New beginnings for young people – Helsinki responding to rising youth unemployment

Prolonged unemployment is a challenge experienced by many young people. Youth unemployment is now higher in Helsinki than in other major employment areas. The City is seeking to respond to the problem by offering new ways to support young people’s employment and make it easier for them to land their first job in particular. To this end, the City has launched its New Beginnings project.

Last year, there were roughly 10,700 unemployed people with a higher education degree under the age of 30 in Finland. More than 2,000 of them were living in Helsinki. That is almost one fifth of all unemployed young people with a higher education degree.

We want to support the transition from studies to working life.

100 jobs

The young people hired by the City will work in different divisions, in duties that support their education and skills. Particular attention has been paid to generalist roles, i.e. duties that require a broad range of skills as opposed to special expertise in one area.

“Our aim is to provide young people with work experience in their own field, and to improve their chances of finding employment in the future. We want to support the transition from studies to working life,” comments HR Director Petri Lumijärvi.

Focus on young people’s experiences

Project workers Suvi Sainio and Siiri Turtola took up their posts at the beginning of February. Sainio works in the Digitalisation Department of the City Executive Office as part of the core IT systems team, while Turtola works at the Buildings and Public Spaces Development Unit of the Urban Environment Division.

“I graduated as a Master of Arts from the Department of Mathematics last spring. I sent a lot of job applications, but I wasn’t invited to any interviews before this position. It felt really good to come here and get to do something useful,” Turtola comments.

“I graduated as a Master of Social Sciences in spring 2024 and was unemployed for a long time. I worked temporary jobs here and there, but I didn’t get to carry out any duties that corresponded to my degree. When I heard about this place, it felt like an opportunity to move forward,” Sainio says.

Link between degree and duties found quickly

Both Turtola and Sainio say that it was a little unclear to them at first how their education was linked to their duties, but the connection was ultimately found quickly.

“I knew very little about the Digitalisation Department beforehand, but I soon realised how my background in anthropology fits in the development of user-friendliness and accessibility,” Sainio explains.

“At first I didn’t see how my degree was related to the development of information management, but now this feels really cool. My way of thinking is a good fit for this job,” Turtola summarises.

New perspectives

Sainio says that familiarisation, the support of her supervisor and a low threshold to ask for help have made it easy to start in the job.

“It has been impressive to see how a major employer operates. The familiarisation I received was really good, and the shared rules create a sense of security,” Sainio comments.

She has also gained new perspectives on her own educational background: 
“I heard that the Strategy Department has an anthropologist working as a service designer. That opened my eyes to all the different things I can do with my degree in the future.”

The City is in a position to create jobs and give young people opportunities to get started and gain experience in their own field. 

The City plays an important role as an employer

According to Turtola and Sainio, finding a job is currently very challenging.

“Competition is fierce, and applying for a job often feels like an exercise in futility. That is why targeted opportunities like this are really important,” Sainio continues.

The City is seen as a significant player in preventing youth unemployment.

“The City is in a position to create jobs and give young people opportunities to get started and gain experience in their own field. That can be crucial for their future careers,” Turtola concludes.

The City sets an example

The City of Helsinki is Finland’s largest employer and wants to be responsible even in today’s difficult employment situation. The City is also encouraging other employers to build solutions to the problem of youth unemployment.

The City of Helsinki supports employers by means such as the Helsinki benefit, which can be granted for hiring an unemployed Helsinki resident. Helsinki Employment Services are also happy to help employers find suitable ways of providing employment and offer support for building practical solutions.

The New Beginnings project is a concrete example of how the City is building a more equal and inclusive work sector. Young people have plenty of skills and potential that must not be left untapped.