In line with The Ami Foundation’s strategy , our aim is to create the best labour market of The Nordics in Finland’s capital region. To achieve this, we must ensure that the best possible labour market is also available for people with specific work ability. So what is the labour market situation for people with specific work ability in our region, and in the rest of The Nordics?
Answering this question has proved challenging, which underlines the need for further research on the subject.
The Finnish definitions of täsmätyökykyisyys, specific work ability, and osatyökykyisyys, partial work ability, are not unambiguous. For the purposes of this blog, we use the definitions of the Finnish Institute of Health and Welfare, THL. People with partial work ability can be, for example, disabled people, people with long-term illnesses, people recovering from serious illness, or people who have experienced a life crisis. People with partial work ability can also be long-term unemployed whose ability to work and function is reduced due to disability, illness, or social circumstances (THL). A person with specific work ability can be defined as someone who retains part of their working capacity, and the will and motivation to use it (Finnish Government 2023).
Through this blog post, we would like to express The Ami Foundation’s interest in the labour market situation of people with specific work ability, and encourage experts in the field to contact us. By working together, we could better identify ways to explore and improve the position of people with specific work ability in the labour market. We are also interested in comparative Nordic data on the subject. We acknowledge that the concept of specific work ability and the discussions related to it are broad and complex. During 2025, we will explore the issue from a number of different perspectives in this blog.
In statistical terms, it is difficult to draw conclusions about the situation between Finland and Sweden, for example. The definitions of people with specific work ability and those with partial work ability are somewhat vague, and definitions vary according to context and geographical area. Research carried out at the University of Eastern Finland shows the different definitions of concepts relating to work ability between the Nordic countries. Service systems and concepts, as well as the solutions and legislation related to disability pensions and sickness benefits differ between countries, which may explain the differences (Virtanen, Korhonen, Honkalampi 2024).
For Nordic comparisons, we need research on how jobseekers with specific work ability experience job search, and what kind of work is available to them in different countries. It would also be important to find out how employers perceive those with specific work ability, and how
they assess the adequacy and effectiveness of the support provided by the society, such as pay subsidies and adaptions to working conditions. From a comparative point of view, it would also be useful to examine the differences in career prospects across the Nordic countries when a worker loses part of their ability to work. At the same time, the effectiveness of service systems in different countries should be examined: have services been developed in some Nordic countries that have made a significant contribution to the employment of people with specific work ability, and could we in Finland make use of similar solutions?
Statistics on people with specific work ability
So what do we know statistically, at this stage, of the issue in Finland? According to employment statistics, the number of unemployed jobseekers with disabilities and long-term illnesses in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area has fluctuated between 5,000 and 6,000 people over the last fifteen years. Some of these several thousand jobseekers are likely to be effectively incapable for work, and for them, disability pension would be the right source of income rather than unemployment benefits. However, there are likely a very large number of people who would like to work, and who are still able to work, as long as their working conditions match their work abilities. On the other hand, among jobseekers in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area there are most probably thousands of people who, for example, have an illness or disability that makes it difficult for them to find work, but this information is not available through job centre statistics.
In addition to unemployed jobseekers, it is useful to look at the population outside of the labour force and its evolution. In the Helsinki Metropolitan Area, 18–20% of the population aged 18–64 were outside the labour force between 2010 and 2022. According to research produced by MDI and Owal Group for the Finnish National Agency for Education, the largest single group of working-age people outside the labour force in Finland in terms of size is the retired working-age population (MDI, Owal Group 2022).
Research suggests that there is some interest among people on disability pension to return to work. According to research, 30% of those aged 44 or less, and 8% of those aged 45 or over who have officially been deemed as disabled would be willing to return to work (Vuorela 2007). One might ask whether the number of people retiring on disability pension would be lower if we invested more in adapting working conditions, matching work to the condition of the worker, and reduced discrimination in recruitment. It is worth noting that disability is the most common ground for discrimination in employment.
Based on data from 2012, there were 300,000 people in Finland who felt that their health condition limited their ability to work (Oivo, Kerätär 2018), just under 200,000 people on disability pension. When it comes to jobseekers, health is the biggest obstacle to employment from the jobseekers’ perspective, and the same challenge has been identified by experts working with clients in employment services (Terävä, Virtanen et al. 2011). Among the long-term unemployed, diagnosed disabilities or long-term illnesses are also more common compared to other unemployed people (Maunu, Räisänen, Tuomaala 2023).
Specific work ability also applies to young people
Being able to perform specific work is not just connected to illness or disability, as people who are long-term unemployed and have a reduced ability to work and function due to social
reasons or because of a life crisis, for example, can also be able to perform specific duties. It should also be noted that specific work ability is not a static condition, but can change or even disappear, for example, as a result of a change in health or life circumstances.
In 2024, The Ami Foundation raised the issue of NEET youth within a seminar and a workshop. In addition, the Foundation launched an advocacy campaign on the issue in November 2024. Through this theme, we are drawing attention to young people with specific work ability, as there are people among NEET youth who, through adapting their work, working conditions or working hours, could become integrated to the world of work. The issue is also relevant for young people in employment, as young employees’ confidence in their ability to remain healthy at work has fallen alarmingly. It is therefore important to remember that specific work ability is not restricted to the end of a working life, but applies to all people of working age.
Sources and literature
· Vieno Atte: Osatyökykyisten moninaisuus ja eletty työkyky. (Diversity of people with partial work ability and lived work capacity.) Taloutta ja työelämää 1/2023.
· Terävä Eeva, Virtanen Petri, Uusikylä Petri, Köppä Lassi: Vaikeasti työllistyvien tilannetta ja palveluita selvittävä tutkimus. (Study on the situation and services for people struggling to find employment). Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment of Finland 2011. · Kuitunen Soile, Oivo Tuija: Vajaakuntoisesta osatyökykyiseksi, osatyökykyisestä työkykyiseksi. (From disabled to partially able to work, from partially able to work to work-able). Kuntoutussäätiö 2021.
· Maunu Tallamaria, Räisänen Heikki, Tuomaala Mika: Pitkä työttömyys. (Long unemployment.) TEM-analyyseja 114/2023.
· Vuorela Mika: Työtä haluaville työvoimapalveluja – Selvitys kuntoutustuella ja työkyvyttömyyseläkkeellä olevien henkilöiden työllistymisestä ja työelämään paluun edistämisestä. (Employment services for people who want to work – A study on the employment and return to work of people receiving rehabilitation support and disability pension.) 2007.
· Oivo Tuija, Kerätär Raija: Osatyökykyisten reitit työllisyyteen – etuudet, palvelut, tukitoimet. (Pathways to employment for people with partial work ability – benefits, services, support measures.) 2018.
· MDI, OwalGroup: Työvoiman ulkopuolisen väestön rakenne ja tarjontapotentiaali. (Structure and supply potential of the population outside of the labour force.) Finnish National Agency for Education 2022.
· Virtanen Marianne, Korhonen Maija, Honkalampi Kirsi: Osatyökykyisyys pakenee tarkkaa määritelmää – Kartoittava kirjallisuuskatsaus ja haastattelututkimus käsitteen määrityksestä eri yhteyksissä ja osatyökykyisyyden tunnistaminen työttömillä. (Partial work ability lacks a precise definition – A literature review and interview study on the definition of the concept in different contexts and the identification of partial work ability among the unemployed.) University of Eastern Finland 2024. · Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare: Partial work ability (in Finnish).
· The Non-Discrimination Ombudsman: Rights of people with disabilities. · Finnish Government: Partial or specific work ability?