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Young people and work Workplace accidnts involving young employees is often due to their insufficient work orientation and guidance. The Occupational Safety and Health Act compels employers to provide sufficient work orientation, including in the ...

Legislation on services and benefits for older people This page lists the key pieces of legislation on services and benefits for older people. Below you will find them by topic and also links to more detailed guidance. Health and social services I...

Legislation concerning children, young people and families Family leaves Family leaves are regulated in the Employment Contracts Act. The Act contains provisions on the rights of parents to take leave for family reasons. Employment Contracts Act 5...

The MSAH is responsible for preparing legislation on occupational safety and health care, and policy development on occupational safety and health and wellbeing at work.

Working life programmes 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 th...

Equality in working life Equality in working life must be promoted particularly in pay, working conditions, terms of employment, recruitment, career development, and reconciliation of work and family life. Act on Equality Between Women and Men, i....

Gender Equality in working life Equality in working life must be promoted particularly in pay, working conditions, terms of employment, recruitment, career development, and reconciliation of work and family life. The Gender Equality Act obliges em...

Creating a good working life together A good working life improves wellbeing, the economic sustainability of society and the competitiveness of companies. A good working life requires that wellbeing at work, work ability and productivity be streng...

Good Work Programme – Creating more appeal and staying power in the healthcare and social welfare sector Mounting service needs driven by an ageing Finnish population, higher rates of chronic diseases, evolving expectations and new technologies – ...

The 11th annual Gender Equality Days (Tasa-arvopäivät) were organised on 8-9 October 2025 at the Clarion Hotel Aviapolis in Vantaa. 

15.11.2024 | The Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the EU will hold an informal meeting of the ministers responsible for demography in Budapest on 18 and 19 November 2024. The meeting will exchange views on the basis of background documents prepared by the presidency. No decisions will be made at the informal meeting. Director General Annakaisa Iivari will represent Finland at the meeting.

21.5.2025 | The employment rate of registered nurses and practical nurses is high, with more than 90 per cent of graduates finding work in the social welfare and health care sector. Unemployed nurses cannot be relied on to respond to the future labour shortage in the sector. People who have sought employment in other sectors represent the most significant resource of unutilised workforce. Some relief can also be provided by pensioners for whom working is increasingly common.

18.2.2026 | According to a report by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, the gap between wellbeing services counties’ operations and finances widened in 2025. This trend is also expected to continue in the coming years. The underlying reasons include population ageing, an increase in service needs and uneven regional migration.

Older workers The reduction in the numbers of people of working age underscores the need to ensure that older workers can continue in employment for longer than at present. The working career of older workers can be prolonged by maintaining work a...

Mental health services The aim of mental health work is to strengthen people's good mental health and to reduce factors that undermine it. This work includes activities to promote mental health and prevent mental health disorders, as well as menta...

Finnish social security system The Finnish social security system includes benefits and support that protect people’s livelihoods, as well as the provision of health and social services and employment services. Social security provides income secu...

Ministry of Social Affairs and Health Minister of Social Affairs and Health Wille Rydman The Finns Party Minister of Social Affairs and Health Wille Rydman is responsible for all other matters covered by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, ...

Unemployment security Shortly Unemployment security consists of basic unemployment allowance, earnings-related unemployment allowance and labour market subsidy. You are eligible for benefits if you meet the prior work requirement and register as a...

Ministry personnel statistics We are satisfied with our work Based on our employee satisfaction survey, the personnel of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health is particularly satisfied with the content and challenges of their jobs as well as t...

Frequently asked questions concerning child welfare in Finland In Finland, child welfare services are based on the Child Welfare Act (417/2007) and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (Finnish Treaty Series 59–60/1991). The Child Welfare ...