Population by Labour market status, August 2023
Employment continued to increase in August
Statistical news from Statistics Sweden 2023-10-31 8.00
People in employment aged 15 to 74 numbered 5 336 000 in August 2023. This is an increase of 36 000 people compared with August 2022. In the 20 to 64 age range, 249 000 people were unemployed. This equals a share of 4.9 percent expressed as a percentage of the labour force and a decrease of 0.1 percentage points compared with the same period of the previous year.
People in employment
The number of people in employment aged 15 to 74 increased in August 2023 by 36 000 compared with the same period of 2022, amounting to 5 336 000. Fewer women than men were employed. A total of 2 587 000 women and 2 749 000 men were employed.
In the 20 to 64 age range the employment rate – the number of employed people in relation to the population – was 80.9 percent among women and 81.9 percent among men. Compared with August 2022, the employment rate increased by 0.3 percentage points for women while the employment rate among men decreased by 0.2.
The unemployed
The number of unemployed people aged 20 to 64 in August 2023 was 249 000. This is a decrease of 2 000 people compared with the same month in 2022. A total of 124 000 women and 125 000 men were unemployed.
The relative unemployment rate - the proportion of unemployed people in relation to the labour force - was 5.0 percent for women and 4.8 percent for men. This equals a reduction in unemployment of 0.2 percentage points among women but an unchanged unemployment rate among men compared with the same period of 2022.
Unemployment is higher among foreign born people than among those born in Sweden. The relative unemployment rate was, among foreign born people, 13.2 percent for women and 10.0 percent for men. This corresponds to a reduction in unemployment among women of 1.0 percentage points, and 0.4 percentage points among men compared with the same period of 2022.
People outside the labour force
The number of people outside the labour force aged 20 to 64 was 860 000 in August 2023. This equals a share of 14.4 percent expressed as a proportion of the population in the same age group. Compared to the same period of 2022, the number of people outside the labour force increased by 8 000 and the proportion was unchanged. There were 4 000 more women than men outside the labour force in August.
The labour market status categories that are outside the labour force are student, pensioner, sick and others. There are fewer people outside the labour force in the summer than during other parts of the year. This is mainly because some people who are students during term time work during the summer and are classified as employed.
Definitions and explanations
BAS, Labour market status of the population, presents statistics based on administrative data concerning aspects such as number of people in employment, unemployed people, and people outside the labour force for the registered population aged 15 to 74. The statistics can be used to describe current status, but also the progression over time. It illuminates both the entire population and smaller groups, such as detailed age groups at the municipal level.
The statistics contain estimates of the number of people broken down by labour market status: Employed, unemployed, student, pensioner, sick and others, with the labour force consisting of employed people and the unemployed. The definition of labour market status is hierarchical, which means that a person can only be assigned one labour market status, and it is determined according to the order of precedence above.
Feel free to use the facts from this statistical news but remember to state Source: Statistics Sweden.