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27.1.2025 | Discrimination in recruitment based on ethnic background has decreased in Finland, but jobseekers with a foreign background still have to submit more applications in order to receive an invitation for a job interview than equally qualified applicants with a Finnish background. Potential workforce remains untapped due to ethnic prejudices.

5.3.2024 | On 4 March 2023, the EU Member States, European Parliament and Commission reached a provisional political agreement on a proposal for a regulation on packaging and packaging waste. Finland has taken an active part in the preparation of the regulation. The proposal that was agreed on can be evaluated in further detail only after its final content is available. The proposal is still pending formal adoption by the Member States and Parliament.

19.9.2023 | The EU Member States will celebrate the European Organic Day in various ways around the autumn equinox. The staff of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry will enjoy an organic breakfast on 25 September, and will invite the staff of the European Commission Representation in Finland and representatives of the National Nutrition Council, ProLuomu and Finnish Organic Association to join them.

18.11.2022 | Minister of Education Li Andersson has awarded eight education providers 13 new authorisations to provide vocational education and training to complete a qualification as of 1 January 2023. The decision will expand the supply of education in English especially in the fields of cleaning and property services, accommodation, restaurant and catering services, tourism services, health and social services, and mechanical engineering and production technology.

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. 

4.6.2021 | On 4 June 2021, the Ministerial Working Group on Health and Social Services discussed the COVID-19 situation in Finland and the restrictions in place. They recommend that certain restrictions should be eased. The Government is due to decide on the matter urgently in the week starting 7 June.

17.6.2020 | The fourth information package of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment (MEAE) collates monitoring data on businesses, the labour market, the service capacity of the Ministry's administrative sector, and changes in operating conditions during the coronavirus crisis. Situation assessments of this kind focus on industry and regional development prospects.

17.1.2019 | In 2017, the number of tourism companies increased by 400, the companies recorded a turnover of more than EUR 6 million, and their employment effect was more than 1,000 man-years. The unprecedented growth in the number of tourists translates into development needs in the tourism industry.

18.12.2020 | The support for business costs is intended for all companies whose turnover has decreased by at least 30 per cent due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On 18 December 2020, the Government issued a decree on the sectors that can apply for support without providing further justification. If a company does not operate in one of the sectors defined in the decree, it must justify the need for support and provide an account of the loss of turnover due to COVID-19.

18.5.2021 | A fourth application round for business cost support for March–May will be organised for companies. The conditions of aid would remain unchanged. In addition, large companies would receive separate compensation if their premises were closed by law or by order of an authority due to the COVID-19 epidemic. The Government currently negotiates with the European Commission about the terms and amount of closure compensation.

3.6.2021 | The Government has amended the decree restricting the activities of restaurants and other food and beverage service businesses due to the COVID-19 epidemic. This means that the region of South Karelia and the Hospital District of Länsi-Pohja can now move from restrictions for the acceleration phase to baseline restrictions and the region of Southwest Finland can move from restrictions for the community transmission phase to acceleration phase restrictions.

20.5.2021 | The Government has amended the decree restricting the activities of restaurants and other food and beverage service businesses due to the COVID-19 epidemic. The restrictions on opening and licensing hours will be tightened in the regions of Kanta-Häme and Central Ostrobothnia because of the worsened epidemiological situation in these regions. In the region of South Karelia, however, the situation has improved so the restrictions on opening and licensing hours will be eased.

19.11.2020 | To curb the spread of COVID-19, the activities of food and beverage services businesses, that is restaurants, bars and cafes, will be restricted depending on the epidemiological situation in the region. The main rule is that, in the five regions where the COVID-19 epidemic has reached the acceleration phase, food and beverage service businesses must continue to follow tighter restrictions than the rest of the country.

3.6.2021 | A fourth application round for business cost support for March–May will be organised for companies. The conditions of aid would remain unchanged. In addition, medium-sized and large companies would receive separate compensation if their premises were closed by law or by order of an authority due to the COVID-19 epidemic.

12.5.2021 | The Government has amended the decree restricting the activities of restaurants and other food and beverage service businesses due to the COVID-19 epidemic. The restrictions will be eased almost throughout the country, depending on the epidemiological situation in each area. The amendment to the decree will enter into force on 13 May at 00.00.

3.4.2020 | All restaurants, cafés and bars must be closed everywhere in Finland starting at midnight on Friday, 3 April. They will remain closed to customers from Saturday 4 April to 31 May 2020. Closure is necessary to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

4.2.2021 | On 4 February, the Government submitted to Parliament a proposal for an act on temporarily amending the Communicable Diseases Act. The amendment would extend the validity of the provisions on restrictions concerning food and beverage service businesses, namely restaurants, bars and cafes. The current Act on Temporarily Amending the Communicable Diseases Act is in force until 28 February 2021. W...

10.12.2020 | The Government issued a new decree restricting the activities of food and beverage service businesses owing to the COVID-19 epidemic. 

24.3.2020 | Finland is currently in a state of emergency because of the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak, and in order to prevent the spread of the virus, restaurants, cafés and licensed premises will be closed to customers as soon as possible. On 24 March 2020, the Government submitted a government proposal on the matter to Parliament, which will bring the matter into discussion immediately. The purpose of these actions is to protect the population and to safeguard the functioning of society.

10.6.2020 | Reform of healthcare, social welfare and rescue services will have a major economic and operational impact on Finland’s municipalities. The range of functions for which local government is responsible will be reduced significantly and the number of people employed in the municipal sector will fall considerably.