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Structural Unemployment in Finland

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  • Holm, Pasi
  • Somervuori, Elina

Abstract

Since the Finnish unemployment rate has rocketed to a very high level in the beginning of the 1990?s it is worth to study to what extent the unemployment rate prevailing today is due to cyclical or to structural reasons. In this paper we try to estimate two different indicators that represent the structural part of unemployment, the NAWRU and the NAIRU. The NAWRU (non-accelerating wage rate of unemployment) measures the structural unemployment simply by relating unemployment to wage inflation. The estimated NAWRU follows very closely the actual unemployment in Finland indicating that it is not the proper measure for the structural unemployment. The NAIRU (non-accelerating inflation rate of unemployment) in this paper is based on structural estimates of the price setting behaviour of firms and the wage setting behaviour of trade unions. The estimated NAIRU was at a low level up to the end of eighties. Since then both the actual unemployment rate and the NAIRU have rocketed. In the mid-nineties the NAIRU was about 12 percent (plus - minus 2 percentage points) while the actual unemployment rate was about 18 percent.

Suggested Citation

  • Holm, Pasi & Somervuori, Elina, 1997. "Structural Unemployment in Finland," Discussion Papers 136, VATT Institute for Economic Research.
    • Handle: RePEc:fer:dpaper:136
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Beissinger, Thomas, 2003. "Strukturelle Arbeitslosigkeit in Europa : eine Bestandsaufnahme (Structural unemployment in Europe * an inventory)," Mitteilungen aus der Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany], vol. 36(4), pages 411-427.
    2. Chiarini, Bruno & Piselli, Paolo, 2001. "Identification and dimension of the NAIRU," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 18(4), pages 585-611, December.
    3. Jakob B. Madsen, 2005. "Empirical Estimates of the NAIRU," LABOUR, CEIS, vol. 19(3), pages 563-593, September.
    4. Sinko, Pekka & Holm, Pasi & Tossavainen, Pekka, 1999. "Labour Market Policy and Unemployment - A Job Flow Model of Finland," Discussion Papers 210, VATT Institute for Economic Research.
    5. Beissinger, Thomas, 2003. "Strukturelle Arbeitslosigkeit in Europa: Eine Bestandsaufnahme," University of Regensburg Working Papers in Business, Economics and Management Information Systems 389, University of Regensburg, Department of Economics.
    6. Beissinger, Thomas, 2003. "Strukturelle Arbeitslosigkeit in Europa : eine Bestandsaufnahme (Structural unemployment in Europe * an inventory)," Mitteilungen aus der Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany], vol. 36(4), pages 411-427.
    7. Fregert, Klas & Pehkonen, Jaakko, 2008. "Causes of structural unemployment in Finland and Sweden 1990-2004," Working Papers 2008:14, Lund University, Department of Economics.

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