Invest in Finland

Work force

• Best availability of scientists and engineers trained by the best quality educational system in the world
• Lower wages than in the other Nordic countries

Finland’s workforce is highly educated and computer literate. According to WEF’s Global Competitiveness Report 2008, Finland has the best availability of scientists and engineers in the world and they are trained by the best educational system in the world. The workforce also includes a large number of other professionals with university degrees in diverse fields.

In the past decade, the number of R&D personnel in Finland has grown from 40,000 to nearly 80,000, which is 2% of the overall labor force and the highest figure among the OECD countries. The number of doctoral degrees has also doubled in the past ten years.

OECD statistics show that Finland’s unit labor costs have fallen during the period 1990-2009, improving the country’s competitiveness in relation to the OECD average. Wages are lower in Finland compared to the other Nordic countries.

Finland’s education system has consistently achieved outstanding results. WEF’s Global Competitiveness Index ranks the quality of Finland’s education system as the best in the world. In OECD’s Programme for Student Assessment (PISA) surveys Finnish students lead the rankings in combined learning results for science, mathematics and literacy. About a third of Finland’s working population has a degree or higher qualification.

The knowledge transfer between business and universities has been one of the key factors in Finland’s track record of innovation and economic success. Combining technology, business, art and design, the new Aalto University in Helsinki will open up exciting possibilities for further multidisciplinary education and research in January 2010. These opportunities are also available for foreign companies operating in Finland.