Increasing unemployment

In February, the unemployed constituted 3.5 per cent of the labor force. This is an increase of 0.2 per cent from November. Employment remained stable.

According to the Labor Force Survey, (LFS) unemployment rose by 5,000 people from November (as measured by the average of the months from October to December) to February (as measured by the average of the months from January to March). The largest increase was within the age group 25-74.

In comparison, seasonally-adjusted figures for those registered unemployed with the Labor and Welfare Organization (NAV), and persons on government initiatives to promote employment, rose by about 1,000 from November to February. These figures have also been adjusted for seasonal variations.

Stable employment

There were only minor changes in employment from November 2009 to February 2010. Employment increased by 4,000 persons. This is within the error margin of the LFS.

Unemployment still rising in Europe

The unemployment rate in EU-15 was 9.5 per cent in February; this is up 0.1 percentage points from November. In Sweden, unemployment rose by 0.3 percentage points, ending at 9.0 per cent of the labor force in February. Denmark also saw an increase of 0.3 percentage points, and the unemployment rate in Denmark is now 7.5 per cent. For the second month in a row, the USA has seen a decrease in unemployment; 9.7 per cent of the labor force was unemployed in February. This is down 0.3 percentage points from November. All figures refer to seasonally-adjusted data from Eurostat.

Source: Statistics Norway