12.7%
Finland's unemployment rate, the highest since 1998 (May 2026).
Source: Statistics Finland, Labour Force Survey. View source →
Research and sources
The sources.
Every number we use, and where it came from.
01 / The national picture
37.8%
Unemployment among under-25s, the worst in the EU since 2000 (May 2026).
Source: Statistics Finland, Labour Force Survey. View source →
1 in 3
recruitment processes in Finland fail. Not for lack of applicants, but because skills and roles don't align.
Source: Finnish Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, "Työttömyys on oire kohtaanto-ongelmasta" (Elina Pylkkänen, 2026). View source →
02 / What job seekers told us
Platsa job seeker survey, May 2026, 22 respondents.
13 of 22
named sending applications and never hearing back as one of their top frustrations.
81%
agree that hiring feels one-sided and that employers are in control.
87%
found the idea of mutual matching appealing. Nobody said it wasn't.
91%
said yes or sometimes when asked if they wish employers had to show interest first. Nobody said no.
03 / What employers told us
Platsa employer survey, May 2026, 5 respondents.
100%
(5 of 5) named too many unqualified applicants as their top frustration.
80%
agree that finding the right candidate feels like a needle in a haystack.
100%
(5 of 5) want candidates pre-qualified by skills and experience.
04 / About this research
Our own surveys ran in May 2026: 22 job seekers and 5 employers. It's an early validation study, not a scientific poll, and we're not pretending otherwise. We share the sample sizes along with the numbers because we'd rather be precise than impressive.