What’s new in the Tunturi-Lappi and Pello 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 Tunturi-Lappi and Pello employment area.
Activities in the Tunturi-Lappi and Pello employment area have started quite well. Customers have felt that the reform is a good one. In particular so as local services are available in all municipalities in the region.
“Customers are quickly met and provided services. We have received praise for this in customer feedback from individual customers and in particular from employer customers,” says Tero Hyttinen, Director of the Tunturi-Lappi and Pello employment area.
Lack of resources guides the development of new solutions
Appropriations have been scant in the Fell Lapland and Pello employment area just as they have been in the country as a whole. For example, it has not been possible to grant pay subsidies for new employment relationships.
“We will look for a solution to this for next year in the municipalities’ own employment programmes. Municipalities could support the creation of employment relationships for the long-term unemployed with their own municipal supplement models,” Hyttinen explains.
The scarcity of resources also encourages the use of cheaper services that support employment and develop each municipality’s own services. Even so, the development of services takes time.
“On the other hand, scarcity may not be a bad thing. This will force us to act in a new way. We must boldly seek solutions for how we can utilise the different sectors and functions of municipalities. I believe that the reform is a good and effective one as long as we get off to a good start,” Hyttinen says.
According to Hyttinen, unemployment is not the greatest challenge in the region. Instead, it is where future labour force can be found. Residents of the region are becoming increasingly international, for example because work-based immigration related on tourism is increasing.
Use of regional pages still in its early stages
According to Hyttinen, the development of Job Market Finland has now gotten under way. He hopes that end users will also be consulted in the development. All of the municipal cooperation network’s services should be integrated into Job Market Finland.
“We have not yet made the best use of the regional pages, and their marketing is still in its early stages,” says Hyttinen.
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.