A cashier working in Prisma, Olari. Photo: Heikki Saukkomaa / Lehtikuva
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Fewer employed people in Finland changed jobs in 2024 than in previous years, according to new data released by Statistics Finland on Monday.
An average of 1.6 percent of employed persons aged 15 to 74 moved to a new employer each month last year. In 2023, the monthly average was 1.8 percent.
The figures suggest declining labour mobility amid economic uncertainty.
According to Tuomo Heikura, senior statistician at Statistics Finland, the slowdown is visible across all age groups.
“Although the recent weakness in the labour market has reduced job switching, the share of people changing jobs in 2024 remained roughly at the same level as the previous decade,” Heikura wrote in an article published by the Tieto&trendit web journal.
In international terms, Finland remains broadly aligned with other Nordic countries in terms of labour mobility, he said.
Younger workers remain the most active group in changing employers. Monthly job switching is significantly more common in younger age brackets compared to older ones.
Despite this, job changes have declined across all age groups in recent years. Heikura linked the higher rates among younger workers to temporary employment conditions and career transitions.
“At the beginning of their careers, young people often move from part-time or fixed-term jobs to positions that match their field of education,” he wrote.
The data also show variation by industry. Job switching rates are clearly higher in many service sectors than in manufacturing.
In the calculations, a job change was defined as a shift in a person’s main employer. Statistics Finland adjusted the data to exclude short-term changes caused by side jobs, holiday breaks, or unpaid leave by cross-checking individuals’ employment status at several points in time.
Transfers of personnel due to business ID changes or corporate acquisitions were not excluded from the statistics.
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Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
