2017.02.2102:24:00UTC+00Finland Jobless Rate Climbs To 7-Month High

Finland's unemployment rate increased at the start of the year to the highest level in seven months, figures from Statistics Finland showed Tuesday.

The jobless rate rose to 9.2 percent in January from 7.9 percent in December. In the corresponding month last year, the rate was 9.3 percent.

Moreover, the latest unemployment rate was the highest since June 2016, when it marked 9.3 percent.

The number of unemployed people climbed to 242,000 in January from 207,000 in the previous month. A year ago, the jobless figure totaled 245,000.

The youth unemployment rate, which applies to the 15 to 24 age group, increased notably from 14.7 percent in December to 23.5 percent in January.

At the same time, the employment rate came in at 58.2 percent in January, down from 58.9 percent a month earlier.

The seasonally adjusted jobless rate for January was 8.6 percent versus 8.7 percent in the preceding month.