Finland Unemployment Rate Rises to 10.4% in September 2026

Finland's jobless rate climbed to 10.4% in September 2026, up from 9.1% during the same month in the prior year. This marks the highest unemployment level recorded for the country since May. The total count of unemployed individuals expanded by 39,000 year-over-year to 298,000, consisting of 159,000 men and 139,000 women.

Weakness appeared across several worker segments. The male unemployment rate reached 10.9%, while the female rate rose 1.1 percentage points over the year to 9.8%. Younger workers aged 15 to 24 experienced a significant jump, with youth unemployment increasing by 5.4 percentage points from a year earlier to 22.0%. Overall employment dropped by 11,000 positions to 2.578 million, while the employment rate for adults aged 20 to 64 was 75.1%, compared to 75.9% a year prior.

Despite the decline in total employment, the labor force participation rate moved up to 69.0% from 68.3% a year earlier, indicating that more citizens entered the job market. Market participants will monitor upcoming labor reports to assess whether youth and male joblessness stabilizes or continues to exert pressure on the regional economy.