Machine industry employment reaches post-financial crisis peak

The number of employees in Finland’s machinery and metal products industry returned to its highest level since the financial crisis at the end of June 2026, Yle reports, citing a new order book and personnel survey by Technology Industries of Finland.

The industry employed 138,200 people at the end of June. This matched the level recorded in early 2023, which was the highest since the financial crisis. Employment was 2,500 people higher than at the lowest point of the economic cycle.

Demand is increasing

Demand among technology industry companies is also growing. The balance figure for requests for quotations, which describes the overall demand situation, rose to its highest level since the end of 2021.

“Production in the machinery and metal products industry has grown steadily for more than a year. Order books have strengthened, driven by the marine and defence industries, among others, since the end of 2024, and the employment situation is quite good,” Hanne Mikkonen, chief economist at Technology Industries of Finland, said in a statement.

Mikkonen said the figures also suggested a positive development for employment in Finland more broadly.

“After a long period of weak economic conditions, this is very good news for the Finnish economy,” she said.

Employment dipped slightly in spring

Total employment in the technology industry fell slightly during the second quarter of 2026.

However, the value of new orders increased by 13 percent from the first quarter and by 19 percent from the corresponding period in 2025. The value of order books at the end of June was eight percent higher than at the end of March.

Mikkonen said new orders had been particularly strong in manufacturing.

“In addition to the marine industry and defence sector, recent drivers of growth have included data centre investments and energy solutions,” she said.

Turnover exceeded 100 billion euros

Technology industry turnover increased by 2.8 percent in 2025 from the previous year, reaching 104 billion euros. Turnover is also estimated to have grown across all the industry’s main sectors between January and April 2026.

Technology Industries of Finland said the positive economic development was giving exporting companies better opportunities to invest, increase production and hire more staff.

The organisation said unpredictable tariff policy and the war in Iran continued to create uncertainty in the global economy.