European Semester 2021-2022 country fiche on disability equality : Finland.
Date: 2022-12-30
Institutions: Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion
Subjects: European Semester, Finland, designated employment, digitisation, equal treatment, facilities for people with disabilities, health care, integration of people with disabilities, job access, professional qualifications, social integration, social statistics, unemployment, worker with disabilities

European Semester 2021-2022 
country fiche on disability equality 

Finland 

March 2022 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
EUROPEAN COMMISSION 
Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion 
Directorate D — Social Rights and Inclusion 
Unit D3 — Disability & Inclusion 

European Commission 
B-1049 Brussels 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
European Semester 2021-2022 
country fiche on disability equality 

With comparative data Annex provided by EDE 

Finland 

Hisayo Katsui 
Katja Valkama 

European  Disability  Expertise  (EDE)  provides  independent  scientific  support  to  the 
Commission’s  policy  Unit  responsible  for  disability  issues.  It  aims  to  mainstream 
disability  equality  in  EU  policy  processes,  including  implementation  of  the  United 
Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. 

This country report has been prepared as input for the European Semester in 2022.1 

1  For an introduction to the Semester process, see 

https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/policies/european-semester/how-european-semester-works/. 

Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion  

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                            
 
LEGAL NOTICE 

Manuscript completed in March 2022 

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Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2022 

© European Union, 2022 

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Except  otherwise  noted,  the  reuse  of  this  document  is  authorised  under  a  Creative  Commons  Attribution  4.0 
International (CC-BY 4.0) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). This means that reuse is allowed 
provided appropriate credit is given and any changes are indicated. 

PDF 

ISBN 978-92-76-43525-9 

DOI: 10.2767/061534 

KE-08-21-335-EN-N 

European Semester 2021-2022 country fiche on disability - Finland 

Table of Contents 

3 

5 

4 

1 

Executive summary and recommendations ....................................................... 4 
1.1  Key points and main challenges for Finland in 2022 ................................. 4 
1.2  Recommendations for Finland ................................................................... 5 
2  Mainstreaming disability equality in the Semester documents ........................... 6 
2.1  Recovery and Resilience Plan for Finland (RRP) ...................................... 6 
2.2  Semester links to CRPD and national disability action plans..................... 7 
Disability and the labour market - analysis of the situation and the effectiveness 
of policies ........................................................................................................... 8 
3.1  Summary of the labour market situation of persons with disabilities ......... 8 
3.2  Analysis of labour market policies relevant to the Semester ..................... 9 
Disability, social policies and healthcare – analysis of the situation and the 
effectiveness of policies ................................................................................... 11 
4.1  Summary of the social situation of persons with disabilities .................... 11 
4.2  Analysis of social policies relevant to the Semester ................................ 11 
Disability, education and skills – analysis of the situation and the effectiveness 
of policies ......................................................................................................... 13 
5.1  Summary of the educational situation of persons with disabilities ........... 13 
5.2  Analysis of education policies relevant to the Semester .......................... 13 
Investment priorities in relation to disability ...................................................... 15 
6.1  Updates on use of existing EU funds (up to 2021) .................................. 15 
6.2  Priorities for future investment (after 2021) ............................................. 17 
Annex: disability data relevant to the Semester ............................................... 19 
7.1  Data relevant to disability and the labour market ..................................... 20 
7.1.1  Unemployment............................................................................ 21 
7.1.2  Economic activity ........................................................................ 22 
7.1.3  Alternative sources of labour market data in Finland .................. 23 
7.2  EU data relevant to disability, social policies and healthcare (2019) ....... 24 
7.2.1  Alternative sources of poverty or health care data in Finland ..... 25 
7.3  EU data relevant to disability and education............................................ 26 
7.3.1  Alternative sources of education data in Finland ........................ 26 

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European Semester 2021-2022 country fiche on disability - Finland 

1 

Executive summary and recommendations 

1.1  Key points and main challenges for Finland in 2022 

Disability and the labour market 

In Finland, persons with disabilities, especially persons with intellectual disabilities, are 
too often on work incapacity allowance and economically inactive. Recovery from the 
COVID-19  crisis  might  leave  them  even  further  behind  if  the  general  employment 
situation  remains  difficult.  The  recovery  programme  of  the  Government  of  Finland 
contains  actions  and  investments  for  employment  and  for  bridging  the  care  and 
rehabilitation  gap  that  affects  people  with  disabilities  as  a  result  of  the  COVID-19 
pandemic. 

Disability, social policies and healthcare 

The Finnish Parliament finally passed the SOTE (health and social services) reform in 
June  2021.  Subsequently,  new  laws  will  be  enacted  between  July  2021  and  early 
2023. The reform will be implemented from 2023 onwards. Along with this, two existing 
disability laws will be merged into one. Unlike the old two laws, the new disability law 
is expected to promote self-determination of persons with disabilities on the basis of 
their individual needs rather than their impairments. However, persons with disabilities 
in  Finland  fear  that  they  will  lose  the  disability  services  granted  to  them  by  their 
municipalities  when  the  administrative  structure  changes  and  counties  (so-called 
‘welfare areas’) take over the responsibility.  

Disability, education and skills 

Inclusive  education  is  not  sufficiently  understood  as  in  the  CRPD  in  Finland  and 
replaced by integrated education without sufficient support for children with disabilities 
or teaching staff. Due to the lack of resources and capacity of teaching staff in Finland, 
teachers and others who problematise inclusive education have a strong voice.  

In Finland, most training is open in the same way to persons with disabilities but many 
persons with intellectual disabilities are trained in specialised vocational schools and 
are consequently not employed in the open labour market but in rehabilitative work). 
Moreover, higher education is still not very accessible to, or inclusive for, students with 
disabilities. Although an increasing number of students with disabilities are enrolled in 
higher  education,  they  often  struggle  with  cultural  barriers  embedded  in  higher 
education.  

Investment priorities for inclusion and accessibility 

Digitalisation is key to many goals set by the present government in the Recovery and 
Resilience Plan. There is a great opportunity to make digitalised services accessible 
from the outset and digital gaps must be paid particular attention so as not to increase 
the inequalities in society.  

Employment will be a priority after the COVID-19 pandemic. All measures should be 
inclusive also for persons with disabilities.  

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European Semester 2021-2022 country fiche on disability - Finland 

1.2  Recommendations for Finland 

These  recommendations  are  based  on  the  evidence  and  analysis  presented  in  the 
following chapters of our report. 

Recommendation:  We  recommend  that  Finland  rolls  out  its  pandemic  recovery 
programme in a more disability-inclusive manner and with reference to CRPD. 
Rationale:  The  recovery  programme  of  the  Government  of  Finland  only  refers  to 
disability a few times. Careful attention should be paid so that all actions are inclusive. 
Persons  with  disabilities  risk being  left  behind  in the  implementation of  the planned 
activities for achieving sustainable growth.   

