Observation (CEACR) - adopted 2015, published 105th ILC session (2016)

Employment Service Convention, 1948 (No. 88) - Finland (Ratification: 1989)

The Committee notes the observations made by the Central Organization of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK) and the Confederation of Unions for Professional and Managerial Staff in Finland (AKAVA) communicated with the Government’s report.

Article 1 of the Convention. Contribution of the employment service to employment promotion. In its observations, AKAVA indicates that unemployment and long-term unemployment has increased with respect to the unemployed with a higher education degree, adding that the quality of services and the special competence to match the needs of this group of unemployed persons have been seen as lacking in the Employment and Economic Development Offices (TE Offices). The Government indicates in its report that the service provision system within Finnish labour policy must currently weather the storm of many challenges. Structural changes are continuing at a swift pace, and more unpredictably than ever before, in both the labour market and in working life more generally. This notably increases the need for labour policy services and places greater demands on these services to be provided in new and more individually tailored ways. At the same time, the sustainability gap in public finances requires that services be provided more efficiently than before. The Committee notes that, in the face of this twin-pronged challenge, the Government launched a broad-reaching evaluation and development project of its labour policy service structure for the period June 2013 to April 2015. It notes in this regard that the evaluation of the labour policy’s service structure proposed that the efficiency and overall performance of the service system should be strengthened through on-going investment in strategically targeted development work. The Committee requests the Government to provide updated information on the impact and effectiveness of the activities carried out by the employment service and the manner in which it ensures “the best possible organisation of the employment market as an integral part of the national programme for the achievement and maintenance of full employment and the development and use of productive resources” (Article 1(2)). Please also continue to provide information on the number of public employment offices established, the number of employment applications received, the number of vacancies notified and the number of persons placed in employment by the offices.

Article 9. Staff of the employment service. SAK and AKAVA have been concerned about the resourcing of public employment services, which has already, for a long time, decreased both as to appropriations and especially to person-years. In this regard, SAK adds that cuts to employment appropriations have also had a negative impact on the implementation of the Youth Guarantee. In addition, SAK points out that during 2010–15, TE Offices’ personnel has been cut by almost 1,000. At the same time, the number of unemployed jobseekers and therefore new customers has grown by approximately 100,000. SAK is of the view that the workload has become unreasonable, and directing the unemployed to e-services has not improved the service level. The Government indicates that the goals of the reform of the public employment services are to strive for uniform management, uniform approaches, more flexible resource use and, through these, better effectiveness. It also indicates that with the organization change, the number of personnel was reduced and some tasks of the TE Offices’ administrative and human resources management were transferred to the Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment (ELY Centre). The Committee notes that the development and administration centre for ELY Centres and TE Offices began its operation on 1 January 2015. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide information on the impact of the reform of the public employment services in relation to employment service staff and employment services provided.