Hiring inexperienced youth is a vital act for Finland

Katri Viippola

Spring news has revealed that getting a summer job this year has become even more difficult. There are more applicants than before and fewer job openings. Reports on youth unemployment and the rise in long-term unemployment have also been grim.

To find solutions for youth employment, we need to look at the issue from a new perspective and ask an important question: is Finnish working life truly open and encouraging for young people?

The conversation around youth employment and work experience is often marked by a sense of deficiency. Jobs require experience and skills, and too many young people face the reality of receiving no response at all to carefully crafted applications. This creates an immediate assumption that they are inadequate or unworthy of employment and that they are not valued as individuals.

Each of us started our careers without experience. That’s easy to forget once we’ve gotten a foot in the door—or if our first job was decades ago. The shift toward a more youth-inclusive working life begins with companies and those of us involved in recruitment.

First, we must change the prevailing attitude to a more positive one. Instead of repeating the narrative of lacking experience, we should talk about inexperience as a source of opportunity. An inexperienced candidate is someone taking their first steps into working life, full of potential, eager and willing to take on various tasks, and capable of growing into roles that meet different business needs over time. Hiring someone without experience is not charity—it’s a great opportunity and an investment in the company’s own future and potential.

The truth is, we cannot afford to overlook inexperienced youth in recruitment. For the sake of diversity in working life and our future, it is essential to engage and inspire the younger generation to work. This is about Finland’s competitiveness as well as young people’s self-worth and belief in their own skills and capabilities.

We need to understand what it feels like for young people to apply for jobs from a so-called zero situation. We must use every means to ensure the skills, opportunities, and well-being of future employees—because only then can our society remain functional. It is our responsibility, as decision-makers in working life, to address the biases directed at inexperienced youth and to reform the processes we’ve created to be more inclusive and open. We must be clear in our expectations of young people, provide the necessary resources for onboarding, and view a lack of work experience on a CV as an opportunity. Even without formal experience, young people often bring significantly stronger digital and language skills than we older professionals.

The companies and leaders signing this statement commit, together with Finnish Work, to finding solutions for youth employment. We commit to building a work culture where inexperience is not a barrier to hiring young people.

Working alongside Finnish Work to support youth employment and the development of working life are CEO Toni Stigzelius of Broman Group, Director of Stakeholder Relations Kati Ihamäki of Fiskars Group, and a group of other leaders whose names are listed on the Zero Situation (Nollatilanne) campaign page.

Katri Viippola
CEO, Finnish Work

Katri Viippola

CEO

Katri Viippola works as the CEO of the Finnish Work. Previously, Katri has worked in the finance and insurance sectors and the media industry, including Varma, Keva and Yle. In addition to her main job, Katri works on the boards of various organizations. Katri holds a Master of Arts and an EMBA.