Software experts still in demand
The number of jobs in the information and communications technology sector in Finland keeps growing despite recent Nokia layoffs.
The major layoffs at Nokia seem to cast dark clouds over the whole ICT sector in Finland. But Jyrki Ali-Yrkkö of the Research Institute of the Finnish Economy says that all is not as bad as it appears.
“In the economy as a whole, in Finland as well as elsewhere in Europe, there are certainly challenges. It’s not quite as depressing as it looks like from watching the news,” he says.
According to Ali-Yrkkö, bad tidings tend to drown out positive developments. Yet software companies in Finland keep employing new IT professionals.
More seekers than jobs
That said, with so many IT workers laid off, there are significantly more software professionals than jobs around.
“Nokia’s strategy shift as regards adopting the Windows platform and these major cuts have hit the biggest software companies in Finland that do a lot of subcontracting for Nokia,” says researcher Juhana Peltonen from Aalto University. “On the other hand, this freed up a lot of mobile sector experts. The supply of workforce, however, in this case far outstrips recruiting capability in the short term.”
Aalto University has found that, so far, only 800 of the recently ex-Nokia software engineers have found work in their own sector.
This summer, Nokia announced plans to cut 3,700 jobs in Finland on top of hundreds already axed.
Latest in: News
April unemployment at 8.8%
The unemployment rate in Finland declined slightly in April to 8.8%, down from March, but still higher than a year previously.
Company exploiting foreign workers up for Helsinki contract
Work-safety inspections this year at about 20 small and medium-sized cleaning companies that employ immigrant workers have discovered problems at every firm checked. Yle has found that the City of Helsinki is considering contracting services from a company that was determined to have employment rules violations.
Spanish nurses leaving Vaasa
Five of eight Spanish nurses recruited to work in Vaasa's city hospital have decided to quit the jobs they took up in October and leave the country. The reasons they cite include the high cost of living, the cold climate, and the difficulty of the Finnish language.
Toxic spill in Helsinki's Mätäjoki River
A chemical discharge into Helsinki's Mätäjoki River has killed fish and possibly wiped out years of efforts to revive spawning grounds for endangered species.
Sikh bus driver fights for right to wear turban
Managing diversity in Finnish workplaces is raising new issues for employers, unions and workers themselves. One Sikh bus driver in Vantaa is currently fighting to set a precedent allowing him to wear a turban.
Veolia drivers to return to work
Bus drivers working for the Veolia company will return to work on Tuesday, bringing their week-long work stoppage to an end.
Finnish traffic cops set to miss out on Gumball speeding fine jackpot
Several contestants in the Gumball rally were stopped for speeding on Monday, on the Turku-Helsinki leg of their unorthodox race. Police say that despite their concerns, the drivers are likely to escape Finland’s hefty income-based fines.
Yle News building its freelance database
Yle News is building up a database of freelance journalists for occasional work in radio, television and online news production.
Jolla to sell new phone this year
A mobile firm founded by former Nokia employees is set to put a new smartphone on sale by the end of the year. The company, Jolla, was set up to continue working on an open source Linux-based smartphone when Nokia announced it was switching to the Windows Phone operating system.
Decline in church membership will cost jobs
In order to cope with decreasing membership, the Evangelical Lutheran Church will be forced to reduce its staff significantly in coming years. Many congregations are facing dire financial circumstances due to the reduction in the tax revenue that flows as a result of membership.
