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Labour Force Surveys (LFS), March 2022

Increase in the number of employees

Statistical news from Statistics Sweden 2022-04-27 8.00

In March 2022, there were 5 092 000 employed persons, not seasonally adjusted. This is an increase of 146 000 persons compared to March 2021. The number of employees increased by 107 000 to 4 587 000. The number of unemployed people amounted to 454 000, a decrease of 96 000 persons compared to March 2021. The unemployment rate was 8.2 percent, a decrease of 1.8 percentage points. The average number of hours worked per week amounted to 168.0 million, an increase of 2,7 percent in calendar adjusted figures. Smoothed and seasonally adjusted data indicates an increase in the employment rate and a decrease in the unemployment rate that amounted to 7.6 percent.

Since 1 January 2021, the Swedish LFS is in compliance with the new EU framework regulation on social statistics (Regulation (EU) 2019/1700). More information on the alignment to the regulation is available on the LFS home page under “Information on the introduction of the new 2021 framework regulation in the LFS” (scb.se).

The changes have caused breaks in the LFS time series. To make the series comparable in time, a selection of series has been linked backwards to 2005 according to the new practise. At the same time as the LFS February 2022 was published, series for quarters and years were published. Later this year further series will be available.

Labour force

In March 2022, there were 5 545 000 persons aged 15–74 in the labour force, not seasonally adjusted. The number of women in the labour force was 2 619 000 and the number of men was 2 927 000. The relative labour force participation rate amounted to 73.7 percent. Among women, it was 70.8 percent and among men, it was 76.5 percent.

Seasonally adjusted and smoothed data shows an increase in both the number and share of persons in the labour force compared with nearby months. The number of persons in the labour force amounted to 5 582 000 persons, corresponding to a labour force participation rate of 74.3 percent.

Employment

In March 2022, there were 5 092 000 employed persons aged 15─74, not seasonally adjusted, which is an increase of 146 000 compared to the corresponding month a year ago. There were 2 381 000 employed women, an increase of 60 000, and 2 711 000 employed men, an increase of 86 000. The employment rate increased by 1.9 percentage points to 67.7 percent. Among women, the employment rate was 64.4 percent, an increase of 1.6 percentage points. Among men, it was 70.8 percent, an increase of 2.1 percentage points.

Smoothed and seasonally adjusted data indicates an increase in both the number and share of employed persons compared with recent months. There were 5 156 000 employed persons, corresponding to an employment rate of 68.6 percent.

Employees

In March 2022, there were 4 587 000 employees, not seasonally adjusted. This is an increase of 107 000 compared with the corresponding month last year. Among women, there were 2 239 000 employees. Among men, there were 2 348 000 employees, an increase of 65 000. There were 3 906 000 permanent employees in the same period. Among women, there were 1 875 000 permanent employees and among men there were 2 032 000. There were 681 000 temporary employees. Among them, 364 000 were women. The number of temporary employed among men was 317 000, an increase of 49 000.

For seasonally adjusted and smoothed data, the number of employees was 4 638 000. The corresponding figure for permanent employees was 3 925 000 and for temporary employees 712 000. Compared with previous months, seasonally adjusted and smoothed data shows an increase in the number of employees, in permanent employees and in temporary employees.

Hours worked

The average number of hours worked in March 2022 amounted to 168.0 million per week, not seasonally adjusted. In calendar-adjusted figures, this corresponds to an increase of 2.7 percent compared with March 2021.

According to seasonally adjusted and smoothed data, the average number of hours worked per week amounted to 152.0 million.

Unemployment

In March 2022, there were 454 000 unemployed persons aged 15–74 years, not seasonally adjusted. This is a decrease of 96 000 compared with March 2021. It corresponds to an unemployment rate of 8.2 percent, a decrease of 1.8 percentage points. Among unemployed persons, there were 238 000 women, corresponding to an unemployment rate of 9.1 percent. The number of unemployed men amounted to 216 000, a decrease of 77 000. Among men, the unemployment rate was 7.4 percent, a decrease of 2.6 percentage units. Among those who were unemployed, 152 000 had been unemployed for more than six months.

There were 161 000 unemployed young people aged 15–24 years, corresponding to an unemployment rate of 25.6 percent. Among unemployed young people, 118 000 persons were full-time students.

Among persons aged 15–74 years, seasonally adjusted and smoothed data shows a decrease in both the number and share of unemployed persons compared to nearby months. In March 2022 there were 425 000 unemployed persons, which corresponds to an unemployment rate of 7.6 percent.

Among young people aged 15–24, seasonally adjusted and smoothed data also shows a decrease in both the number and share of unemployed persons compared to nearby months. The number of unemployed young people amounted to 141 000, corresponding to an unemployment rate of 22.3 percent.

Employment rate, persons aged 15–74
Labour Force Surveys (LFS), March 2022

Employment rate by sex, smoothed and seasonally adjusted data, persons aged 15–74
Labour Force Surveys (LFS), March 2022

Unemployment rate, persons aged 15–74
Labour Force Surveys (LFS), March 2022

Unemployment rate by sex, smoothed and seasonally adjusted data, persons aged 15–74
Labour Force Surveys (LFS), March 2022

Feel free to use the facts from this statistical news but remember to state Source: Statistics Sweden.

Statistical agency

Statistics Sweden, Labour Force Surveys

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