Economy & Business

 

Finns snap up limited foreign summer holidays, but look ahead to winter

Finnish holidaymakers have started dipping their toes into the warm waters of the Mediterranean again, as the first charter flights full of sun-seekers arrived in Greece. Travel agency Tui had enough demand for flights last week they put on an…

Senate Square terrace expanding with space for hundreds more customers

The popular summer terrace that’s taken over Senate Square this year – already the largest in the country – just got bigger. From Wednesday there is seating for 830 people at the venue, up from 480 when it first opened…

VR ending ticket sales, laying off staff at five mainline stations

Finnish railways operator VR is to end ticket sales at five mainline stations, and potentially making 13 staff unemployed. Dedicated VR ticket sales offices at Jyväskylä, Lahti, Oulu, Tikkurila and Turku are to close and the company is starting negotiations…

Finnair raises €501 million, as passengers get ‘clean kits’ on expanded flight services

Finland’s national airline Finnair has raised €501 million in a share offering that was so popular, it was oversubscribed by 11%. The fundraising effort was indented to boost Finnair’s financial position and the company, which is more than 55% owned…

Finns’ confidence in life and the economy after coronavirus improves

A new survey highlights how Finns are relaxing their own personal coronavirus restrictions as the epidemic subsides, and how they have more confidence in life after the pandemic. The study was carried out by the Federation of Finnish Industries EK…

Restrictions on restaurants and bars easing again next week

From next Monday restaurants, cafes and bars will be able to serve more customers, for longer, than they are currently able to as the government further relaxes coronavirus restrictions. Ministers Krista Kiuru (SDP) and Hanna Kosonen (Centre) made the announcement alongside experts…

Forecast: Finland’s coronavirus economic recovery will be slow

A new forecast from the Ministry of Finance predicts that Finland’s recovery from the economic damage caused by the global coronavirus pandemic will be slow. The report, published on Tuesday, says the economy will shrink by 6% this year as…

New budget gives €5.5 billion coronavirus recovery shot in the arm

The Government has unveiled it’s new supplementary budget which gives a €5.5 billion shot in the arm to Finland, to help the country recover from the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Some of the key areas which will receive…

UPM closing Jyväskylä plywood plant with 167 job losses

Finnish pulp and paper company UPM is closing its Jyväskylä plywood plant with the loss of 167 jobs. The plan produces spruce and birch plywood but UPM says the profitability of the operation "has been weak for a long time,…

Closing time: eased restrictions on bars and restaurants come too late for some businesses

A decision to ease restrictions and allow restaurants, cafes and bars to re-open this week is welcome news for many in the industry eager to get back to business after two months of enforced closures. But for others Monday is…

Latest News

Flags are flying to celebrate Finnish trailblazer Miina Sillanpää

Flags are flying across Finland today to celebrate the life and work of Miina Sillanpää, a trailblazer in politics, social mobility and rights. Sillanpää was…

Morning headlines: Thursday 1st October 2020

Two Covid-19 tests open up travel restrictions from high risk countries A new system of coronavirus tests opens up travel to passengers from high risk…

New Finnish robot drives to clean up the dirty business of street sweeping

A company from Kuopio has invented a new type of autonomous street sweeper that’s as powerful as a traditional truck, but has zero carbon…

“Unreasonable” – Reaction as journalist loses appeal in case with right-wing politician

The Court of Appeal in Rovaniemi today upheld the decision of a lower court to convict and fine journalist Johanna Vehkoo for insulting a…

Parliament committee approves citizen’s initiative on FGM

The cross-party Parliamentary Legal Committee has voted unanimously to approve a citizen’s initiative to ban female genital mutilation. Although FGM is already considered a crime…

Brexit Brits: Finnish permanent residence applications will cost €48

British nationals living in Finland who want to apply for permanent residence will be charged €48, according to the Immigration Service Migri. Anyone who has…

Double duty: PM to represent Finland and Sweden at EU meeting

Prime Minister Sanna Marin (SDP) is attending a special European Council meeting in Brussels on 1st and 2nd October – and rather unusually she’ll be…

WATCH: How coronavirus changed Finland’s population

Did you know that the coronavirus pandemic is already having an impact on Finland’s population? According to Statistics Finland the number of people in Finland…