Population by Labour market status, October 2024
Unemployment continued to increase in October 2024
Statistical news from Statistics Sweden 2024-12-27 8.00
People in employment aged 15 to 74 numbered 5 166 000 in October 2024. This is a decrease of 25 000 people compared with October 2023. In the 20 to 65 age range, 282 000 people were unemployed. This equals a share of 5.5 percent expressed as a percentage of the labour force and is an increase of 0.6 percentage point compared with the same period of the previous year.
People in employment
The number of people in employment aged 15 to 74 decreased in October 2024 by 0.5 percent compared to the same period the previous year, but the trend varies depending on sex and region of birth.
The unemployed
The number of unemployed people aged 20 to 65 in October 2024 was 282 000, which is an increase of 29 000 compared to the same period the previous year.
The relative unemployment rate - the proportion of unemployed people in relation to the labour force - was 5.5 percent for women and 5.6 percent for men. This equals an increased unemployment rate among woman of 0.5 percentage point, and 0.6 percentage point among men compared with the same period of 2023.
Unemployment is higher among foreign born people than among those born in Sweden. The relative unemployment rate was, among foreign born people, 13.7 percent for women and 11.2 percent for men. For people born in Sweden the relative unemployment rates was 2.8 percent for women and 3.7 percent for men in October 2024.
| October 2024 | September 2024 | October 2023 | Change since October 2023 (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employed | 5 166 000 | 5 285 000 | 5 191 000 | ‑0.5 |
| Women | 2 516 000 | 2 579 000 | 2 521 000 | ‑0.2 |
| born in Sweden | 1 957 000 | 2 011 000 | 1 969 000 | ‑0.6 |
| foreign born | 559 000 | 568 000 | 552 000 | 1.3 |
| Men | 2 650 000 | 2 706 000 | 2 670 000 | ‑0.8 |
| born in Sweden | 2 036 000 | 2 084 000 | 2 054 000 | ‑0.9 |
| foreign born | 614 000 | 622 000 | 616 000 | ‑0.3 |
| October 2024 | September 2024 | October 2023 | Change since October 2023 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employed | 4 809 000 | 4 885 000 | 4 831 000 | ‑0.5 |
| Women | 2 339 000 | 2 380 000 | 2 343 000 | ‑0.2 |
| Men | 2 470 000 | 2 504 000 | 2 489 000 | ‑0.7 |
| Employment rate (%) | 79.0 | 80.3 | 79.5 | ‑0.6 |
| Women | 78.5 | 80.0 | 79.0 | ‑0.5 |
| born in Sweden | 83.2 | 84.8 | 83.6 | ‑0.4 |
| foreign born | 65.9 | 66.9 | 66.3 | ‑0.4 |
| Men | 79.4 | 80.6 | 80.1 | ‑0.6 |
| born in Sweden | 82.8 | 84.1 | 83.5 | ‑0.6 |
| foreign born | 70.2 | 71.1 | 70.8 | ‑0.6 |
| Unemployment | 282 000 | 277 000 | 253 000 | 11.5 |
| Women | 136 000 | 134 000 | 123 000 | 10.4 |
| born in Sweden | 51 000 | 51 000 | 44 000 | 15.7 |
| foreign born | 85 000 | 83 000 | 79 000 | 7.5 |
| Men | 146 000 | 143 000 | 130 000 | 12.5 |
| born in Sweden | 72 000 | 71 000 | 62 000 | 17.3 |
| foreign born | 74 000 | 72 000 | 68 000 | 8.2 |
| Relative unemployment rate (%) | 5.5 | 5.4 | 5.0 | 0.6 |
| Women | 5.5 | 5.3 | 5.0 | 0.5 |
| born in Sweden | 2.8 | 2.7 | 2.4 | 0.4 |
| foreign born | 13.7 | 13.4 | 13.0 | 0.7 |
| Men | 5.6 | 5.4 | 5.0 | 0.6 |
| born in Sweden | 3.7 | 3.6 | 3.1 | 0.6 |
| foreign born | 11.2 | 10.9 | 10.4 | 0.8 |
| October 2024 | September 2024 | October 2023 | Change since October 2023 (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students | 186 000 | 112 000 | 174 000 | 6.7 |
| Women | 106 000 | 63 000 | 100 000 | 6.1 |
| Men | 80 000 | 49 000 | 74 000 | 7.5 |
| Retirees | 76 000 | 77 000 | 88 000 | ‑13.2 |
| Women | 38 000 | 39 000 | 44 000 | ‑14.5 |
| Men | 38 000 | 39 000 | 44 000 | ‑11.8 |
| Sick | 229 000 | 229 000 | 226 000 | 1.2 |
| Women | 126 000 | 126 000 | 125 000 | 0.9 |
| Men | 103 000 | 102 000 | 101 000 | 1.6 |
| Others | 508 000 | 505 000 | 503 000 | 1.0 |
| Women | 236 000 | 235 000 | 232 000 | 1.4 |
| Men | 272 000 | 270 000 | 270 000 | 0.7 |
Definitions and explanations
BAS, Population by Labour market status, 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, retiree, sick and others. 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.
The labour force consists of employed people and the unemployed.
The labour market status categories that are outside the labour force are student, retiree, 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 then classified as employed.
Feel free to use the facts from this statistical news but remember to state Source: Statistics Sweden.