Women’s employment has dropped much more than men’s during Orpo’s government term — down by 46,000 compared to 18,000 for men.
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Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (NCP) in a file photo from June 2025. Image: Mikko Stig / Lehtikuva
Finland’s government, led by Petteri Orpo (NCP), set a goal to create 100,000 jobs during its term. However, Statistics Finland reports that in June, there were 64,000 fewer employed people in Finland than when the government took office in 2023.
According to the agency, Finland’s unemployment rate rose to 10.2 percent in the second quarter of the year.
“These employment figures are distressing. There’s no getting around it,” PM Orpo told Yle in a phone interview from New York, where he is attending the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development since Monday.
“We must continue to work determinedly to improve our competitiveness and get investments moving.”
In Orpo’s opinion, the government has done the right things to boost employment, but global economic uncertainty and the trade negotiations of US President Donald Trump’s administration have also impacted Finland’s economy.
Orpo also saw positive signals in the economy. He mentioned, for example, Fazer’s investment in Lahti and various data centre projects, and the fact that the number of open job positions has started to rise.
“So this situation is not hopeless, but the uncertainty must be removed globally. I believe that the economy will start growing after that.”
Government cuts hit women hardest
Women’s employment has dropped much more than men’s during Orpo’s government term — down 46,000 for women and 18,000 for men.
The imbalance continued to grow in June, with 20,000 fewer employed women compared to a year ago, while men’s employment decreased by only 3,000, according to Statistics Finland’s Labour Force Survey.
Statistics Finland attributes this gap to a rebound in male-dominated sectors like construction and transportation starting in spring, while employment in female-dominated sectors like retail continued to decline. Employment in the retail sector was about 20,000 lower in April–June than a year earlier.
Spending cuts in the public sector have also hit women hard. Employment of women in public administration has decreased by 6,000, and in sectors like organisations and other service activities, there were 9,000 fewer women employed than a year earlier.
Economic difficulties in the welfare regions have led to layoffs, further weakening women’s employment, confirms Elina Pylkkänen, Under-secretary of State at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment. The majority of workers in social and health care sectors are women.
Reality far from government target
According to its program, Orpo’s government aims to create 100,000 new jobs by 2027. This means that in the next 21 months, the number of employed people needs to increase by 164,000.
A very rapid increase in employment is considered unusual. According to Statistics Finland, employment grew by as much as 124,000 people from the low point in 2020 to 2022, during the lifting of Covid restrictions. From 2015 to 2018, employment grew by 105,000 over three years.
Elina Pylkkänen from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment said that the government’s target is still achievable once the economic upswing begins.
“At the EU level, huge investments are being made, for example in defence. Germany, for instance, is investing heavily in new infrastructure and the defence industry. These measures will surely also have a positive impact on Finland’s economy,” she said.