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.

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. 

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. During the latter part of the year, however, employment will start to fall before returning to a positive track in 2024.

The number of occupations suffering from labour shortage has risen to the pre-COVID level and the occupations in the social welfare and healthcare sector are still at the top of the list. New shortage occupations are occupations in the restaurant and construction sectors.

Finland needs more work-based and education-based immigration to help companies find enough experts and to strengthen Finland’s vitality and public finances. The roadmap for education-based and work-based immigration is a long-term action plan to achieve the objectives set for immigration of specialists, entrepreneurs, researchers and students.