The Finnish work market continues to suffer from some weaknesses and contradictions. One of them is the lack of labour in many fields of activity combined with a still high unemployment rate (6.1% at the end of August according to Statistics Finland) that triples among the population with a foreign background.
The last occupational barometer published by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment confirms this trend. As many as 52 occupations are right now in Autumn 2019 suffering from labour shortage. This is less compared to 52 in spring, but more than one year earlier, when the number of shortage occupations was 48.
Main labour shortages
According to the barometer, Finland suffers from a major shortage of skilled senior social work specialists, early childhood educators, office and institutional cleaners, and speech therapists. In the past, speech therapists and cleaners were generally in short supply.
The health care and social welfare sector accounts for a growing number of occupations on the top-15 list of shortage occupations. In fact, it now accounts for half of the occupations on the top-15 list.
In addition to that, a number of occupations in the service and education sector suffer from labour shortage. New occupations on the top-15 list include special needs teachers and psychologists.
Employment and Economic Development Offices estimate that in the near future, recruitment needs for cleaners, domestic help, practical nurses, application developers and early childhood educators will continue to grow.
Construction and industry sectors no longer account for the leading shortage occupations, as they did in autumn 2018. Similarly, the top-15 list no longer includes welders, gas cutters and machinists.
21 occupations with surplus
Surplus of labour has been decreasing for some time, and now the decrease in surplus occupations seems to have stopped. In September 2019, the number of surplus occupations was 21. In the spring, the number of surplus occupations was the same, compared with 29 a year earlier.
Secretarial occupations in general continue to show labour surplus. Back on the top 15 list of surplus occupations are furniture and machine carpenters. In the spring, the labour market situation of these occupations in terms of supply and demand was estimated to be more balanced.
This information is available in the Occupational Barometer published by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment on 27 September 2019. The information is based on estimates provided by Employment and Economic Development Offices in August-September 2019.
If you want to access the occupational barometer website and check the situation in your region or professional field, you can do it HERE
