Yle releases salary tool revealing income disparities in Finland’s capital region

Yesterday, the Finnish Broadcasting Company (Yle) released a salary tool that highlights income disparities between the capital region and the rest of the country. Notably, users of the tool may have come across an unusual job title: tribal and village chief. According to Statistics Finland, this title is not in official use in Finland, as there are no practitioners associated with it. However, Yle identified a few individuals operating under the title of village chief, including Marko Kämäräinen, who was appointed as the tribal chief for the Tankkaamo project in 2023.

Kämäräinen describes his role as akin to a community manager for local entrepreneurs in Laukaa municipality. “We organize training, coaching sessions, various events, and even recreational activities for local businesspeople,” he explained. While the salary tool did not provide specific salary information for this title, the closest category, senior officials and organization leaders, can earn upwards of €7,000 per month. “The tribal chief receives a decent compensation, a bit higher than the average median income in Finland,” Kämäräinen noted.

The inclusion of the title in Yle’s salary tool stems from its recognition as one of the official job titles by Statistics Finland, even though it refers to professions not practiced in Finland, such as deep-sea fishermen and manual vehicle operators. Tribal and village chiefs fall under the leadership category and are associated with a range of legal, administrative, and ceremonial duties based on ancient customs.

Kämäräinen’s actual work aligns more with that of a project manager rather than the traditional description of a tribal chief. The tool allows users to compare salaries broken down by area, revealing regional discrepancies in pay. Statistics were sourced from 2022 data from Statistics Finland.