Job creation through social entrepreneurship

What's new for social enterprises and social economy

Strategy for social enterprises, EU recommendation and other international matters

Implementation of the recommendation will focus on:

Information on social entrepreneurship

Centre of Expertise for Social Enterprises

Activities of the Centre of Expertise for Social Enterprises were launched between 2021 and 2023. The project is coordinated by the Finnish Association of Social Enterprises Arvo.

 The Centre’s tasks include:

  • creating national advisory and guidance services specialising in social enterprises and introducing measures to raise awareness of the business model among experts working in business and employment services as well as in entrepreneurship education in educational institutions. 
  • systematising statistics and data collection on social enterprises and promoting research in the area.
  • increasing skills in responsible and impact-based business among social enterprises.
  • strengthening structures and network cooperation that support the expansion and commercialisation of social innovations.
  • developing national models for employing people with partial work ability and others in a difficult labour market situation as part of social entrepreneurship and strengthening the networks of social enterprises that integrate people into the work.
  • finding ways to market social enterprises and assessing the need for new funding models and opportunities for expansion.

The Centre’s services can benefit companies and those interested in social entrepreneurship as well as educational and research institutions, ELY Centres, regional business services, and other organisations providing public business and financing services.

The website of the Centre of Expertise for Social Enterprises contains a large amount of information to support social entrepreneurship. For example, information on different social enterprises by industry, size, area and type of company is available on the data pages.

One of the Centre’s key objectives is to increase the number of jobs available to people with impaired capacity to work and others who are in a difficult labour market position. The Centre of Expertise has prepared a policy recommendation on the objectives and measures to help social enterprises create new jobs for 100,000 people, especially those with impaired capacity to work and others who need support in their employment. The means for this already exist, and no additional public funding will be needed for their introduction.

Promoting the work of social enterprises in Finland 

EU social economy supports social entrepreneurship 

Social economy organisations are corporations that put social and environmental objectives first. They also invest most of their revenue to promote these objectives. The EU’s objectives therefore support the activities of social enterprises and the Centre of Expertise for Social Enterprises in Finland.

What is a social enterprise?

A social enterprise 

  • engages in business activities in order to achieve its social objective 
  • uses most of its profits or surplus to promote its social objective
  • confirms this objective in the articles of association or rules of the corporation.

A social enterprise emphasises responsibility, openness and transparency in its activities as well as inclusion and democracy in its administrative model.

A social enterprise can be a 

  • limited liability company
  • co-operative, or 
  • foundation or association engaged in business activity.

Social enterprises do not have a special status based on legislation and they do not receive more public financial support than other companies.

There are approximately 3,500 social enterprises in Finland with a combined turnover of over EUR 6 billion. The majority of companies operate in the health and social services, environmental, recycling and employment services sectors. They employ more than 60,000 people. 

Read more about them on the website of the Centre of Expertise for Social Enterprises at yyo.fi/en/home/Link to an external websiteOpens in a new tab

Hanna Hämäläinen, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment