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11.5.2023 | The lacklustre state of the economy will be reflected in the labour market over the next few months. As recently as in early 2023, the labour market showed a positive trend and employment grew due to part-time work. During the latter part of the year, however, employment will start to fall before returning to a positive track in 2024. These are the conclusions of the short-term Labour Market Forecast published by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment on 11 May 2023.

14.12.2021 | A tripartite working group prepared a number of legislative amendments for the implementation of the Work-life Balance Directive and the Finnish family leave reform. In addition, the group compared the current labour legislation with the Government’s objectives to improve gender equality at work and in families.

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.

9.12.2021 | The purpose of the proposed amendments is to make working conditions more predictable and to improve the position of those employed under a variable hours contract. This was brought on by the implementation of the EU Directive on Transparent and Predictable Working Conditions and the Government decision to improve the status of employees in temporary employment and on zero-hours contracts. The proposed legislative amendments have been prepared in tripartite consultation.

8.7.2022 | The stability of working hours in variable hours contracts will be improved in accordance with the Government Programme. In addition, the amendments necessitated by the directive on transparent and predictable working conditions in the EU, which obligate employers to provide employees information on the conditions of employment more extensively and quickly, will be implemented.

17.9.2021 | The Government has completed its proposal for the family leave reform, and the proposal will now proceed to Parliament for consideration as decided by the Government on 16 September. The reform is scheduled to enter into force on 1 August 2022.

12.5.2021 | A meeting of the Social Security Committee on 10 May 2021 considered all of the social security problem areas that it had identified.

4.6.2026 | On 4 June, the Government appointed Charlotta Collén (Lic.Soc.Sc) Director General of the Secretariat for International Relations with effect from 1 August 2026. The Director is responsible for directing the activities of the Secretariat for International Relations at the Ministry.

22.9.2025 | Employment services and the service process for jobseekers will be reformed to better meet individual needs, in line with the Programme of Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s Government. The aim is that more people would find employment quicker. The Government proposes amendments to the legislation on the service process of jobseekers and the jobseeker profiles. At the same time, the sanctions system for unemployment security will be overhauled.

22.12.2025 | The start of 2026 will see the entry into force of new acts and decrees. This press release provides a summary of the most important changes in the Ministry of the Interior’s government branch.

22.1.2025 | As part of Finland’s Chairpersonship of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe OSCE, Kerstin Stendahl from the Ministry of the Environment has started as the Special Representative on Climate and Security. Finland holds the OSCE Chairpersonship in 2025. The overarching theme of Finland’s Chairpersonship is resilience, which is also being challenged by climate change.

20.12.2023 | An income limit of EUR 1,600 would be set for the residence permit for an employed person. In future, the income limit would be laid down by government decree. The government proposal will be circulated for comments until 31.1.2024.

5.9.2023 | The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment has begun preparations to amend laws relating to income limits for work-based residence permits. Simultaneously, the Ministry will examine the appropriate levels and impacts of income limits.

7.3.2023 | Kansainvälisen teknologiayrityksen IBM Systemsin johtajan Heli Laitilan mukaan tekoälyllä toimivissa sovelluksissa tunnistetut sukupuolittuneet vinoumat tulee korjata. Laitila korostaa, että naisia ja tyttöjä pitää rohkaista enemmän edelleen miehiselle teknologia-alalle.

9.11.2021 | According to estimates, 55,000 more people will be employed this year than before and employment will grow by another 22,000 people in 2022. The employment rate is expected to rise to 73.8% in 2023.

19.1.2023 | The President of the Republic Sauli Niinistö has awarded the title of Academician of Science to three highly distinguished scientists, Professor Heli Jantunen, Professor Emeritus Martti Koskenniemi and Research Professor Merja Penttilä.

5.8.2022 | The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health proposes appropriations of about EUR 15.8 billion for the Ministry and its administrative branch for 2023. This is about EUR 0.2 billion less than in the 2022 Budget. The decrease is mainly due to the end of the Government Programme projects and changes in the needs assessment.

17.12.2021 | The Social Security Committee has identified the main problem areas of the current social security system and issues now 18 positions for reforming the system.

22.6.2022 | The labour market roadmap project aims to improve the match between jobs and workers. The data model built in the project uses data in more diverse ways than before. In this way, the special characteristics of different sectors can be considered in more detail in order to create a more accurate picture of the types of open vacancies, labour reserves and occupational differences. 

9.11.2022 | Even though the outlook for the labour market is in many respects gloomier than before, the number of employed persons will continue to grow slightly, according to the Labour Market Forecast extending to 2024. The number of unemployed jobseekers in employment services (TE services) will see a moderate increase as well.