Jämsä hopes data centre project will ease job shortage
Friday 23rd October 2026 on 05:45 in
Finland
Jämsä is looking to a planned data centre for relief from a difficult employment situation, Yle reports. The city had more than 1,200 unemployed jobseekers and just 27 vacancies in August, while its unemployment rate stood at 15.6 per cent in September, the third-highest in Central Finland.
French company Sesterce is planning a large data centre, which it calls an AI campus, at the former Kaipola paper mill site. The company estimates it could provide about 300 long-term jobs in Jämsä. Construction could employ as many as 2,000 people across different professions.
The project is still at an early stage: Sesterce has not yet submitted permit applications, according to Finland’s Permit and Supervision Agency. The company has nevertheless begun recruiting and currently lists six Jämsä vacancies, including roles for a project manager, commissioning manager, security manager, electrical engineer and operations director.
Training plans under discussion
Satu Soutolahti, head of the Southern Central Finland employment area, said the construction work could benefit sectors including building, restaurants, accommodation and retail. Data centres also use a range of support services once operational.
Local authorities are considering how to help businesses and workers in the region secure work linked to the projects. Soutolahti said preliminary discussions with educational institutions have begun about training, and the city is preparing for possible needs in its budget. Tailored short courses could be an option, and companies may also train their own employees.
Sesterce chief executive Youssef El Manssouri has said the company is planning its own training programme for data centre workers. He told Yle that the company expects to find enough engineering expertise within about 320 kilometres of Jämsä.
Demand for data centre workers has also grown nationally. Job service Duunitori recorded more than 3,400 job advertisements mentioning data centres between January and September, compared with about 900 during the same period a year earlier. Among the most sought-after roles in 2026 are electricians, project managers and electrical engineers.