Working group to draft action programme on employment for people in adverse labour market position

The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment has appointed a working group to improve the employment, competence and working life participation of special groups, such as persons with impaired capacity to work, disabilities or a low education level, immigrants and older people.

The task of the working group is to draft an action programme to increase working life participation of people who are in adverse position in the labour market and to monitor the implementation of the programme.

The working group will also assess the possible needs for legislative amendment to promote the employment of the target group. The task includes the preparation of reports on measures to strengthen the reception capacity of working life and on models used in different European countries to support the hiring of people with challenges in finding employment. In the work, use will be made of the results of earlier action programmes and projects related to the same theme and their evaluations.

In line with the Government Programme, the aim is to utilise the unused labour and competence potential better than before to promote employment and growth in the whole country. The work is also based on the aim included in the Government Programme to have 100,000 new people at work. Government’s long-term objective is an employment rate of 80% by 2031. To achieve this, it must also be possible for persons in the most adverse position in the labour market to be employed in the open vacancies. 

This also requires that more information is provided and incentives are developed to employers for hiring persons in adverse position in the labour market. At the same time, discrimination in working life must be reduced. In addition, persons in adverse position in the labour market need customised services that specifically support their employment and develop their skills more than are available at present.

The working group is chaired by Senior Ministerial Adviser Kimmo Ruth, and its term runs until the end of the present Government’s term. The group is composed of representatives of the labour market organisations and the key interest groups and foundations related to persons with poor employment prospects, and of different ministries and the labour administration.

Inquiries:

Kimmo Ruth, Senior Ministerial Adviser, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, tel. +358 295 048 073 
Marianne Keyriläinen, Senior Specialist, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, tel. +358 295 047 172