25 increased significantly, by as much as 25 per cent from the previous year.
  • However, the growth in unemployment slowed slightly from June.
• According to the Labour Force Survey, the employment rate of foreigners was 60.6 per cent in the first quarter of 2024. 
  • The figure remained approximately at the same level as at the end of 2023, which may indicate that the bottom of the fall in the employment rate, caused by the economic downturn, has been reached. The employment rate of foreigners remained markedly higher in the first half of 2023 than before the coronavirus crisis. 

On the basis of the register data of the Employment Service Statistics and the survey data of the Labour Force Survey, the Centre of Expertise in Immigrant Integration publishes a monthly review of employment among foreign citizens and foreign-language speakers and of their participation in employment promotion services.
August 2024 overview of unemployment of foreign citizens and foreign-language speakers and their participation in employment promotion services (in Finnish)

More information:
Employment Bulletins