Unemployment crisis sees over 50,000 educated individuals struggling in Finland

In 2008, Riina Simonen graduated with a master’s degree in social sciences from the University of Tampere. Shortly afterward, she became a mother and began looking for work as a parent of a young child. When her son was nearly three, she secured a position as a social secretary but had to quit in 2015 due to a life crisis that left her unable to seek employment. Since then, she has found it extremely challenging to reenter the job market.

Currently, at 47 years old, Simonen is long-term unemployed, facing a reality shared by many educated individuals. According to the academic labor organization Akava, over 50,000 highly educated people were unemployed in Finland by the end of June 2023, marking an increase of over 15% from the previous year. The organization highlights that the unemployment rate among educated individuals has been rising steadily, with the economic downturn contributing to the trend.

Simon believes that the increase in competition—where one job attracts approximately 200 qualified candidates—adds to the difficulty of securing employment. Despite her efforts to apply for various positions, including part-time roles and project secretary roles within organizations, she has not received any interview invites. Simonen attributes this to two main reasons: perceived discrimination against long-term unemployed candidates and the general nature of her comprehensive university qualification, which does not directly lead to specific occupations.

In her ongoing struggle against poverty, Simonen describes herself as “extremely poor,” managing only about €600 monthly from unemployment benefits after her child support was cut. As a single parent living in a shared housing arrangement, she feels a pressing need for financial assistance, emphasizing the stress of being without adequate resources. With no interviews bearing fruit, she wonders if her applications are even being reviewed. Simonen hopes for improved transparency in hiring processes to understand why she repeatedly faces rejection.