Recommendation: We recommend that Finland pays more attention to the right to 
employment  of  persons  with  disabilities  especially  for  those  with  intellectual 
disabilities. A number of structural barriers need to be removed for their employment 
in the open labour market. 
Rationale:  Employment  is  one  of  the  least  realised  human  rights  of  persons  with 
disabilities in Finland. During and after the pandemic, employment rate decreased for 
the whole population, which is likely to reduce even more the employment of persons 
with disabilities.   

Recommendation:  The  SOTE  reform  should  aim  to  meet  the  individual  needs  of 
persons with disabilities and not be used as an austerity measure.  
Rationale:  The  SOTE  reform  is  finally  in  its  last  stage  before  implementation. 
Meaningful  participation  of  persons  with  disabilities  must  be  ensured  in  both  the 
finalisation stage and the implementation process. 

Recommendation: We recommend that Finland engages in more national campaigns 
to change the negative attitudes towards persons with disabilities in Finnish society 
among the general public. 
Rationale:  Negative  attitudes  are  the  bottleneck  of  Finnish  society,  and  negatively 
affect employment, social and health services, deinstitutionalisation, for example.  

Recommendation:  Children  and  adults  with  disabilities  must  be  ensured  equal 
opportunities through inclusive education and reasonable accommodation.  
Rationale: The education level of persons with disabilities is lower than that of the rest 
of the population, which further restricts their employment opportunities. 

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2  Mainstreaming disability equality in the Semester documents 

Country  Reports  and  Country  Specific  Recommendation  of  direct  relevance  to 
disability policy were not published in this exceptional policy cycle. For a commentary 
on  the  last  published  documents  please  see  our  country  fiche  for  the  previous 
Semester 2020-21. 

2.1  Recovery and Resilience Plan for Finland (RRP) 

The following  key  points  highlight  where  the situation  of  persons  with  disabilities  or 
disability  policies  was  considered  in  these  plans.  We  address  the  most  relevant  of 
these and other issues arising from the RRP/NRP in the next chapters. 

 

 

 

  We expect that the majority of actions presented in the Recovery and Resilience 
Plan  will  include  disability  without  specifically  addressing  it.  As  we  have 
repeatedly  learned from  history,  persons  with  disabilities  are at  a great  risk  of 
being  excluded  from  these  planned  activities,  which  increases  rather  than 
reduces their inequalities.  
People  with  disabilities  are  specifically  identified  in  the  actions  in  these  two 
sections:  1)  Raising  the  employment  rate  and  skill  levels  will  accelerate 
sustainable growth; 2) Access to health and social services will improve and their 
cost-effectiveness will be enhanced.  
Actions concerning Pillar 3 in Reform 5 (p. 184) are discussed to find ways to 
employ persons with partial work ability. The aim is to create a company that can 
function as a link to the actual labour market and offer long-term employment. 
The  goal  is  that  the  person  will  find  work  in  the  labour  market  after  this 
employment. Another goal is to employ persons with intellectual disabilities who 
are currently engaged in rehabilitative work.  
The fourth pillar states in its plan that the pandemic has hit especially vulnerable 
groups the hardest and that persons with disabilities have been singled out. (pp. 
278, 286, 289) 
The  plan  encompasses  recovery  from  the  COVID-19  crisis  and  further 
improvement  of  the  equal  access  and  cost-effectiveness  of  social  and  health 
services through the forthcoming reform (SOTE reform). In conjunction with this, 
it mentions, ‘particularly those in vulnerable positions and their needs are taken 
into account in the development (of health and social care services)’. (p. 16)  
As regards education and employment, the plan mentions that more focus should 
be placed on underrepresented groups of people in employment, to also increase 
their requirements by promoting accessibility to higher education. (p. 17) 
The incentive trap of social security hinders employment opportunities, the social 
security  system  is  complicated,  and  the  coordination  of  different  services  are 
recognised problems. (p. 21) 
Social inequality is recognised as a challenge in Finland. (p. 51)  
Accessibility  in  the  context  of  digitalisation  infrastructure  is  mentioned  several 
times, (ex. pp.108, 124) 
One  of  the  four  pillars  involves  increasing  employment  and  building  people’s 
capacity for sustainable growth. Digitalisation and support  of those with partial 
work ability are some of the identified modalities to achieve this goal (pp.10-11, 

 
 

 

 

 

 

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European Semester 2021-2022 country fiche on disability - Finland 

154).  The  employment  pillar  mentions  health  and  mental  health  as  important 
components for increasing the work capacity of the working population. (p. 153) 

2.2  Semester links to CRPD and national disability action plans 

Relevant recommendations and issues arising from participation in the United Nations 
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) are highlighted in each 
chapter.  

It is also important that Semester plans align with national disability strategy, too. In 
Finland, this refers to the Second National Action Plan on the UN Convention on the 
Rights of Persons 2020-2023.2 The first National Action Plan on the UN CRPD was 
prepared  for  2018–20193  by  the    Advisory  Board  for  the  Rights  of  Persons  with 
Disabilities (VANE), following consultation. A monitoring report4 on the first action plan 
was published in 2019 and assessed the set 82 long-term and short-term measures. 
About half of the first action plan was put into effect, and the other half partially carried 
out. One of the biggest impacts was awareness raised of the rights of persons with 
disabilities particularly in the activities of ministries.  

Based on the first action plan, the monitoring report and public hearings, the second 
action plan was launched for the period 2020-2023 in close collaboration with Finnish 
organisations of persons with disabilities. The second Action Plan has 110 individual 
measures. Responsible duty-bearers (e.g. ministries) are indicated for each measure, 
and  all  of  them  are  committed  to  the  measures.  One  of  the  main  objectives  of  the 
Action Plan is to further increase awareness of the rights of persons with disabilities 
and to mainstream these rights in different administrative branches  as well as more 
widely  in  society.  The  Action  Plan  is  divided  into  13  thematic  areas  such  as 
participation, equality, awareness raising and information dissemination, accessibility 
and  so  forth.  All  these  13  thematic  areas  have  indicators  related  to  structures, 
processes, and results, in addition to goals. 

2   Ministry for Social Affairs and Health. (2021) Right to social inclusion and equality 

National Action Plan on the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2020–2023). 
Ministry for Social Affairs and Health Publication Series 2021:2. Available at 
https://julkaisut.valtioneuvosto.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/162687/STM_2021_2_J.pdf?sequence=1
&isAllowed=y.  

3   Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. (2018) Right to social inclusion and equality – The National 
Action Plan on the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2018–2019. Ministry 
for Social Affairs and Health Publication Series 2018:2. Available at 
https://julkaisut.valtioneuvosto.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/160666/STM_2_18_WEB.pdf?sequence=
1&isAllowed=y.  

