Statistics Finland reported Tuesday that unemployment in May came in at 10.8 percent, compared to 9.5 percent one year ago. This brings the total number of people looking for work in May to 300,000, some 34,000 of whom joined the job search since last May.
According to Statistics Finland the slight increase in the jobless rate last month was due to students entering the workforce. The unemployment rate among young adults aged 15 to 24 was 35.2 percent in May.
Fresh data from the Ministry of Employment and the Economy also released Tuesday corroborate the statisticians’ figures. The Ministry’s numbers show a total of 269,000 unemployed, 40,000 of whom joined the job market since May 2012.
The Ministry data show that unemployment increased steadily across the country.