Finland’s jobless rate increased unexpectedly in March, figures from Statistics Finland showed Thursday.
The unemployment rate climbed to 10.3 percent in March from 10.1 percent in the previous month. Economists had expected the jobless rate to fall to 9.8 percent. A year earlier, the rate was 9.5 percent.
The latest rate of unemployment was the highest since May 2014, when it marked 10.7 percent.
On a seasonally adjusted basis, the jobless rate rose slightly to 9.4 percent in March from 9.3 percent in preceding month. In the same month of the previous year, the rate was 8.6 percent.
At the same time, the employment rate came in at 58.1 percent in March, down from 58.3 percent in February.
The number of unemployed people increased to 272,000 in March from 268,000 in the prior month. A year ago, the jobless figure totaled 252,000.
The youth unemployment rate, which applies to the 15 to 24 age group, rose to 27.7 percent in March from 25.5 in February.
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