Decreased labour force participation

Published:

Labour force participation decreased from the 1st quarter of 2016 to the 1st quarter of 2017. The decrease applied to both men and women, and was mainly among those aged 15-24, according to new figures in the statistics Labour force survey.

The labour force participation rate among the population aged 15-74 was 69.6 per cent in the 1st quarter of 2017, down 1.2 percentage points from the same quarter the previous year. The figures on employed persons as well as unemployed persons decreased in this period, while the population increased by 34 000 persons in this age group.

Figure 1. Persons (15-74 years) in the labour force. In per cent of the population (15-74 years)

Labour force
Q1-2006 71.6
Q1-2007 71.9
Q1. 2008 73.6
Q1-2009 73.0
Q1-2010 71.8
Q1-2011 70.9
Q1-2012 71.4
Q1-2013 70.9
Q1-2014 70.6
Q1-2015 70.8
Q1-2016 70.8
Q1-2017 69.6

Lower participation rates especially among youths

The labour force participation rate among youths (aged 15-24) decreased by 2.7 percentage points from the 1st quarter of 2016 to the 1st quarter of 2017. During the same period, there has been an increase in the number of young people participating in education. The increase of elderly people outside the labour force is due to retirement and the receipt of old-age pensions.

Figure 2. Persons (15-74 years) in the labour force, by age. In per cent of the population in each group

Q1 2016 Q1 2017
15-19 years 39.8 37.4
20-24 years 69.5 66.6
25-29 years 83.6 82.3
30-34 years 86.5 85.4
35-39 years 89.3 88.4
40-44 years 88.2 88.0
45-49 years 87.8 86.7
50-54 years 84.1 83.9
55-59 years 80.5 81.7
60-66 years 60.3 58.1
67-74 years 12.8 12.5

Fewer with short part-time work

The number of people with short part-time work, i.e. below 20 hours per week, decreased by 22 000 from the 1st quarter of 2016 to the 1st quarter of 2017. This applied to both men and women in most of the age groups, but especially among the youngest. In the same period, the number of underemployed people decreased by 13 000, falling to 66 000 in the 1st quarter of 2017. More than half of the underemployed were seeking full-time work.

Employment decrease in oil and transport

The LFS shows a continued drop in the number of employed people in oil and gas extraction. From the 1st quarter of 2016 to the 1st quarter of 2017 the drop was 13 000, or 20 per cent. There was also a decrease in employment in transportation, with a drop of 15 000, or 11 per cent. On the other hand, the number of employed people increased in public administration.

Decreased unemployment among men

The unemployment rate among men decreased from 5.7 to 5.1 per cent from the 1st quarter of 2016 to the 1st quarter of 2017. For women, the rate was 3.9 per cent in the 1st quarter of 2017, approximately the same as a year earlier.

The average period of unemployment increased from 29.2 to 31.8 weeks last year.