Finland's Prime Minister Presented False Employment Data to Parliament
Prime Minister Orpo claimed that the number of employed people in Finland is “almost the same” as when the government started—that is not true. He incorrectly spoke to Parliament about the development of the number of employed people also earlier in the spring.
On Wednesday, Parliament discussed indebtedness when the government brought the public finance plan for the coming years to the plenary session for consideration.
The government had to present the gloomy central government financial figures to Parliament again. Prime Minister Petteri Orpo also found reasons for joy in his speech:
“In the midst of all this gloom, ladies and gentlemen, the number of employed people in Finland is almost the same as when the government began.
“That tells me that the Finnish economy is dynamic. We have seen far too many collective bargaining negotiations and bankruptcies, so new jobs are being created somewhere all the time. Let’s be happy about that.”
Orpo claims that the number of employed people has remained unchanged.
However, the Prime Minister’s claim is not true.
In reality, the number of employed people has decreased during the government’s term.
The latest figures are available for March, and at that time there were 64,000 fewer employed people than in June 2023, when Orpo’s government was appointed.
These are seasonally adjusted figures, from which the variation brought by seasonal work has been removed. For example, the number of employed people increases sharply in the summer due to summer jobs.
Orpo Also Spoke Incorrectly in Question Hour in the Past
Orpo has previously spoken inaccurately about employment figures in Parliament.
In February, the Prime Minister claimed during Question Hour in Parliament that “the number of employed people has remained fairly constant throughout the government term.” At that time, the employment figures used were from around the turn of the year, when there were approximately 50,000 fewer employed people than at the beginning of the government term.
The reduced number of employed people can be compared to the target announced by the government at the beginning of its term. According to it, the target is to gain 100,000 new jobs during the term.
The change in the number of employed people seen now by 64,000 is almost two-thirds of the government’s employment target, but in a downward direction.
If the number of employed people were 64,000 higher than at the beginning of the government term, it can be estimated that the government would speak of the growth in employed people as a success of government policy. In this case, the amount would hardly be described as nearly the same as before.
Source: Yle (in Finnish)