Topical issues

Despite the shortage of skilled workers in Finland, the country’s Government makes it difficult for (labour) immigrants to enter the country, get permanent residence and citizenship, argues Senior Researcher Pasi Saukkonen (Urban Research and Statistics Unit of the City of Helsinki). More important than the number of immigrants is their successful integration, but the Finnish Government’s cuts in social security and required resources for integration affects integration unfavourably, Saukkonen argues.

The newly-published Suomi.fi guide Recruiting an Employee provides advice on recruiting a new employee, from mapping options and selecting the new employee to organising proper initiation. The Finnish Centre for Pensions has taken part in designing and creating the guide.

Rehabilitees participating in work trials under the earnings-related pension scheme have fairly positive experiences of rehabilitation planning and cooperation with, for example, occupational health care or the employer. Issues to develop include individual support, timing of rehabilitation and discussions on the possibilities of employment after the work trial. This is evident in a survey by the Finnish Centre for Pensions that is based on interviews of rehabilitees participating in work trials.

Half of the newly retired old-age pensioners are interested in working in retirement. According to a survey conducted by the Finnish Centre for Pensions, most persons who have worked in retirement have continued working for the same employer and with similar tasks. The work is often irregular and occasional.

Last year, nearly 71,500 persons retired on an earnings-related pension. Nearly 54,000 of them retired on an old-age pension. The largest birth cohort retiring on an old-age pension were the 64-year-olds, reveals fresh statistics of the Finnish Centre for Pensions.

The Ministry for Social Affair and Health has confirmed the life expectancy coefficient for 2024. The coefficient will reduce starting pensions by 5.3 per cent, which is less than in 2023. The lower life expectancy coefficient is due to high mortality during the corona pandemic.

As of 31 October 2023, personal customers who use the Suomi.fi Messages service will receive the A1 certificate granted to them by the Finnish Centre for Pensions via that service.

The definition for partial ownership is changed when computing the recommended confirmed income under the Self-employed Persons’ Pensions Act (YEL) for a self-employed person. In the future, the turnover is considered only for those companies where the self-employed person has a significant holding.

An increasing number of people continue working after retirement. Many do so because they like their work or wish to maintain social relations through the workplace. Others work for financial reasons. Join our research webinar on 20 November 2023 to hear about current research findings on this subject.

The Finnish Centre for Pensions has sent the final calculation for the 2024 indexes under the Employees Pensions Act to the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. According to the calculation, both the earnings-related pension index and the wage index rise by more than 5 per cent compared to 2023.