Helsinki wants to improve the challenging employment situation of young people in collaboration with employers. The City’s youth recruitment subsidy provides not only financial support for employers, but also practical help with finding a suitable young person. Helsinki Employment Services can support the employer throughout the entire process if needed.
Helsinki continues to have a lot of young residents looking for work. Youth unemployment has increased over the first months of the year, but the increase has clearly slowed down. At the end of February 2026, Helsinki had 9,110 unemployed residents under the age of 30, marking a 4% increase from the previous year.
Long-term unemployment is a particular cause for concern. In February, long-term unemployment among residents under the age of 30 had increased by 32% from a year ago, coming to a total of 2,010 long-term unemployed young people in February 2026.
Even though the figure has continued to increase, the increase has clearly slowed down from the exceptionally rapid increase in 2025. At its worst, long-term youth unemployment increased by more than 70% in August 2025 compared to the situation in August 2024.
Everyone remembers their first job
With its youth recruitment subsidy, Helsinki seeks to lower employers’ threshold for hiring a young jobseeker. The subsidy is directly intended to improve the current situation in which landing a job is challenging.
“It is crucial for young people to have their first chance. Once they start accumulating work experience and skills, the path forward opens and they gain more confidence,” comments Chief Specialist Jani Lehto from Helsinki Employment Services.
When a young person lands their first job, it strengthens their confidence, increases their skills and opens doors to future job opportunities.
The recruitment subsidy reduces the risks associated with hiring, particularly when a young person is applying for their first job.
At the moment, many young people are looking for their first job and need an opportunity to show what they are capable of. The youth recruitment subsidy brings together the labour needs of employers and the desire of young people to find employment.
We will seek pre-selected candidates for you
• The financial support will make it easier for you to plan the hiring of a young person. The subsidy can be granted for six months, up to EUR 1,500 per month.
• The recruitment help provided by Employment Services will help you find the right talent quickly. We will seek pre-selected candidates for you – young people whose skills match the vacancy. You can proceed straight to the final phase in the job interview process.
• You will save time, effort and money: the employer will not have to process a large amount of applications or carry out the charting process alone.
