A new agreement on working holiday arrangements, adopted by the Finnish Parliament last autumn, will make it easier for young people aged 18–30 in the partner countries to familiarise themselves with the other country and work on a temporary basis to finance their stay.

During 2019–2023, the Government’s working capacity programme sought solutions to the employment problems of people with impaired capacity to work. At the same time, the programme developed more effective services to support working capacity. The closing event of the programme on 15 February examined the employment of people with impaired work capacity from the perspective of social sustainability, inclusion and the service system.

Työkanava employs people with impaired capacity to work and other unemployed people who are in the most difficult labour market position. The company will begin its operations gradually and employ more people with impaired capacity to work as its business expands.

The regions anticipate that the positive turnaround in the economy will continue in the short term. This turnaround was already evident in the spring, but now not a single region believes that the economic situation will deteriorate. Although the general view is positive, growth expectations remain moderate.