4   Hoffrén, Tea & Rautanen-Muhli, Leea. (eds.) (2019) Seurantaraportti: YK:n vammaisten 

henkilöiden oikeuksien yleissopimuksen kansallinen toimintaohjelma (2018-2019) (Monitoring 
report: national action plan of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2018-
2019)). Ministry for Social Affairs and Health Publication Series 2019:61. Available at 
https://julkaisut.valtioneuvosto.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/161768/Rap_61_2019_YKn%20vammaist
en.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y. 

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European Semester 2021-2022 country fiche on disability - Finland 

3 

Disability  and  the  labour  market  -  analysis  of  the  situation  and  the 
effectiveness of policies 

The initial state report was submitted to the UN CRPD Committee in 2019 and has not 
been assessed to date. Article 27 of the UN CRPD addresses the rights to Work and 
Employment. The first action plan highlighted that the right to work is the least realised 
right in the Finnish context (p. 52). 

In the Finnish Recovery and Resilience Plan,5 there is a discussion on the difficulties 
for  some  people  to  find  employment.  The  overall  aim  is  to  identify  people  that  the 
pandemic has hit hardest and the increase the employment rate amongst people who 
have partial ability to work (p. 153).  Reform 5 (p. 184) aims to launch a new actor to 
intermediate labour market that would provide employment and services for persons 
with partial ability to work. The aim with this new actor is to create a new systematic, 
goal-oriented  and  business-based  actor  to  the  intermediate  labour  markets.  One 
specific target is to employ people with intellectual disabilities so that they can leave 
unpaid rehabilitative work activities. The needed legislative changes should be in place 
by  2022.  Other  actions  concerning  unemployment  are  not  highlighting  specifically 
people with disabilities.  

3.1  Summary of the labour market situation of persons with disabilities 

Data from EU-SILC indicate an employment rate for persons with disabilities in Finland 
of  56.9  %  in  2019,  compared  to  77.8  %  for  other  persons  against  a  national 
employment target of 78 % and approximately 5.6 points above the EU27 average. 
This results in an estimated disability employment gap of approximately 21 percentage 
points (EU27 average gap 24.2, see Tables 2-4) or an employment chances ratio of 
0.7. 

The same data indicate unemployment rates of 18.0 % and 7.2 %, respectively in 2019 
(see Tables 5-7) and the economic activity rate for persons with disabilities in Finland 
was  69.4  %,  compared  to  83.8  %  for  other  persons  (see  Tables  8-10).  These 
indications are broken down by gender and age in the respective tables in annex.  

As no general register is kept of persons with disabilities in Finland, no up-to-date data 
on  the employment  rate  of  persons  with  disabilities  are  available  (although  there  is 
some administrative data concerning registered job seekers). This is the first statistical 
challenge in Finland. Another such challenge is the blurred line between ‘employment’ 
and  ‘unemployment’.  The  Social  Welfare  Act  lays  down  provisions  on  promoting 
access  to  employment  and  rehabilitative  work  activities  for  people  with  disabilities. 
According  to  the  initial  state  report  (2019)  of  the  Finnish  Institute  for  Welfare  and 
Health  (THL),  1729  clients  attended  day  activities  based  on  the  Act  on  Disability 
Services and Assistance (1987/380), and 9844 attended activities based on the Act 
on Special Care for People with Intellectual Disabilities (519/1977). Those who receive 
pensions and who are engaged in different kinds of employment activities within the 
framework of social protection services are too often left uncounted as those seeking 

5   Sustainable Growth Programme for Finland Recovery and Resilience Plan. Publication of the 

Finnish Government 2021:52. Suomen kestävän kasvun ohjelma. Elpymis- ja 
palautumissuunnitelma (valtioneuvosto.fi). 

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European Semester 2021-2022 country fiche on disability - Finland 

work  or  unemployed.  They  are  categorised  as  those  in  rehabilitative  work  in 
administrative statistics (Table 11). This creates a bias in statistics that undermines 
the  number  of  persons  with  disabilities  who  want  to  work  but  are  outside  the  open 
labour market. These are some of the reasons why Finnish statistics must be critically 
analysed. 

3.2  Analysis of labour market policies relevant to the Semester 

For reference, see also the 2021 Recovery and Resilience Plan for Finland and the 
Second  National  Action  Plan  on  the  UN  Convention  on  the  Rights  of  Persons  with 
Disabilities 2020-2023. 

Finland’s initial state report that was submitted to the CRPD in 2019 summarises the 
existing statutory efforts in the employment sector. According to the report, a number 
of statutory activities promote the employment of persons with disabilities. These are 
free social services, based on the Social Welfare Act. In addition to the general law, 
special  laws  on  disability  services,  namely  the  Act  on  Disability  Services  and 
Assistance  (1987/380)  and  the  Act  on  Special  Care  for  People  with  Intellectual 
Disabilities (519/1977), secure specific services meant for persons with disabilities. Of 
the  many  kinds  of  disability  services,  personal  assistants  (PAs)  and  transportation 
services  are  highlighted  as  the  most  essential  and  often  as  preconditions  for 
employment.6  In  2019, 26  990 persons  used PAs,7  the  largest  user group  of  which 
were  working-age  people.  Municipalities  have  to  provide  transportation  services  for 
study and work at least 18 times per month for other activities.  

Municipalities also have other, different provisions, which are not very well known. For 
instance, adjustment support is stipulated by law and the municipality’s employment 
department can pay a subsidy of up to EUR 4 000 per person to remove the barriers 
to  work,  that  persons  with  disabilities  face.  Similarly,  the  employment  department 
provides up to 20 hours per month for a maximum of 18 months to support persons 
with disabilities at EUR 20 per hour.8 Interpreter services are stipulated in the Act on 
Interpretation Services for Persons with Disabilities (33/2010) for persons with hearing 
impairments. There were 6 071 service users in 2019 (3 661 hearing impaired, 368 
deaf-blind, and 2 042 with a speech disability).  

Some  disability  services  are  not  compulsory  for  municipalities  but  subject  to  their 
include  rehabilitation 
resource  availability.  Resource-bound  disability  services 

6   Kyröläinen, Anni. (2020) Vammaisten henkilöiden työllistymisen rakenteelliset esteet. Työ- ja 

elinkeinoministeriön julkasuja 2020:36. P.19. Helsinki. Available at:  
https://tem.fi/-/report-barriers-to-employment-of-persons-with-disabilities-to-be-
removed?fbclid=IwAR20QuPCj4zqDKedFMBUrDGIamj1tPqAOJ_b0pQhKsgVzB52EKFVXGQLOP
A. 

