Working together to build the best possible working life

The world is changing rapidly and, along with it, our working life. However, we can have a say in what kind of working life we have in Finland, both now and in the future.  

A lot of work is already being done to develop the world of work, but trying to condense all this into one overall framework is challenging. We need to engage a large group of people in a discussion on where Finland’s working life now stands and to support its adaptation and renewal. The Working Life Forum Finland 2022, which convenes in August, gives us an ideal opportunity to work together to create a common picture of the world of work and to find solutions to the challenges arising from changes in working life.

Future challenges are bound to be vast and diverse in nature. Through dialogue we can gain a common understanding of what different workplaces can learn from each other and what is expected of decision-makers in the midst of these changes. We must be able to adopt a more collaborative approach to making reforms so that we can find innovative solutions. Good practices and models need to be used and disseminated but, at the same time, we must have the courage to relinquish old practices and procedures.

To improve employment, productivity, public finances and people’s wellbeing, it is important to promote wellbeing at work and prevent people from becoming unable to work. We need the contribution of all working-age people, and it is important to give everybody a chance. What we need is a working culture that supports wellbeing and mental health. At the same time, it is necessary to incorporate the mental health perspective in all aspects of our daily working life. A working culture that supports mental wellbeing is made up of ordinary things, such as interaction, management, working conditions and building better ways of working.

The Working Life Forum Finland 2022 invites everyone to join in the public debate on working life in August. This event is an important platform for developing the world of work in the long term. For this reason, I would like to invite all organizations and people to join us in creating a common understanding of working life and creating solutions for the working life of the future. I particularly hope that young people will also take part in this debate on the future of working life. We can achieve the best outcome by combining different perspectives and views and by engaging in constructive dialogue. Our goal is to gather the latest information on the world of work and its current state. Based on this, we will conduct regular discussions on how to find good development paths to the future.

By working together we can build the best possible working life.

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Hanna Sarkkinen
Minister of Social Affairs and Health

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