Monday, February 17, 2025

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One in five Finns feels lonely at work

Published 28 May 2024
– By Editorial Staff
Today, 52% say they never feel lonely at work - compared to 44% two years ago.

Around 200,000 Finns experience a “harmful” level of loneliness at work, according to a new survey by Helsinki Mission. At the same time, one in three Finns experiences loneliness outside work.

About 9 percent, almost one in ten people, say they feel “left out” at work. Furthermore, a third said they “sometimes” feel left out in their job. Around 7 percent always or often feel completely isolated from their colleagues. People under the age of 30 are more likely to feel lonely than older age groups, reports the Finnish Broadcasting Company Yle.

Despite the figures, the number of people who feel lonely at work has decreased since 2022, with 52 percent now saying they never feel lonely, compared to 44 percent two years ago.

Although work-related loneliness has decreased, we are still talking about almost 200 000 people experiencing harmful work-related loneliness. This is both costly and unsustainable from a health and economic perspective, as well as from a human perspective, says Maria Lähteenmäki, Head of Loneliness Work at Helsinki Mission in a press release.

“Serious consequences”

It is also pointed out that work-related loneliness negatively affects both efficiency and motivation. It can also increase absenteeism from work and cause health problems on a mental and physical level.

The experience of exclusion and the resulting loneliness can have serious consequences for workers’ health and well-being. It is also important to address loneliness at a low threshold in workplaces and to ensure that working practices support a sense of community. It is especially important to take care of employees at the beginning of their careers, says Aku-Pekka Laakso, a working life expert at Helsinki Mission.

The study was conducted by Verion on behalf of Helsinki Mission between March 8 and 17 this year. A total of 1602 people aged 18–69 years responded.

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Loneliness increasing among Finnish youth

Published yesterday 8:23
– By Editorial Staff

Two thirds of young people in Finland experience loneliness on a regular basis, according to the Finnish Red Cross Loneliness Barometer. The proportion has increased since last year.

According to the Finnish Red Cross, young people and young adults are at high risk of loneliness, isolation and exclusion. The situation has also deteriorated further.

In Finland, 59% of young people aged 16 to 24 say that they sometimes feel lonely. One in four has lived with loneliness for over five years. In addition, 66% say they feel lonely a few times a month or more often, up from 47% last year.

– One in five 16-24 year olds say they have experienced loneliness for at least five years. This is a long time in a young person’s life. We know that prolonged loneliness in young people can lead to learning difficulties and also increase the risk of radicalization and violence. There is an urgent need to find common solutions to reduce young people’s loneliness, says Maaret Alaranta, Social Welfare Coordinator at the Finnish Red Cross, in a press release.

Mental health problems

Financial worries are the fourth most common reason for loneliness, according to the barometer. Younger people and those with lower incomes are more likely to experience loneliness. Many also cite poor relationship experiences and feeling different or left out as key causes. A third say that loneliness has led to mental health problems, while mental illness itself also contributes to increased loneliness.

– Mental health problems are often a contributing factor to loneliness, in addition to loneliness itself causing mental health problems. Mental health problems as an explanation for loneliness are more prominent in the responses of adolescents, young adults and foreign language speakers, says Kirsti Kuusterä, Director of the Finnish Red Cross Welfare and Health Unit.

According to the Red Cross, reducing loneliness requires action at all levels of society. For example, municipalities should include strategies against loneliness in their welfare plans and give the issue more attention.

It is known that loneliness causes a number of diseases and it is in everyone’s interest that it is finally seen as a health threat that affects the entire population, says Alaranta.

More Finns are refraining from major purchases

Published 4 February 2025
– By Editorial Staff

A growing proportion of Finns are hesitating to make major purchases, such as home renovations, according to a survey by the Federation of Finnish Financial Services. Half have either abandoned planned purchases or postponed them due to low confidence in the economy.

The FA citizen survey has been conducted in Finland every year since 2022, asking Finns how the global political situation affects their own or their family’s plans for major purchases, such as renovations or buying a holiday home.

