One in four companies in Finland say they plan to temporarily lay off staff during the next six months, according to a new survey by the Confederation of Finnish Industries (EK).
The employer lobby found that the share of firms planning to furlough staff rose by three percentage points since its previous poll in September.
Temporary layoffs would particularly affect the construction industry, the poll found.
EK director general Jyri Häkämies said the results indicate a rapid deterioration in the future outlook for some companies.
The survey also suggested that companies are poorly prepared for the possibility of temporary power cuts. Fewer than a third reported having backup plans in place in case of rolling blackouts. Those indicating that they were prepared for possible power disturbances said they had procured generators.
Finland's grid operator, Fingrid, has said that anticipated energy shortages could lead to periodic rolling blackouts this winter.
Some 900 companies responded to EK's survey.
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