7   THL. (2021) Vammaisten henkilöiden kokemuksia koronaepidemian ajalta – tuloksia 

henkilökohtaisen avun asiakaskyselystä. Available at: 
https://www.julkari.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/142612/URN_ISBN_978-952-343-657-
2.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y.  

8   Kyröläinen, Anni. (2020) Vammaisten henkilöiden työllistymisen rakenteelliset esteet. Työ- ja 

elinkeinoministeriön julkasuja 2020:36. Helsinki.p.23. Available at:  
https://tem.fi/-/report-barriers-to-employment-of-persons-with-disabilities-to-be-
removed?fbclid=IwAR20QuPCj4zqDKedFMBUrDGIamj1tPqAOJ_b0pQhKsgVzB52EKFVXGQLOP
A. 

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European Semester 2021-2022 country fiche on disability - Finland 

supervision,  adjustment  training,  daily  assistive  devices,  compensation  for  special 
clothing, compensation for special diet, and compensation for a personal car. These 
are  all  statutory  services  that  facilitate  persons  with  disabilities’  employment  in  the 
open  labour  market  or  engage  them  in  employment  activities.  They  are  seemingly 
generous statutory support to promote employment. 

Nevertheless,  many  structural  barriers  have  been  identified.  The  first  of  these  are 
benefit-related incentive traps. The employment activities and day activities described 
above have been heavily criticised  in the past for trapping persons with disabilities, 
especially  persons  with  intellectual  disabilities,  into  segregated  social  services  far 
away from the open labour market.9 

In Finland, companies that employ more than 30 people are obliged to take equality 
and non-discrimination actions. Although the employment of persons with disabilities 
is spoken about as important, it is not implemented in practice. Disability is the grounds 
for discrimination most frequently notified to the equality ombudsman.10  

The  Non-discrimination  Act  (1325/2014)  defines  accessibility,  equality,  and 
reasonable accommodation. Accessibility, including digital accessibility, needs to be 
further developed at work as well as in society at large. However, the latest report from 
the Ministry11 on the structural barriers to the employment of persons with disabilities 
highlights the great need for raising employers’ awareness of accessibility, equality, 
and reasonable accommodation.  

9   Vesala, H. et al. (2015) Kehitysvammaisten Ihmisten Työllisyystilanne 2013-2014. 

Kehitysvammaliiton selvityksiä 9. Helsinki. Available at https://www.kehitysvammaliitto.fi/wp-
content/uploads/kehitysvammaliiton-selvityksia-9.pdf.  

10   Yhdenvertaisuusvaltuutettu (2018): Yhdenvertaisuusvaltuutetun Vuosikertomus 2018  
11   Kyröläinen, Anni. (2020) Vammaisten henkilöiden työllistymisen rakenteelliset esteet. Työ- ja 

elinkeinoministeriön julkasuja 2020:36. Helsinki. Available at: 
https://julkaisut.valtioneuvosto.fi/handle/10024/162325. 

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4 

Disability, social policies and healthcare – analysis of the situation and the 
effectiveness of policies 

Article  28  of  the  UN  CRPD  addresses  Adequate  standard  of  living  and  social 
protection.  Article  19  of  the  UN  CRPD  addresses  Living  independently  in  the 
community. Article 25 of the UN CRPD addresses Health.  

4.1  Summary of the social situation of persons with disabilities 

Data from EU-SILC 2019 indicate the poverty risk rate for working age persons with 
disabilities  in  Finland was  14.6  %  in 2019, compared  to  9.7  % for  other persons of 
similar age - an estimated disability poverty gap of approximately 5 percentage points 
(see Table 12-15). For people aged over 65, the disability poverty gap was 5.4 points 
(17.1 % for older persons with disabilities and 11.7 % for other persons of similar age). 
The  tables  in  annex  also  indicate  the  respective  rates  of  risk  of  poverty  or  social 
exclusion and break these down by gender as well age. 

For persons with disabilities of working age in Finland (age 16-64) the risk of poverty 
before social transfers was  42.0 % and 14.6 % after transfers. The in-work poverty 
rate for persons with disabilities aged under 60 was 3.6 %. 

Of  interest  to  health  policy  are  the  data  on  self-reported  unmet  needs  for  medical 
examination (too expensive or too far to travel or waiting list). Disability equality gaps 
are evident here too and, on this basis, the rate for disabled persons in Finland was 
9.0 %, compared to 2.3 % for other persons, which is above the EU27 average of  
1.7 %. 

Additional  data  concerning  the  number  of  recipients  of  disability  benefits  are 
maintained by Kela. The most recent figures (published June 2021) showed a slight 
reduction in recipients of disability allowances between 2019 and 2020, to 261 937, of 
which the large majority (210 324) were Care allowances for pensioners, compared to 
37  466  persons  under  16  and  just  14  177  aged  over  16.  This  amounted  to  a  total 
expenditure  of  EUR  553  million  in  2020.  A  total  of  5  874  persons  were  entitled  to 
interpreting services, of which the majority were hearing impaired (3 563).12 

4.2  Analysis of social policies relevant to the Semester 

For reference, see also the 2021 Recovery and Resilience Plan for Finland and the 
Second National Action Plan on the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons 2020-
2023. 

COVID-related situations including lock-down, poorer accessibilty of social, health and 
disability services, and less socialisation hit persons with disabilities hard. According 
to  a  study  of  the  Finnish  Institute  of  Welfare  and  Health  (THL),13  accessibility  to 

12   Disability benefits provided by Kela: Social Insurance Institution of Finland 

https://helda.helsinki.fi/bitstream/handle/10138/331629/Pocket_Statistics_2021.pdf?sequence=4&i
sAllowed=y (p. 12). 

13   THL. (2021) Vammaisten henkilöiden kokemuksia koronaepidemian ajalta – tuloksia 

henkilökohtaisen avun asiakaskyselystä. THL. Helsinki. Available at: 

11 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                            
European Semester 2021-2022 country fiche on disability - Finland 

personal assistant services deteriorated. About half of the respondents experienced 
poorer  mental  health,  and  40  %  experienced  deteriorated  health  conditions. 
Loneliness was particularly problematic when they could not meet friends and families.  

In the Recovery and Resilience Plan, it is planned that as a part of the ongoing social 
and  health  care  reform  the  implementation  of  the  statutory  care  guarantee  will  be 
promoted and the deficit in care, rehabilitation and services in social and health care 
will be filled. The deficit in rehabilitation and services are especially apparent in the 
lives of people with severe disabilities (p. 278). This manifests in difficulties to manage 
studies, work or even in everyday life which lead to increased need for support. The 
pandemic has affected service provision with many lock downs and closing services. 
Investments are targeted to local authorities to plan actions according to local needs. 
The plan entails the local authorities to direct special attention to vulnerable people 
especially hit by the pandemic. People with disabilities are singled out as one of these 
groups (p. 286).  

