In September this year there were 204,000 unemployed in Finland, which is 21,000 less than last year. 104,000 of the unemployed were men and 100,000 were women.

The unemployment rate is now at 7,7%, compared to last years 8,4%, reports Statistics Finland. In the age group 15-24, there was an increase of 1,5%, taking it from 15% to 16,5%.

The employment rate increased to 69,2% from 68,8% last year. The government's target is 72% employment rate.