Conscientious objector
Conscientious objectors are defined as people who according to the data of the Ministry of Employment and the Economy have been doing their non-military service during the survey week.
Community service is based on the national defence obligation and also on the freedom of religion and conscience set out in the Constitution of Finland. A person liable for military service can, on serious grounds of conscience founded on religious or ethical conviction, be exempted from military service upon application, at which time he is ordered into non-military service, which is a substitute for military service in peacetime under the Finnish Conscription Act (1950/452).
Conscript
Conscripts are defined as persons who according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces have been doing their military service during the last week of the year. Persons taking part in refresher courses during the reference week are not regarded as conscripts.
Employed
The employed labour force includes all persons aged 18 to 74 who were in gainful employment in the last week of the year and were not registered as unemployed job seekers in the job seeker register of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment or performing mandatory military or non-military service. Data on employment are based on the information of employment pension authorities and the tax administration.
Main type of activity
The concept of main type of activity describes the nature of a person's economic activity. The population is divided into people in the labour force and those outside the labour force. These categories can further be divided into subgroups. The classification is based on data on a person's main type of activity during the last week of the year.
The following classification is used:
Labour force
Persons outside the labour force
Information on the main type of activity is based on data obtained from various registers. Where the data conflict as to whether a person is in the labour force or outside it, priority is given to the former. If, within the labour force, the data conflict as to whether a person is unemployed or employed, priority is given to the former.
The group "others outside the labour force" consists of persons who are not in the labour force and do not belong to the following groups: 0-14-year-olds, students, conscripts, conscientous objectors or pensioners.
Pensioner
Pensioners comprise all persons who according to the data of the Social Insurance Institution or the Centre for Pensions receive a pension (excl. those receiving family pension or part-time pension) and are not gainfully employed. All persons over 74 are also classified as pensioners. In addition, some persons have been classified as pensioners on the basis of pension income.
Socio-economic group
The socio-economic group refers to a person's position in society. Formation of a socio-economic group for a person is based on data on the person's main type of activity, occupation, occupational status and industry. Statistics Finland's Classification of Socio-economic Groups valid at each time is used for the classification.
In the employment statistics, persons are classified according to their own activity, apart from persons aged 0 to 15 and the group "others outside the labour force" (mainly home-makers), who have been assigned the same socio-economic group as the reference person in the household. The socio-economic group of students is determined based on their own activity at the end of the year. Students over the age of 18, who have a valid employment relationship at the end of the year, are considered to belong to the employed labour force and thus they are defined as belonging to different socio-economic groups based on their occupation. However, working students under the age of 18 are classified as students (apart from students under the age of 16, who are always assigned the socio-economic group of the reference person in the household).
Student
A student or a pupil is a person over 15 who is studying full-time in an educational institution and is neither gainfully employed nor unemployed.
When the population is classified by socio-economic status, the lower age limit is 16.
Data on studying have been obtained, among other sources, from Statistics Finland's student register. People in labour market training during the last week of the year are also counted as students. Persons aged 15 are also counted as students. Pupils aged under 15 belong to the main activity class "0-14 year-olds".
In certain examinations all persons studying in post-comprehensive educational institutes can be counted as students. Data on students have been collected according to the situation in September. However, during the last week of the year the main activity of the persons concerned may employed, unemployed or conscript.
Unemployed
The unemployed labour force includes all persons aged 16 to 64 who were unemployed on the last weekday of the year. Data on unemployment derive from the job seeker register of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment.