A customer exits the Helsinki employment services office. Photo: Markku Ulander / Lehtikuva
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Employment advisors across Finland are facing increasing pressure as they manage growing caseloads, with some responsible for more than 250 jobseekers each. The average nationwide stands at 149, according to spring data from the KEHA Centre, which oversees the regional administration of labour services.
The shift of responsibility for employment services from the national TE Offices to municipalities earlier this year has led to significant regional disparities. While some areas maintain ratios close to 100 jobseekers per advisor, others, such as Lahti, are experiencing the highest recorded figures in the country.
Johannes Volmanen, an employment specialist in Lahti, currently supports over 250 clients.
“Put simply, it’s too much for me to do my job well,” he said. “We do what we can.”
Volmanen said the restructuring of services under the new municipal-led model is ongoing, while municipalities also grapple with budget constraints and rising unemployment.
Statistics Finland reported this week that unemployment reached 10.2 percent in the second quarter. Over the past two years, the country has lost 64,000 jobs. Extended unemployment spells have become common, increasing pressure on municipalities, which are now partly responsible for unemployment benefits.
“Time between contacts can stretch out,” Volmanen said. “You just can’t focus on each person as much as you’d like.”
He noted that although he cannot influence the job market, he tries to support individuals in finding direction or identifying opportunities.
KEHA project manager Eero Janhonen explained that the advisor-to-client ratios do not fully capture individual workloads. In some regions, clients are registered under one advisor as part of a team system, which inflates the figures.
The KEHA Centre is collecting data to assess whether municipalities can sustain service levels after the reform. Janhonen said the current situation mirrors that under the previous TE Office system.
“It remains to be seen whether municipalities will invest more re
Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
