Statistics Lithuania informs that, based on the Labour Force Survey (LFS) data, the unemployment rate in I quarter 2009 reached 11.9 per cent, i.e. was close to the level of the year 2004. Over a quarter, the unemployment rate grew 1.5 times, over a year – 2.4 times.
Statistics Lithuania informs that, based on the Labour Force Survey (LFS) data, the unemployment rate in I quarter 2009 reached 11.9 per cent, i.e. was close to the level of the year 2004. Over a quarter, the unemployment rate grew 1.5 times, over a year – 2.4 times. The largest increase was observed for the male unemployment rate, which in I quarter 2009 was as high as 14.6 per cent, while in I quarter 2008 – 4.6 per cent, or 3 times lower. Such a dramatic growth was conditioned by a marked decline in the number of persons employed in construction and industrial enterprises, where male accounted for the largest share of employed persons. The female unemployment rate in I quarter 2009 made up 9.2 per cent, i.e. was 1.8 times higher than a year ago.
The youth (aged 15–24) unemployment rate has been growing even at a faster pace. In I quarter 2009, the youth unemployment rate reached 25 per cent, and over a quarter grew by as much as 44 per cent, while over a year – 2.5 times. A similar youth unemployment rate had been recorded in II quarter 2003.
The labour market has been negatively influenced by continuing economic recession, enterprise bankruptcies, a marked decline in the number of job vacancies.
Based on the LFS data, the unemployment rate in I quarter 2009 in Latvia made up 13.9, in Estonia – 11.4 per cent, while a year ago – 6.5 and 4.2 per cent respectively.
The LFS showed that the number of the unemployed in I quarter 2009 reached 194 thousand, i.e. the level of the year 2004. Over a quarter, this figure grew by 64 thousand, or 1.5 times, while over a year – by 116 thousand, or 2.5 times. In I quarter 2009, against I quarter 2008, the largest number of persons was dismissed from industrial (35 thousand) and construction (29 thousand) enterprises.
Over 2008 and I quarter 2009, the ranks of the unemployed swelled by 126 thousand persons who had been previously employed. Almost all (95 per cent) persons who lost their jobs had previously been employees. Over the period in question, jobs were lost by 45 thousand skilled construction workers and producers of building materials, 29 thousand unskilled workers, 16 thousand service and trade workers. The major share of these persons (76 per cent) lost their jobs because of enterprise bankruptcy, staff reduction, or resigned from a job on their own initiative, 15 per cent – on expiry of an employment contract, 6 per cent – for personal or family reasons.
The largest share (83 thousand, or 66 per cent) of the unemployed who had previously been employed were looking for a full-time job, while 23 per cent would agree to work part-time (a year ago, the share of people working part-time made up just 7–9 per cent of the employed population).
Based on the LFS data, unemployed respondents were looking for a job not only via labour exchanges. A large share (130 thousand) of the unemployed were looking for a job via friends and relatives, 126 thousand – via job ads in the media, 96 thousand – via direct application to employers. In I quarter 2009, the number of the unemployed registered with regional labour exchanges made 151 thousand.
The major share of the unemployed were persons who had lost their jobs in the last 6 months. Their number in I quarter 2009 made 121 thousand, or 62 per cent of the total number of the unemployed, while a year ago this figure stood at 51 thousand. The number of the long-term unemployed, i.e. persons looking for a job for a year and longer, in I quarter 2009 reached 38 thousand; however, they made up a fifth of the total number of the unemployed. Over a year, the number of the long-term unemployed grew by 23 thousand, or 2.5 times.
Unemployed persons have been facing an increasing number of difficulties in their job search because the number of job vacancies in the country has been decreasing. Based on the data of Statistics Lithuania, at the end of I quarter 2009, there were 7.5 thousand job vacancies for employees (in I quarter 2008, 26.1 thousand). Over a quarter, the number of job vacancies declined by 5.4 thousand, or 1.7 times, while over a year – by 18.6 thousand, or 3.5 times. Given the increase in unemployment, the employed population over a quarter decreased by 74 thousand, or by 5 per cent.
In I quarter 2009, the employed population made 1 million 433 thousand. Over a year, the highest number of employed persons was lost by industrial (35 thousand, or 12 per cent) and construction (29 thousand, or 17 per cent) enterprises.
Given the decrease in the employed population, the employment rate dropped as well. In I quarter 2009, the employment rate made up 61 per cent and was by 2.9 percentage points lower than a year ago. Given a substantial decrease in the male employment rate (from 66.8 per cent in I quarter 2008 to 61 per cent in I quarter 2009), the male and female employment rates became almost equal (male – 61.0, female – 60.9 per cent). Over a year, the male employment rate declined by 5.8 percentage points, female – by 0.3 percentage point.
UNEMPLOYMENT RATE IN THE EUROPEAN UNION AND ACROSS THE WORLD
The unemployment rate in the EU has been growing since September 2008. Based on Eurostat’s estimations, the unemployment rate in the EU-27, seasonally adjusted, in April 2009 made up 8.6 per cent, while in April 2008 – 6.8 per cent. In April 2009, the highest unemployment rates were recorded in Spain (18.1 per cent), Latvia (17.4 per cent), Lithuania (16.8 per cent), and Estonia (13.9 per cent), while the lowest – in the Netherlands (3.0 per cent), Austria (4.2 per cent), Cyprus (5.4 per cent), Denmark and Slovakia (5.5 per cent in each).
Unemployment has been increasing in almost all EU countries. The vastest increase in the unemployment rate from April 2008 to April 2009 was observed in Lithuania (from 4.3 to 16.8 per cent), Latvia (from 6.1 to 17.4 per cent) and Estonia (from 3.7 to 13.9 per cent).
In March 2009, the unemployment rate in the United States of America made up 8.9 per cent, a year ago – 5.0 per cent.