The construction sector reported the largest decline. Photo: Mikko Stig / Lehtikuva
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Job vacancies in Finland have dropped to levels not seen since 2016, with fewer positions now available than during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to Statistics Finland, the number of open positions fell by nearly 40 percent in the second quarter of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024. The decline has been most severe in the private sector and in construction.
There were 28,900 vacancies across all sectors as of 1 June 2025. That figure stood at 47,000 one year earlier.
Matti Lahdenmäki, Senior Statistician at Statistics Finland, said the labour market had moved through a sharp cycle in recent years. “Open job positions were exceptionally low at the beginning of June. The last time levels were this low was in 2016, and even at the peak of the Covid pandemic, more jobs were available than now,” he said.
The number of open jobs declined rapidly during the pandemic, rebounded to record highs in early 2022, and has since dropped again. The most recent data come from Statistics Finland’s quarterly job vacancy survey.
In the private sector, the fall in open positions has been sharper than in other areas. There were 18,800 open positions in private companies in the second quarter of this year. That represents a 46 percent drop compared to the same period last year, when 34,700 private sector jobs were advertised.
“The situation in the private sector is notable, as the number of open positions has nearly halved from last year. The last time such low levels were recorded at private companies was in 2015,” said Lahdenmäki.
Among industries, the construction sector reported the largest decline. Openings dropped from 5,800 in Q2 2024 to 1,500 in Q2 2025.
Statistics Finland’s job vacancy survey measures open jobs across sectors and regions four times a year. It captures both newly listed jobs and ongoing vacancies at a given point in time.
HT
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Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
