Finland grants €350,000 to Kajaani and Sodankylä after job losses

Finland’s Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment has awarded €350,000 in support to the Kajaani region and Sodankylä following job losses, Yle reported.

The Kajaani region will receive €250,000. The ministry said the funding would help workers made redundant find new jobs, develop their skills and manage the local economic restructuring.

The job losses include cuts at rail vehicle manufacturer Škoda Transtech and battery chemicals and metals company Terrafame. Together, the reductions have removed around 200 jobs from the region, weakening its labour market, according to the report.

Sodankylä will receive €100,000 to address the effects of restructuring talks at the Kevitsa mine. The talks resulted in 77 workers being laid off, more than 50 of them residents of Sodankylä. The ministry said the impact on the relatively small local labour market makes measures to help people find new work particularly important.

The funding is intended to speed up re-employment and help match workers’ skills with businesses’ staffing needs.