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16.1.2023 | The report contains the results of the Labour Market Roadmap project by occupation and region and proposes solutions to improve the availability of labour. According to the report, that divides occupations into those suffering from labour shortage, mismatch or surplus, the increase in labour market mismatch is largely explained by the growing number of atypical employment relationships. 

29.11.2023 | This autumn, the revised Labour Force Barometer focuses on the future prospects of the technology industry and the social welfare, health and wellbeing sectors. The greatest shortage of labour is in the health and social services sector, where skilled workers are needed for the care of older people, in particular. The outlook for the technology sector is expected to improve after next summer.

21.5.2025 | The employment rate of registered nurses and practical nurses is high, with more than 90 per cent of graduates finding work in the social welfare and health care sector. Unemployed nurses cannot be relied on to respond to the future labour shortage in the sector. People who have sought employment in other sectors represent the most significant resource of unutilised workforce. Some relief can also be provided by pensioners for whom working is increasingly common.

8.2.2023 | The lack of skilled labour is slowing Finland’s economic growth. Increasing cooperation between public and private sector employment agencies could alleviate the problem of labour shortages. An event on Wednesday 8 February will present different ways to improve the match between jobs and jobseekers. About 400 public and private sector employment agents will attend the event. 

15.7.2024 | The Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council (EPSCO) will meet in Brussels on 16 July 2024. The topics on the agenda include labour shortages and skills shortages in the EU, and promotion of the employment and social inclusion of persons with disabilities. Minister of Employment Arto Satonen will represent Finland at the meeting in Brussels.

16.11.2023 | The situation in Finland’s labour market is looking bleak. Many employees will be laid off, with the number of layoffs expected to rise to close to the highs experienced during the financial crisis of 2009. In particular, the economic trend in manufacturing and construction will be unfavourable and be reflected in the demand for services.

12.12.2022 | The labour market roadmap project provides important information about the problems related to the availability of labour. During the project, employers and employees met in eight sectoral groups to consider proposals for improving the situation. According to them, the transfer of labour from surplus occupations to shortage occupations and from one region to another should be speedier and the services for people moving to work in Finland could be improved. 

6.6.2025 | In its meeting on 6 June 2025, the Research and Innovation Council chaired by Prime Minister Petteri Orpo adopted a plan for monitoring and assessing the use and effectiveness of central government research and development funding. The new monitoring and assessment plan covers both the additional funding under the Act on Research and Development Funding and state R&D funding as a whole. The assessm...

17.10.2024 | The Government is seeking to strengthen the link between work and work-based residence permits, and to make permit supervision after the entry into Finland more systematic. The proposal takes the long recruitment times of specialists into consideration. At the same time, the proposal would offer foreigners more opportunities to find new work in the national labour shortage sectors. 

16.6.2023 | The ‘Dismantling segregation’ development project carried out by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare and the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health dismantled gender segregation in the labour market by strengthening collaboration between the business sector and education institutions in the Ostrobothnia regions, Eastern Finland, the Häme region and Southeast Finland. The project activit...

13.6.2024 | The Government is seeking to strengthen the link between work and work-based residence permits, and to improve permit supervision. Worker’s residence permit holders in Finland would also have better opportunities to find new employment in sectors with a labour shortage. The Government proposal has been circulated for comments between 13 June and 16 August 2024.

24.8.2023 | Finland needs international workforce to respond to the labour market demand and the shortage of skilled employees. In order for international experts to come to work in Finland, our country must be able to attract and retain both employees and employers. 

25.5.2022 | According to the labour market forecast extending until 2024, employment will improve in Finland. The number of employed people will continue to increase, but the rapid post-pandemic growth in employment is expected to slow down towards the end of 2023.

28.12.2023 | The aim is to accelerate and streamline the administration of vaccines and to alleviate the shortage of healthcare personnel. The amendments that are being circulated for comments would allow dentists, senior pharmacists, pharmacists, practical nurses and biomedical laboratory scientists to administer vaccines. The amendments would also make it easier to organise vaccination at pharmacies’ health service points.

23.11.2021 | In the future more advanced solutions will be needed to enable more detailed data collection from jobseekers and to update the data on the number and specific descriptions of open vacancies in real time. Digital platforms and artificial intelligence could propose to us in a cost-effective way where to target our efforts.     

11.1.2022 | The exploitation of foreign labour is expected to grow in Finland as work-based immigration increases. Preventing problems requires more information on exploitation-related phenomena and investments in the resources and cooperation between authorities. 

21.11.2023 | The Talent Boost programme on work-based and education-based immigration will continue in a revised form during this Government term. The aim is to provide Finland with skills that meet its needs and to strengthen economic growth, employment and innovation activities. The ministerial working group on employment and entrepreneurship approved the programme on 21 November 2023.

1.11.2023 | By the beginning of September 2023, more than 60,000 Ukrainians had applied for temporary protection in Finland. The report offers information on the employment, use of employment services and future plans of Ukrainians as well as the receptiveness of the Finnish society.

22.8.2023 | Changes in working life challenge OSH enforcement. In addition to the prevention of accidents, occupational diseases and other health hazards caused by work, OSH enforcement plays an increasingly important role in ensuring a fair working life.

15.2.2023 | As international recruitment becomes increasingly common in the healthcare and social welfare sector, it is important to ensure that employers have sufficient competence to manage recruitment responsibly. Responsibility recommendations prepared to support recruitment promote consideration of ethical aspects and combat risks of labour exploitation.