Since 2021, most of the experimentation with the responsibility for employment services being transferred to municipalities has shown good results Eija Väätäinenwhich leads the project in Vantaa and Kerava.
However, he adds that long-term unemployment remains a distressing problem.
"For many, the setbacks caused by the coronavirus appear to be long-lasting," Väätäinen says.
There are currently about 5,500 long-term unemployed in Vantaa and a total of well over 13,000 unemployed jobseekers.
Väätäinen states that the effects of the Covid epidemic on air traffic were a severe blow nationwide, but especially on employment in the Vantaa region, where Finland’s largest and busiest airport is located.
Same pace as in Helsinki
Väätäinen says that despite the city’s special difficulties, the overall situation in Vantaa has developed positively. The unemployment rate is currently 10.5 per cent, which is about five percentage points less than a year ago.
Vantaa has succeeded in improving the employment rate at about the same pace as Helsinki and Espoo.
"I believe that it will be even easier because the number of job vacancies is rising steadily," says Väätäinen.
However, he acknowledges that there is an ongoing problem between the qualifications of many job seekers and the workers sought by employers.
"Employment opportunities for job seekers are still being sought, for example through [expanded] training," says Väätäinen.
Source: The Nordic Page