Unemployment was at 8.7 percent, according to seasonally adjusted and trend-based figures, unchanged compared to July and June. Employment, measured as a proportion of the population, also remained still, at 69.0 percent.
"The labor market is still weak in August and unemployment remains at a higher level," says Sandra Medenica, statistician at SCB, in a press release.
That unemployment is at higher levels than normal is clear, but there are other ways to measure that nuance the picture somewhat. According to the Employment Service, unemployment was at 7 percent in August. The Employment Service actually measures those registered with the authority and only measures in the age group 16-65, while SCB's figures are based on a statistical sample in the age group 15-74 years.
In SCB statistics, unemployment is also affected by students at colleges and universities who are looking for part-time jobs. In August, there were over 90,000 full-time students who were counted as unemployed. During term time (August is normally not a student period) that figure usually exceeds 150,000.
The latter is also an explanation for why Sweden ends up so high on the list, third highest, over countries in the EU with the highest unemployment.
