Confidence in the Finnish economy has strengthened among both business and consumers, reveal surveys by Statistics Finland and the Confederation of Finnish Industries (EK). (Mikko Stig – Lehtikuva)

THE NUMBER of job openings has risen to an exceptionally high level in Finland, reports Helsingin Sanomat.

The Ministry of Employment and the Economy has published statistics revealing that more than 64,500 job openings were unfilled at the end of June, representing the highest reading for the month since the statistics were first compiled in early 2006.

Mika Salminen, the head of health security at the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), was photographed at a press conference in Helsinki on 17 June 2021. (Mikko Stig – Lehtikuva)

A SIGNIFICANT SHARE of Finns who have recently tested positive for the new coronavirus had received the first vaccine injection, Mika Salminen, the head of health security at the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), stated on YLE Radio Suomi on Wednesday.

Almost two-thirds (65%) of the population have received the first and 32 per cent also the second injection.

A client walking toward a pop-up service point at the TE Office in Pasila, Helsinki, on 28 July 2020. (Markku Ulander – Lehtikuva)

FINLAND has weathered the economic and social crisis conjured by the coronavirus pandemic better than expected on a number of fronts, including employment.

Statistics Finland on Tuesday revealed that the ranks of the employed increased by 121,000 year-on-year to 2,677,000 in June, which, when adjusted for random and seasonal variation, translates to an employment rate of 72.4 per cent.

A French Police officer performed checks of health passes and verified the correct application of controls by the manager of a cinema in Amneville, France, on 22 July 2021. (Jean-Christophe Verhaegen – AFP/Lehtikuva)

INTRODUCING a Covid-19 passport to help to manage the coronavirus epidemic is not a legally or constitutionally unfeasible proposition in Finland, views Janne Salminen, a professor of public law at the University of Turku.

It has been proposed that showing the passport be made a requirement for attending cultural events or entering restaurants, for example.

A transition to low-emission transport requires a comprehensive distribution network for alternative transport fuels. The EU is providing funding for the construction of the network during the second period of the Connecting Europe Facility transport programme, which starts in September. Developing the distribution network is also one of the key measures set out in Finland’s roadmap for fossil-free transport.

Over fifty percent of Nordic institutional investors are optimistic about the economy as the region emerges from the pandemic, according to the latest Institutional Investor Compass® Survey from MFS Investment Management.

Jussi Halla-aho, the outgoing chairperson of the Finns Party, participated in a panel discussion held as part of SuomiAreena, the largest societal discussion event in Finland, in Helsinki on 13 July 2021. (Heikki Saukkomaa – Lehtikuva)

THE NATIONAL COALITION has emerged as the most popular political party in Finland, reveals a poll commissioned by Helsingin Sanomat.

Almost one-fifth (19.9%) of the over 2,500 poll respondents voiced their backing for the right-wing opposition party, representing an increase of 2.9 percentage points from the final poll conducted before the municipal elections, in May.

A total of 13 patients, aged 22–55 years, were hospitalised with a coronavirus infection in the Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa (HUS) on Monday. (Silja-Riikka Seppälä – Lehtikuva)

EEVA RUOTSALAINEN, a deputy chief physician at the Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa (HUS), has voiced her concern about the impact the delta variant of the new coronavirus has had on the epidemiological situation in Finland.

The number of infections has spiked, leading to an up-tick also in the number of hospitalised patients: from 24 at the end of June to 42 on Monday.

A medical professional administered a dose of a coronavirus vaccine at a pop-up vaccination site in Vuosaari, Helsinki, on 22 July 2021. (Roni Rekomaa – Lehtikuva)

THE FINNISH INSTITUTE for Health and Welfare (THL) on Monday revealed it will review its written instructions in the wake of a reprimand it received from Deputy Parliamentary Ombudsman Maija Sakslin on Friday.

Markku Tervahauta, the director general at THL, stated in a press release that a thorough assessment of the necessary adjustments has already been launched.

A woman has her health passport checked before gaining entry to a cinema in Paris, France, on 21 July 2021. In France, people are required to demonstrate they have been vaccinated against the coronavirus to enter places such as cinemas, museums and sports venues. (Alain Jocard – AFP/Lehtikuva)

THE FINNISH government is set to make key decisions regarding its strategy to combat the coronavirus epidemic in an unprecedented epidemiological situation.

The number of laboratory-confirmed coronavirus infections has not decreased in the summer months despite the ongoing vaccinations, with the virus spreading rapidly especially among young adults. The effect of vaccinations is nevertheless evident in how the infections translate to demand for special health care services.