The second Action Plan of the UN CRPD (2020-2023), which was established before 
the pandemic, refers to the government programme14 and strongly adresses a human 
rights-based  welfare  policy  that  leaves  no  one  behind.  The  participation  of  persons 
with disabilities through their representative organisations is a primary principle of the 
Plan. The following goals are included: 

 

 
 
 

 

to  promote  the  lineal  model,  in  which  social  security  and  employment  can  be 
combined without significantly losing benefits and allowances, in conjunction with 
the SOTE reform; 
to make avialable digitalised employment services; 
to increase employment in the open labour market;  
to promote personal budgeting based on self-determination and participation of 
persons with disabilities; 
to strengthen housing based on individual and diverse needs.  

These  are  still  relevant  goals.  However,  the  pandemic  has  led  to  different  kinds  of 
acute  needs  including  mental  health  needs  such  as  loneliness  and  anxiety.  Such 
pandemic-specific needs have to be taken into account even if they are not part of the 
Action Plan. 

https://www.julkari.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/142612/URN_ISBN_978-952-343-657-
2.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y.  

14   Government of Finland. (2019) Inclusive and competent Finland – a socially, economically and 
ecologically sustainable society. Available at https://valtioneuvosto.fi/en/marin/government-
programme.  

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European Semester 2021-2022 country fiche on disability - Finland 

5 

Disability,  education  and  skills  –  analysis  of  the  situation  and  the 
effectiveness of policies 

Article 24 of the UN CRPD addresses Education.  

5.1  Summary of the educational situation of persons with disabilities 

The  EU-SILC  2019  estimates  concerning  educational  attainment  should  be  treated 
with additional caution due to relatively wide confidence intervals, but they consistently 
indicate  disability  equality  gaps  (an  average  of  2-3  years  provides  a  more  stable 
indication). Table 17 indicates early school leaving rates disaggregated by disability 
status in Finland. Youth with disabilities (aged 18-24) tend to leave school significantly 
more  than  non-disabled  peers  of  the  same  age  groups  (and  this  is  reinforced  by 
widening the sample size to age 18-29). Table 18 shows completion rate of tertiary 
education disaggregated  by  disability  and  age  group.  Persons  with  disabilities  (age 
30-34)  are  less  likely  to  complete  tertiary  education  than  their  peers  (and  this  is 
reinforced in the wider age range 30-39).  

The Education Policy Report of the Finnish Government15 was published in April 2021. 
It is stated in the report that the educational system is not as equal as intended. The 
objectives to reach equality and equity are not fully realised and  further actions are 
suggested in the report. The legislation enables different forms of support that could 
be  provided.  The  report  recommends  that  municipalities  would  utilise  all  the 
possibilities to support inclusion of persons with disabilities in all levels of education. 
It is for example suggested that timely support and low-threshold services sufficient to 
secure  children's  and  young  people's  development,  learning  and  well-being  will  be 
ensured by the renewed legislation. The authorities responsible for education should 
support an encouraging school culture, in which diversity is accepted.  

5.2  Analysis of education policies relevant to the Semester 

For reference, see also the 2021 Recovery and Resilience Plan for Finland and the 
Second National Action Plan on the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons 2020-
2023. 

In the Second National Action Plan on the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons 
with Disabilities 2020-202316 it is stated that reasonable accommodation is a term that 
needs clearer definition especially in employment and education sectors. The Finnish 
Government is committed to increase awareness and competences related to minority 
issues among the authorities. The Government will launch a partial reform of the Non-
Discrimination Act, making equality and non-discrimination plans at different levels of 
education  obligatory,  including  the early  childhood education and care. The actions 
also  aim  to  prevent  discrimination  in  recruitment  and  examining  anonymous 
recruitments. All these measures play a role in the realisation of the equality of persons 

15   Education Policy Report of the Finnish Government. Publications of the Finnish Government 2021: 

24. http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-383-622-8.  

16   Right to social inclusion and equality: National Action Plan on the UN Convention on the Rights of 
Persons with Disabilities (2020–2023). Publications of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health 
2021: 22. http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-00-5422-9. 

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European Semester 2021-2022 country fiche on disability - Finland 

with  disabilities,  and  putting  them  successfully  to  practice  will  support  the 
implementation of the UNCRPD in Finland.  

A government proposal on extending compulsory education was brought to Parliament 
in  autumn  2020  and  the  Act  came  into  effect  in  2021.17  The  Act  states  that  the 
compulsory  education  is  extended  to  upper  secondary  education  until  the  student 
turns  18.  This  extension  of  compulsory  education  applies  equally  to  all  students.  A 
new act on preparatory education for programmes leading to a qualification was also 
introduced.  The  transition  stage  programmes  between  basic  and  upper  secondary 
education, or voluntary additional basic education, preparatory education for general 
upper secondary education and preparatory education for vocational education and 
training, have been combined to form preparatory education leading to a qualification. 

The Education Policy Report of the Finnish Government18 presents several concrete 
actions  to  enhance  the  inclusion  of  children  with  disabilities  to  early  childhood 
education  and  elementary  school.  It  is  argued  that  the  introduction  of  two-year 
preschool might support school entry of vulnerable groups. The quality objectives that 
will  be  drafted  for  early  childhood  education  will  make  assessment  easier.  More 
attention will be directed to multi-professional actions to support the inclusiveness of 
the education. The increasing the age of compulsory schooling to 18 years will offer 
possibilities also for young people with disabilities to acquire needed competences to 
enter labour market or higher education.19 In higher education more opportunities have 
to be created by digitalisation and student support services.  The access for needed 
support must be ensured also in higher education according to the legislation. 

Several other developmental projects and programmes are targeted to enhance the 
right  to education.  For example, a development  programme  entitled  Oikeus osata20 
(‘Right  to  skills’)  focuses  on  the  quality  and  equality  of  vocational  education  and 
training  and  aims  to  ensure  that  all  students  in  vocational  education  and  training 
acquire solid vocational competence and good basic skills for work, life and lifelong 
learning. The development programme was launched in 2020 and it will end in 2022. 
A  network  project  on  building  competence  in  demanding  special  support  based  on 
evidence (TUVET)21 has produced research evidence and learning materials related 
to pedagogical solutions for demanding and special support to help develop the initial 
teacher education and competence development during teachers’ careers. 

17   Extension of compulsory education. https://minedu.fi/en/extension-of-compulsory-education.  
18   Education Policy Report of the Finnish Government. Publications of the Finnish Government 2021: 

24. http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-383-622-8.  

19   Extension of compulsory education. https://minedu.fi/en/extension-of-compulsory-education.  
20   Preparing the Programme to Develop Quality and Equality in Vocational Education and Training 

https://minedu.fi/oikeusosata.  

