Office workers in Helsinki. LEHTIKUVA
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In recent findings, the Finnish public remains divided on the government’s proposed labor market reforms. A study by Elinkeinoelämän valtuuskunta (EVA) titled ‘Values and Attitudes Survey’ showed that 36% of Finns support a more lenient approach to local negotiations on working conditions, while 40% prefer the current legislation to remain unchanged. Additionally, 13% of respondents favor stricter regulations for local agreements.
The government’s labor market reforms have been met with varying levels of support, with a slight tilt in favor of the reforms. However, the majority still supports maintaining the existing legislation.
Political affiliations strongly influence these perspectives. For instance, a vast majority of National Coalition Party (Kokoomus) supporters (72%) and a significant chunk of Finns Party (Perussuomalaiset) supporters (52%) are in favor of looser regulations on local negotiations and employee layoffs (62% and 52%, respectively). Conversely, parties such as the Social Democratic Party (SDP), the Left Alliance (Vasemmistoliitto), and the Greens tend to oppose the government’s reforms.
Sami Metelinen, Editor-in-Chief at EVA, commented on the study, stating, “The perceived conflicting interests between employees and employers in Finland seems to be a lasting issue, explaining why it’s been challenging to reform the Finnish labor market from a closed economy model to one that aligns with international trade. Our surveys show that distrust primarily exists among the working-class and parties traditionally associated with them, such as the SDP, Left Alliance, and the Greens.”
When questioned about the alignment of interests between employees and employers in the current Finnish setting, 28% of the respondents believe they are largely aligned, while 47% disagree. A significant 74% of Left Alliance voters, 63% of SDP voters, and 61% of Green voters believe that the interests of employees and employers are not aligned. Notably, Centre Party (Keskusta) supporters are the most optimistic, with 49% believing in mutual benefits between the two groups.
This survey was based on responses from 2,045 individuals and was conducted between September 15 and 27, 2023. It represents a broad age demographic of 18 to 79 years, excluding the Åland Islands. The margin of error stands at 2-3% for the entire population. The data has been weighted to represent the general population based on various factors including age, gender, residence area, education, and profession. Detailed findings and further breakdowns by demographics are available on EVA’s official website. EVA’s ‘Values and Attitudes Surveys’ have been conducted since 1984.
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Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
