The consultation round concerning the changes to industrial peace legislation ended on 5 December 2023. In total, 53 comments were submitted. As part of further preparations, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment will now analyse the feedback received. The ministerial working group on employment and entrepreneurship will discuss the reform still in December 2023. The draft proposal will also be sent to the Finnish Council of Regulatory Impact Analysis for evaluation.

The EU’s Competitiveness Council will meet in Brussels on 7–8 December 2023. Minister of Employment Arto Satonen will represent Finland in the meeting of ministers responsible for internal market and industry on 7 December. Meanwhile, Minister of Economic Affairs Wille Rydman will be Finland’s representative at the meeting of the ministers responsible for research and space on 8 December.

The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment has started to update the low-carbon roadmaps together with the sectors. During the previous government term, 13 sectors drew up roadmaps describing their paths towards a low-carbon economy. Industry-specific approach helps to ensure that the roadmaps are ones that companies in the sector can identify with and genuinely commit to.

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.

On 23 November 2023, the Government authorised the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment to capitalise Drug Development Centre Oy by EUR 20 million. The company’s task is to evaluate early-stage drug development projects and turn them into commercially viable products and companies worthy of capital investment.