21   Tutkimusperustainen vaativaan erityiseen tukeen liittyvän osaamisen vahvistaminen 
opettajankoulutuksessa ja täydennyskoulutuksessa (TUVET). https://www.tuvet.fi/.  

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European Semester 2021-2022 country fiche on disability - Finland 

6 

Investment priorities in relation to disability 

6.1  Updates on use of existing EU funds (up to 2021) 

European social fund (ESF) 

S22370  Supported  Cooperative,  start 1.4.2021  and  end  30.6.2023.  The  purpose of 
the Supported Cooperative project is to create a new type of Supported Cooperative 
model that works in connection with public sector's rehabilitative work activities. The 
supported cooperative provides a pathway to supported entrepreneurship for people 
with intellectual and developmental disabilities and other people who need support in 
learning. During the project, the existing cooperative models will be reformulated, and 
the  developed  new  Supported  Cooperative  model will  be  piloted  in  connection  with 
municipal work in Central Finland. The aim is to get Supported Cooperatives within 
the work activities of municipalities to diversify employment opportunities. The project 
also  collaborates  with  other  relevant  actors  (social  work,  schools,  work  centres, 
associations). The project promotes the role and inclusion of people with intellectual 
and  development  disabilities  and  others  who  need  support  in  learning  and 
understanding in working life. In addition, the aim is to diversify the earning potential 
of people with intellectual disabilities as the supported cooperative model develops, 
so that as many people as possible receive part of their livelihood as sales of products 
or services. EU and State funding granted: EUR 92 807, planned public funding (total): 
EUR 333 472.  

S22389 The survival and coping of persons with disabilities and persons with migrant 
origin in times of crisis and emergencies – Creating a new future using experiences 
from the COVID-19 pandemic, start 1.2.2021 and end 31.3.2023.  The object of this 
project  is to  support the  survival and functional capacity  of persons  with  disabilities 
and persons with migrant origin in times of crises and emergencies. Instructions, plans 
and operational models will be formed for use in municipalities and communities during 
states  of  emergency.  Persons  of  migrant  origin,  persons  with  disabilities,  informal 
caregivers,  civil  society  organisations  of  persons  with  disabilities  and  persons  of 
migrant  origin,  expert  networks  of  the  Association  of  Finnish  Local  and  Regional 
Authorities, and service providers will join together to develop said instructions, plans 
and operational models. The aim is that in the future, during similar circumstances, the 
needs and rights of both persons of migrant origin and persons with disabilities will be 
observed and taken into account more carefully. Intersectional points of view will also 
be taken into account in this project, i.e. persons who are both of migrant origin and 
have  disabilities.  Developing  instructions,  plans  and  operational  models  requires 
knowledge about how the pandemic has affected persons with disabilities, persons of 
migrant origin and service organisers and providers. Data is gathered with population 
survey studies, surveys to municipalities and service units, client interviews, and focus 
group  discussions.  Data  from  said  different  sources  is  used  to  determine  how  the 
coronavirus pandemic has affected the two target groups of this project. EU and State 
funding granted: EUR 448 008, planned public funding (total): EUR 1 304.068.  

S22413 Netta – supporting young people with special needs to get a job and educating 
enterprises  to  recruit  people  with  special  needs,  start 1.5.2021  and  end  30.4.2023. 
The  aim  of  the  project  is  to  develop  an  action  model  and  to  strengthen  skills  and 
competences in working life to support people with special needs, especially when the 

15 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
European Semester 2021-2022 country fiche on disability - Finland 

restrictions include lack in communication skills. The objective is also the create more 
opportunities to develop their carrier and work-related skills.  

EU and State funding granted: EUR 127 640, planned public funding (total): EUR  
159 550. 

S22445 The ‘Let's hire! Supported employment centre’ started on 1.1.2021 and ends 
on 31.8.2023. The main goal of the project is to support the implementation of high-
quality,  effective  job  coaching  in  Pirkanmaa.  This  will  lead  to  an  increase  in  the 
employment  of  people  with  disabilities  or  other  needs  for  support.  A  job  coaching 
coordination  centre  called  ‘Lets  hire!  Supported  employment  centre’,  will  be 
established. The Coordination Centre compiles and maintains a co-operation network 
consisting of the following parties operating in Pirkanmaa; job coaches (organisation, 
city,  municipality,  educational  institution),  employees  of  employment  promotion 
services, social service employees, employers, job seekers, and future job coaches 
who work, for example, in the daytime activity centre as a mentor in municipalities that 
do not yet have a job coaching service. EU and State funding granted: EUR 65 873, 
planned public funding (total): EUR 172 499.  

S22448 ‘Power’ started 1.1.2021 and ends on 31.8.2023. The aim of the project is to 
support multicultural people who need support due to a mild intellectual disability or 
other  special  needs  to  find  their  own  study  and  working  life  path.  The  project  will 
reinforce  their  self-awareness,  strengths,  and  social  inclusion,  while  providing 
adequate, appropriate support. The project organises group and individual coaching. 
The results and outputs will be used to develop a coaching model for wider use. EU 
and State funding granted: EUR 67 370, planned public funding (total): EUR 194 750.  

S22514 ‘Partially able to work as part of the open labour market’ started on 2.8.2021 
and ends on 30.6.2023.  Its aim is to enhance  the participation in labour markets of 
people  with  partial  ability  to  work  such  as  persons  with  disabilities  in  Rovaniemi, 
Lapland. EU and State funding granted: EUR 181 900, planned public funding (total): 
EUR 240 830. 

S22423 ‘Supporting the job’ started on 1.6.2021 and ends 31.12.2022. The project is 
an  extension  to  the  ‘Job  for  real’  project,  and  its  aim  is  to  support  people  who  are 
retired due to disability or long-term unemployment because of poor work ability. The 
project adds elements of social rehabilitation to work coaching. It helps disabled and 
incapacitated people find they own resources and be active in the labour market.  It 
also aims to harmonise paid employment and pensions. The model developed in the 
project will be integrated into existing structures. In addition, co-operation with public 
services will increase, especially via the municipal experiment. EU and State funding 
granted: EUR 91 197, planned public funding (total): EUR 236 554. 

European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)  

A77475 ‘Disko – Better accessibility of digital services as a method to defeat corona’ 
starts on 1.9.2021 and ends on 31.8.2023. This project focuses on increasing digital 
accessibility.  Better  accessibility  and  barrier-free  use  will  improve  the  services  of 
several user target groups and create significantly better new business opportunities 
for  entrepreneurs.  The  project  aims  to  increase  the  availability  of  digital  services 

16 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
European Semester 2021-2022 country fiche on disability - Finland 

through the Accessibility Directive of the EU even before the finalisation of the national 
legislation in Finland. The project consists of a large variety of actions, to increase the 
competence of SMEs in particular, taking into account the entire business chain from 
product development to the delivery of the service / product to the customer. EU and 
State funding granted: EUR 270 164, planned public funding (total): EUR 337 705.  

