Topical issues

In 2023, a total of 17,700 persons retired from the earnings-related pension system on a disability pension. This was almost as many as in 2022. However, the number of disabled persons in the older population is increasing. This information comes from new statistics released by the Finnish Centre for Pensions.

The majority of respondents feel that their quality of life has improved after retirement on an old-age pension, with more leisure time increases and better coping skills. However, income is perceived as weaker, according to a survey conducted by the Finnish Centre for Pensions among people who had recently retired from gainful employment with an old-age pension.

Agreement was reached at the end of 2023 on the European Union’s (EU) regulation on artificial intelligence (AI). The AI Act is expected to enter into force later this year, once the legislative text has been finalised and the regulation has been formally adopted. What will the AI Act mean in practice?

The assets of Finland’s earnings-related pension scheme will continue to grow moderately in the coming years but will accelerate around 2040. The upward pressure on the average contribution is around one percentage point, the Finnish Centre for Pensions estimates in a report. The new report extends the long-term projections of 2022.

Finns continue to extend their working lives. Last year, the average effective retirement age was 62.8 years. At the same time, the number of new pensioners fell significantly.

According to a recent survey of newly retired people, financial incentives have contributed to later retirement for about one third of the respondents. However, just under one third feel that employer encouragement, improved leadership skills or valuing the experience of older workers would have persuaded them to continue working.

Each year, the Finnish Centre for Pensions grants a Pro Gradu Award to a distinguished Master’s thesis. The award is 2,000 euros. Nominate your own or your student’s master’s thesis for the award by 15 March 2024.

Based on an external evaluation commissioned by the Finnish Centre for Pensions, its research operations have developed positively compared to the evaluation of 2013. The research team, which is small in terms of number of researchers and budget, is efficient, productive and economical and produces high-quality research.

Why are pensions such a central part of a welfare state? Why is the Finnish pension system the most reliable one in the Nordics? The new book Understanding Finnish Pensions tells the success story of Finnish pensions. This easy-to-understand and concise book is particularly suitable for experts, decision makers and students who are interested in the Nordic welfare state.

Many persons who draw the partial old-age pension continue working as before, with-out changes to their wage level. Only every fifth person on this pension benefit seems to have cut down on working. This is evident in a recent study by the Finnish Centre for Pensions.