What's new in the Ostrobothnia employment area?
- News
On 1 January 2025, employment and business services were transferred from central government to employment areas formed by municipalities. The reform created 45 employment areas in Finland. In this news item, we describe how the reform has affected the Ostrobothnia employment area.
Picture: Juha Nummela, Sonja Rinne-Mörsky and Kaisa Peltomäki
The Ostrobothnia employment area has gotten off to a good start. Client service at the offices and the telephone service were launched on the first days.
"Most clients have been satisfied and everything has gone well. Especially the telephone service has received positive feedback," says Service Manager Kaisa Peltomäki.
According to clients, calls are answered quickly and the service on the phone is good. The support has been found to be personal and the services clear. In the early stages, national software challenges were practically the only disturbing factor, but they have by now been ironed out.
Cooperation between municipalities has become easier and closer
The reform has facilitated and intensified cooperation between different municipal services. More cooperation has been carried out, and more parties are interested in employment issues. All municipalities in the region have found facilities for client meetings with employment services.
"What's interesting and positive about the change is that we have received significantly more contacts from municipalities. They want to ask and talk about employment issues," says Director of Employment Services Juha Nummela.
Cooperation with other actors in the region, such as educational institutions, has also intensified.
"We are building common goals for the future," says Service Manager Sonja Rinne-Mörsky.
In the early stages, challenges have been caused by the high commitment rate for appropriations and the combination of two different organisations. Municipalities and the central government are somewhat different in operations and decision-making.
"Processing times for payment applications have also brought some challenges, but we have now managed to catch up on the delays," Nummela continues.
Regional pages are one of the main channels of the employment area
The Ostrobothnia employment area does not have its own website, so Job Market Finland's regional pages serve as the main communication channel for the employment area together with the municipal websites. One hope for the future is that the regional pages will be better suited to the employment area's own needs.
"In the future, we hope to be able to add our own content to the regional pages more diversely. Videos, for example, still need their own place," Nummela says.
This interview is a part of the What’s new in the employment area? series. In the interviews, experts from different employment areas describe how the employment service reform has progressed in municipalities.