Ended projects: 

Neighbour – community living model (1.1.2018 - 30.4.2020) The purpose of Neighbour 
–  community  living  model  -Project  is  to  strengthen  welfare,  social  inclusion  and 
participation skills of adult people with intellectual disabilities by  
searching solutions for independent living and preventing social exclusion. The aim of 
the project is to expand and develop the social housing property management model 
from supportive living guidance towards inclusive community-based Neighbourhood-
community model. The material of the project is available in Finnish.22 

The  projects  funded  by  structural  funds  are  evaluated.  Evaluation  reports23  are 
available  in  Finnish,  but  they  do  not  assess  outcomes  from  perspective  of  persons 
with disabilities. The final report is available in English.24 

6.2  Priorities for future investment (after 2021) 

Digitalisation  is  a  strategy  for  many  of  the  present  Government’s  goals  set  for  the 
future.  This  is  a  great  opportunity  to  make  digitalised  services  accessible  from  the 
onset, and to pay particular attention to digital gaps to avoid increasing the inequalities 
in society.  

Employment  will  be  a  priority  for  the  whole  nation  after  the  corona  pandemic.  All 
measures  should  also  be  inclusive  of  persons  with  disabilities.  A  lineal  model  for 
employment of persons with disabilities, particularly those with intellectual disabilities, 
is  a  priority  so  that  allowance  dependency  and  the  incentive  trap  does  not 
institutionally hinder them from working. Finland will use the RRF funding for creating 
a  new  actor  to  intermediate  labour  market  that  would  provide  employment  and 
services  for  persons  with  partial ability  to  work.  Special  attention  will  be  directed  in 
offering  equal  possibilities  to  enter  the  labour  market  for  people  with  intellectual 
disabilities.  

Funds will also be invested to projects tackling the deficit in care and rehabilitation, 
especially for people with disabilities.  

The reconciliation process for the Deaf and Sign community is clearly written in the 
current government programme of the Prime Minister, Sanna Marin. The Government 
of Finland has commissioned a study on human rights violation against this community 
and it will be completed by the end of 2021. After this, a reconciliation commission will 

22   Project materials https://www.lab.fi/fi/projekti/naapurit-yhteisollisyyden-ja-osallisuuden-

mahdollistajat.  

23   Rakennerahasto-ohjelman arviointi https://www.rakennerahastot.fi/arviointi.  
24   Final evaluation report of Structural Funds Programme 
https://www.rakennerahastot.fi/web/en/evaluation.  

17 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                            
European Semester 2021-2022 country fiche on disability - Finland 

be  established  which  will  discuss  past  and  present,  systematic,  institutional  human 
rights  violations  and  ways  forward  towards  full  inclusion  of  the  Deaf  and  Sign 
community in Finnish society.  

18 

 
 
European Semester 2021-2022 country fiche on disability - Finland 

7 

Annex: disability data relevant to the Semester 

See also disability data published in the Eurostat database25 and statistical reports.26 

Unless specified, the summary statistics are drawn from the most recent EU-SILC data 
available to researchers from Eurostat. The EU-SILC sample includes people living in 
private  households  and  does  not  include  people  living  in  institutions  (congregative 
households). The sampling methods vary somewhat in each country. 

The proxy used to identify people with disabilities (impairments) is whether ‘for at least 
the past 6 months’ the respondent reports that they have been ‘limited because of a 
health problem in activities people usually do’.27 

Table 1: Self-reported ‘activity limitations’ as a proxy for impairment/disability (2019) 

0

10

20

30

%
40

50

60

70

80

Not limited

All limited

Strongly limited

Limited to some extent

Men

Women

Age 16-64

Age 65+

Age 65+

Age 16-64

Women

Men

EU27 average

National average

47,6

51,2

16,8

30,3

26,2

39,7

21,9

32,0

Limited to
some
extent
17,2

28,3

Strongly
limited

All limited

Not limited

6,9

7,5

24,1

35,9

75,9

64,1

Source: EU-SILC 2019 Release 2021 version 1.  

In  subsequent  tables,  these  data  are  used  to  indicate  ‘disability’  equality  gaps  and 
trends relevant to the analytical chapters – for the labour market, social policies and 
healthcare, and education – by comparing outcomes for persons who report and do 
not  report  ‘activity  limitations’.28  National  estimates  for  Finland  are  compared  with 

25   Eurostat health Database, https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/health/data/database. 
26   Eurostat (2019) Disability Statistics https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-

explained/index.php?title=Disability_statistics. 

27   The SILC survey questions are contained in the Minimum European Health Module (MEHM) 

https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-
explained/index.php?title=Special:WhatLinksHere/Glossary:Minimum_European_Health_Module_(
MEHM).  

28  This methodology was developed in the annual statistical reports of ANED, available at 

http://www.disability-europe.net/theme/statistical-indicators. 

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European Semester 2021-2022 country fiche on disability - Finland 

EU27  mean  averages  for  the  most  recent  year.29  In  general,  a  larger  proportion  of 
younger adults reported limitations in Finland than the EU average. 
7.1  Data relevant to disability and the labour market 

Table 2: EU and Finland employment rates, by disability and gender (aged 20-64) (2019) 

%

90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0

No
disability

Some
disability

Severe
disability

Disabled
women

Disabled
men

Non-
disabled
women

Non-
disabled
men

Disabled
total

EU27 average

National average

75,6

77,8

58,8

62,1

29,8

33,2

49,0

60,1

53,9

53,2

69,3

76,2

82,0

79,2

51,3

56,9

Table 3: Employment rates in Finland, by disability and age group (2019) 

%

100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0

age 16-24*

age 25-34

age 35-44

age 45-54

age 55-64

Disabled

Non-disabled

22,2

27,0

52,8

76,1

71,5

88,4

68,7

92,2

49,4

73,5

Table 4: National trends in employment rates, by disability status (aged 20-64) (2019) 

%

90,0

80,0

70,0

60,0

50,0

40,0

30,0

20,0

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

National (disabled)

55,8 55,5 53,7 51,7 56,3 57,8 55,2 53,8 53,9 54,4 58,3 56,9

National (non-disabled) 78,5 77,2 72,6 74,3 74,9 76,4 75,3 74,7 72,5 74,4 75,9 77,8

Source: EU-SILC 2019 Release 2021 version 1 (and preceding UDBs). 

29   The exit of the United Kingdom from the EU changes the EU average. Averages were also 

affected in 2015 by a discontinuity in the German disability data due to a definitional change.  

