Finland September 2026 unemployment: rate jumps to 11.0%, highest since at least 2010
Finland's unemployment rate, the share of the labour force without a job and looking for one, rose to 11.0% in September 2026 from 9.9% in August. That is its highest level since at least 2010.
A data update from FactIQ, written from EU institutions (Eurostat, ECB, EEA, and EU ETS) figures. What is FactIQ?
Key figures
- Finland unemployment rate, September 2026
- 11.0%up from 9.9% in August; highest since at least 20102022-10-012026-09-01Unemployment rate, Finland
- Denmark retail trade volume growth, September 2026, year on year
- 4.9%up from 4.1% in August2022-10-012026-09-01Retail trade volume growth, Denmark
- Denmark retail trade volume index, September 2026 (2021=100)
- 102.0up from 101.2 in August2022-10-012026-09-01Retail trade volume, Denmark
- Euro reference exchange rate, US dollars per euro, 23 October 2026
- 1.1193down from 1.1253 on 16 October2026-08-192026-10-23EUR/USD reference exchange rate
Finnish unemployment has been rising for three years
The unemployment rate shows how much of the workforce cannot find a job, so it is a key sign of how the economy is doing. Finland's rate has climbed step by step:
- About 7–7.6% through 2023
- About 8.2–8.9% in 2024
- Roughly 10–11% since mid-2025
- 11.0% in September, up 1.1 percentage points from 9.9% in August
Finland's monthly figures move around a lot, so a single jump should be read with care. For example, the rate went from 8.5% in May 2025 to 10.0% in June 2025. Earlier months changed by up to 0.1 percentage point in this update. May 2026 is now 10.8% instead of 10.7%.
Danish shop sales keep growing at more than 4% a year
Retail trade volume tracks how much shops sell once price changes are taken out. In Denmark, the volume index (2021=100) rose to 102.0 in September from 101.2 in August. That is a gain of about 0.8% on the month. Growth over the same month a year earlier picked up to 4.9% in September, from 4.1% in August. August was revised up from 3.9%. Danish retail volumes have grown more than 4% a year in every month since May, apart from August's 4.1%. Eurostat's revisions to these figures were all 0.1 percentage point.
The euro has lost its mid-October gain against the dollar
The euro's reference exchange rate against the US dollar was 1.1193 dollars per euro on 23 October. It was 1.1253 on 16 October, the day the euro ended a five-week losing run. Since then it has given back that bounce. The rate has stayed between about 1.117 and 1.127 all month.
Source: EU institutions (Eurostat, ECB, EEA, and EU ETS). See all EU data in FactIQ.
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