STOCKHOLM (dpa-AFX) - Sweden's jobless rate decreased in September, defying expectations for an increase, figures from Statistics Sweden showed on Thursday.
The jobless rate fell to 8.3 percent in September from 8.8 percent in August. Economists had forecast a rate of 9.4 percent. In September last year, the rate was 6.0 percent.
The number of unemployed persons increased by 122,000 to 453,000 in September.
The youth unemployment rate, which is applied to the 15-24 age group, fell to 21.6 percent in September from 22.5 percent in the prior month.
The employment rate decreased to 66.8 percent in September from 67.9 percent in the previous month. The number of employed persons was 5.036 million.
On a seasonally adjusted basis, the unemployment rate was 9.2 percent in September.
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