The theme report of the Labour Force Surveys for the first quarter 2017 gives a description of the situation on the labour market for young people aged 15–24 with a focus on the summer months. The report is mainly based on monthly data and encompasses the time series from 2007 to 2016, with an in-depth study of seasonal patterns in 2016. The data is described in comparison with the age group 15–74.

The number of employed persons is highest in the summer months in a seasonal comparison

Employed persons aged 15–74 show a clear seasonal variation, where the number of employed persons is higher in the summer months from June to August, with a peak in July. The distribution by age shows that the age group 15–24 years is largely responsible for this variation. The number of employed persons was relatively stable from January to May. The number of employed persons in this group increased sharply in the summer months. In January 2016, there were 474 800 employed persons aged 15–24 years. The number of employed persons increased sharply in June, and then increased slightly further in July. The number of employed persons was 603 400 in June and 644 200 in July. In August, the number of employed persons was lower than in July due to the seasonal effect of young people who stop working. The number of employed persons is then at a lower level until December.

The number of temporary employees is highest in the summer months

Temporary employees are the main reason for the seasonal variation among all employed persons, and among temporary employees, mainly young people aged 15–24 years are responsible for the seasonal variation. There is no clear seasonal variation for the age group 25–74 years. The number of temporary employees increases in the summer months and reaches its highest level in July. The lowest level is in December for the group aged 15–24 years.

Many young people look for work for the summer

There is also a clear seasonal variation in the number of unemployed persons aged 15–74 years. Young people aged 15–24 years mainly account for the seasonal variation. Before the summer, many people look for work, or wait to replace those who will be absent during the summer, which leads to a rise in unemployment before the summer. In the summer months May and June, the number of unemployed persons aged 15–24 years increased from 137 200 in April 2016 to 182 600 in June 2016. In July, there were 107 100 unemployed persons. After the summer, there were only minor changes in the level of unemployment and in December 2016 the number of unemployed persons amounted to 92 400. The report shows that a considerable percentage of those who are unemployed in the spring have found and are waiting to start work.

The number of people who are outside the labour force is lowest during the summer

The number of persons outside the labour force also varies considerably during the year, and shows a seasonal pattern that is largely the opposite of the seasonal pattern for employed persons and unemployed persons overall. The number of persons who are not in the labour force is lower in the summer months than during the rest of the year. A closer examination of the reasons for being outside the labour force shows that the number of full-time students is considerably lower in the summer months than during the rest of the year. The number of persons who are not in the labour force for other reasons increased instead. However, this increase is smaller than the decrease in the number of full-time students, which means that the total number of persons who are not in the labour force is lower in the summer months than during the rest of the year. The age group 15–24 years mainly accounts for the seasonal variation in the number of persons who are outside the labour force.

A more detailed report is available in the theme report:

The labour market for young people in the summer months
(Statistical Report AM 110 SM 1702)