Working life programmes

The Government’s working life programmes produced concrete solutions for working life and the service system during the 2019–2023 government term. The implementation of the programmes was based on the Programme of Prime Minister Sanna Marin’s Government. Increasing employment, productivity and wellbeing has required measures under all of the working life programmes.

In the transformation of working life, the start of change has been enabled by workplaces and working-age people together with an effectively functioning service system. Simultaneously increasing workplace wellbeing and productivity, recognising competence needs and competence development, supporting work ability and mental health, and providing improved opportunities to people with partial work ability will continue to play a crucial role in accelerating employment in the future.

New models for working life and the service system

The working life programmes have helped promote the co-creation of operating methods and concepts boosting employment and improving the quality of working life in different sectors, workplaces and the service system. The activities during the programme period have included the dissemination of research information based on the current situation of working life, increasing awareness of models and tools, and helping make the models firmly established in workplaces and the service system. The concurrent reforms and their links to the programme work (including the health and social services reform and the reform of social security) have promoted the dissemination of the models and the creation of networks.

With the new working life models and research and collaboration practices, workplaces’ capacity for renewal and the availability of services have long-term employment impacts while continuously maintained situational awareness concerning working life accelerates change:

• new models and concepts are created in workplaces and the service system
• leadership responds to the changes in society and the transformation of work
• careers are extended and working-age people maintain their work ability
• improvements are achieved in the capacity for renewal, foresight, learning, the attractiveness and retention of work, and competitiveness

The set of working life programmes carried out by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health has consisted of the WORK2030 programme and the related research and development programme for work, health and work ability, the Mental Health at Work Programme and the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health’s measures under the work ability programme.