In December 2024, 26% of respondents said that they had postponed major purchases due to the unstable world situation. Another 23% had completely abandoned their plans.

– According to the survey, Finns’ confidence in their own economy seems to remain very low, says Arno Ahosniemi, Managing Director of the Finnish FA, in a press release.

In the previous survey, conducted in February 2024, only 11% of Finns said they had completely abandoned their plans and showed more signs of optimism about their finances. Now, however, Finns’ economic uncertainty has returned to the same level as when it was at its lowest in 2023.

At the beginning of 2024, Finns still had a clear perception that the worst was over and that more stable and better economic times were on the way, says Ahosniemi. The pressing question is how to make Finns believe in a better and safer future.

Confidence in the future varied between age groups. Among Finns aged 18-49, 60% had postponed or abandoned their planned purchases, while the corresponding figure for 70-79 year olds was 30%.

Finland also saw an increase in the number of unemployed in December, with the unemployment rate reaching 8.9%, and a large number of highly educated people in the country are also out of work, reports the Finnish state broadcaster Yle. In December, 52,000 highly educated Finns were unemployed, which is the highest figure since 2015.

320,000 unemployed in Finland

Published 26 January 2025
– By Editorial Staff
The number of unemployed young people has increased by 12%.

The number of unemployed in Finland increased in December, compared to the same month in 2023. The open unemployment rate now stands at 8.9%.

In December 2024, the number of unemployed in Finland was 321,700, which is an increase of 24,000 compared to December 2023. Between November and December, the number of unemployed increased by 29,000, according to the Ministry of Labor and Health.

At the same time, the number of long-term unemployed rose to 109,600, representing an increase of 20%, while unemployment among young people under 25 increased by 12%. The number of job vacancies in Finland has also fallen sharply, from over 81,000 to 43,300 in one year.

In December, the unemployment rate reached 8.9%, an increase of 1.2 percentage points.

Finnish security service: Severed sea cables likely accidental

The new cold war

Published 23 January 2025
– By Editorial Staff
The seized tanker Eagle S.

Finnish authorities are expected to conclude shortly the preliminary investigation against the tanker Eagle S, accused of causing damage to the Estlink 2 power cable between Finland and Estonia, as well as to several telecommunication cables in the Baltic Sea.

Suspicions were initially directed at the Eagle S, which was alleged to have deliberately dragged its anchor along the seabed, thereby damaging the cables.

Finnish authorities boarded the vessel and started questioning the crew. However, Customs announced that no criminal investigation will be opened against the crew, as they are not deemed to have willfully violated any sanctions.

So far, no other evidence has been presented to suggest that the crew intentionally caused the damage. The National Bureau of Investigation has stated that the active preliminary phase of the investigation will soon be completed, reports Helsingin Sanomat via TT.

Despite this, suspicions of gross sabotage against the Eagle S remain. The ship is still seized, and a Finnish court has rejected the owner’s request to release it.

Lack of evidence

Russia has consistently dismissed Western claims that Russian ships deliberately sabotaged the submarine cables as “baseless”. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova argues that the US-led NATO military pact is creating myths to justify an increased presence in the Baltic Sea and to limit Russian oil exports.

It should be noted that no concrete evidence linking Russia to the incident has been presented to date, according to Helsingin Sanomat, citing five sources familiar with the investigation. The information was also confirmed to Hufvudstadsbladet by a source in the Finnish state administration with insight into the case.

In the meantime, Finland and Estonia continue to work on repairs to the damaged cables. Fingrid, Finland’s national grid operator, has requested a court to seize the Eagle S to secure claims for damages related to Estlink 2.

Meanwhile, NATO has increased its presence in the Baltic Sea region in what it describes as “a precautionary measure against potential threats to critical infrastructure”. The other day, Operation Baltic Sentry was launched to patrol and protect important underwater structures such as gas pipelines and internet cables.

The Finnish authorities stress that the investigation into Eagle S is expected to be completed shortly.