The Ministry of Employment and the Economy believes that the availability of labour will continue to be a growing problem in Finland. The demand for employees is outstripping the size of labour force.
According to a forecast published by the Ministry on Tuesday, the largest increase in the need for new employees is expected in the business and retail trade sectors. Areas with the greatest shortfall in labour are Kainuu and Lapland.
The Ministry of Employment and the Economy also says that growing numbers of over 50 year-olds are continuing to hold jobs. Since the start of the decade, the average working life of Finns has lengthened by 1.4 years. More active working years will in part help to make up the shortfall in the labour market. The Ministry calculates that between 2007 - 2011 the number of people of working age will shrink by 22 000.
The number of unemployed is also expected to continue falling and to slip under 6% next year.
The fast growth seen in the economy in recent years is also expected to slow down. However, the Ministry of Employment and the Economy does not consider it likely that the Finnish economy will go into recession. It is forecasting growth in production in engineering and mining. Sectors that may decline are vehicle production, textiles and clothing, leather and footwear.
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