Transferring TE services to municipalities responds to calls to reform employment services
Employment and economic development services (TE services) are set to be transferred to municipalities during 2024. The Government’s decision is related to its aim to raise the employment rate and to increase municipal responsibility for employment services. The reform will have a broad impact on the employees and duties of both TE Offices and municipalities.
Energy efficiency agreements: Companies and municipalities cut annual energy use by nearly 9 TWh
With the measures implemented in 2017–2020, nearly 600 companies and 112 municipalities and joint municipal authorities that have signed voluntary energy efficiency agreements were able to cut energy use by a total of 8.9 terawatt hours (TWh) annually at the end of 2020. The savings achieved equal the annual energy use of nearly 450,000 electrically heated single-family houses.
Report: Four scenarios depicting the direction of regional development in Finland in 2040
In a report commissioned by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, likely future outlooks for regional development in Finland have been examined through four different scenarios. According to these scenarios which extend to 2040, regional development may be globally selective, concentrated on raw materials and tourism, patchwork-like or balanced.
Municipalities to take over TE services in 2024 – ministerial working group decides on principles of reform
In its mid-term policy review in spring 2021, the Government decided to continue preparations for the transfer of employment and economic development services (TE services) to municipalities. The services will be transferred to municipalities in 2024. At its meeting of 31 August 2021, the Ministerial Working Group on Promoting Employment decided on the principles that relate to the employment base of municipalities providing services, cooperation between municipalities and the transfer of staff.
Support for management of sudden structural changes and development of international capabilities of SMEs
On 18 March, the Government granted Naantali and the Kemi-Tornio region EUR 600,000 and EUR 1.1 million, respectively, for the management of sudden structural changes. At the same time, the Lahti region was granted the remaining portion of the EUR 1.065 million additional funding already proposed to it. In addition, South Finland and Western Finland received funding to develop the international capabilities of SMEs.