20 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                            
European Semester 2021-2022 country fiche on disability - Finland 

7.1.1  Unemployment 

Table 5: Unemployment rates by disability and gender (aged 20-64) (2019) 

%

25

20

15

10

5

0

Disabled
women

Disabled
men

Non-disabled
women

Non-disabled
men

Disabled
total

Non-disabled
total

EU27 average

National average

17,0

13,3

17,6

23,5

9,1

6,0

7,6

8,1

17,3

18,0

8,3

7,2

Table 6: Unemployment rates in Finland, by disability and age group (2019) 

%

40

35

30

25

20

15

10

5

0

age 16-24

age 25-34

age 35-44

age 45-54

age 55-64

Disabled

Non-disabled

36,0

23,3

21,8

7,1

12,5

4,1

17,2

5,6

17,9

8,6

Table 7: National trends in unemployment rate, by disability status (aged 20-64) (2019) 

%

40,0

35,0

30,0

25,0

20,0

15,0

10,0

5,0

0,0

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

National (disabled)

11,2 14,8 16,0 16,6 14,1 14,5 18,6 20,4 20,8 21,3 18,8 18,0

National (non-disabled)

6,7

7,6

10,9

9,1

8

7,6

9,2

9,6

11,4 10,3

8,2

7,2

Source: EU-SILC 2019 Release 2021 version 1 (and preceding UDBs). 

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European Semester 2021-2022 country fiche on disability - Finland 

7.1.2  Economic activity 

Table 8: Activity rates in Finland, by disability and gender (aged 20-64) (2019) 

%

100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0

Disabled
women

Disabled
men

Non-disabled
women

Non-disabled
men

Disabled
total

Non-disabled
total

EU27 average

National average

59,1

69,4

65,4

69,5

76,2

81,1

88,8

86,2

62,0

69,4

82,5

83,8

Table 9: Activity rates in Finland, by age group (2019) 

%

120

100

80

60

40

20

0

age 16-24

age 25-34

age 35-44

age 45-54

age 55-64

Disabled

Non-disabled

34,7

35,2

67,5

81,9

81,7

92,2

82,9

97,7

60,2

80,4

Table 10: Trends in activity rates, by disability status (aged 20-64) (2019) 

%

100

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

National (disabled)

62,8 65,1

64

61,9 65,5 67,6 67,8 67,5 68,1 69,1 71,8 69,4

National (non-disabled) 84,1 83,5 81,4 81,7 81,4 82,7 82,9 82,7 81,8 82,9 82,6 83,8

Source: EU-SILC 2019 Release 2021 version 1 (and preceding UDBs). 

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European Semester 2021-2022 country fiche on disability - Finland 

7.1.3  Alternative sources of labour market data in Finland 

Disability data is not yet available from the core European Labour Force Survey but 
historic labour market indicators for Finland were disaggregated from ad hoc modules 
conducted in 2001 and 2011. These can be found in the Eurostat disability database.30 

The Finnish Labour Survey is conducted by Statistics Finland and distinguishes people 
with  partial  work  capacity  (a  different  definition  of  disability)  but  this  variable  is  not 
disaggregated in the published tables.31  

Monthly administrative data is available from the Employment Service for the number 
of unemployed jobseekers, including 34 496 persons ‘with disabilities and long-term 
illnesses’ in July 2021.32 The following table was published for sub-groups within the 
inactive population, in 2019, which included 13 042 ‘disabled or chronically ill’ persons 
and 9 466 persons in ‘rehabilitative work’. 

Table 11: Sub-groups of other inactive population by sex in 201933 

Sub-groups of other inactive population 

Men  Women  Men 

% 

Women 
% 

Total 

Recipients of social assistance 

18,467  15,773  53.9 

46.1  34,240 

Parents of children aged under three 

2,508  30,097 

7.7 

92.3  32,605 

Young people aged 18 to 24 without post-comprehensive 
school qualifications 

7,525 

5,998  55.6 

44.4  13,523 

Disabled or chronically ill 

6,211 

6,831  47.6 

52.4  13,042 

Persons in rehabilitative work 

5,373 

4,093  56.8 

43.2  9,466 

Persons  living  with  capital  income  (>  EUR  20,000  per 
year) 

1,343 

768  63.6 

36.4  2,111 

Source: Statistics Finland. 

30   Eurostat Health Database: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/health/data/database.  
31   Statistics Finland (2021) Labour force survey: Tables https://www.stat.fi/til/tyti/tau_en.html.  
32   Statistics Finland (2021) 2021M07 Unemployed jobseekers with disabilities and long-term illnesses 

(number), 
https://pxnet2.stat.fi/PXWeb/pxweb/en/StatFin/StatFin__tym__tyonv__kk/statfin_tyonv_pxt_12r5.p
x/table/tableViewLayout1/.  

33   Statistics Finland, Table 1. Sub-groups of other inactive population by sex in 2019, 

https://www.stat.fi/til/tyokay/2019/01/tyokay_2019_01_2021-04-08_tau_001_en.html.  

23 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                            
European Semester 2021-2022 country fiche on disability - Finland 

7.2  EU data relevant to disability, social policies and healthcare (2019) 

Table 12: People at risk of poverty or social exclusion, by disability and risk (aged 16-59) 

%

25

20

15

10

5

0

Disabled -
low work
intensity

EU27 average

National average

22,6

19,5

Non-
disabled -
low work
intensity

7,1

6,9

Disabled -
low income

Non-
disabled -
low income

Disabled -
materially
deprived

23,7

14,6

15,3

9,7

11,0

5,7

Non-
disabled -
materially
deprived

5,1

1,7

Table 13: People at risk of poverty or social exclusion, by disability and gender (aged 16+) 

%

40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0

No
disability

Some
disability

Severe
disability

Disabled
women

Disabled
men

EU27 average

National average

19,1

12,5

26,1

20,3

34,7

30,8

29,4

23,5

27,5

21,3

Non-
disabled
women

20,1

11,4

Non-
disabled
men

18,1

13,4

Table 14: Overall risk of household poverty or exclusion by disability and age (aged 16+) 

%

40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0

Disabled (16-64)

Non-disabled (16-
64)

Disabled (65+)

Non-disabled (65+)

EU27 average

National average

34,6

25,0

19,9

12,6

21,7

18,4

15,0

12,2

Source: EU-SILC 2019 Release 2021 version 1 (and previous UDB). 

24 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
European Semester 2021-2022 country fiche on disability - Finland 

Table 15: Trends in the risk of poverty after social transfers, by disability and age group 

%

25,0

20,0

15,0

10,0

5,0

0,0

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

Disabled (16-64)

Non-disabled (16-64)

Disabled (65+)

Non-disabled (65+)

14,7

11,6

22,3

14,2

15,9

11,6

22,5

14,6

15,3

11,2

23,7

13,5

13,2

10,2

19,5

12,5

16,6

10,8

19,7

11,9

16,3

11,8

17,3

10,4

15,4

10,8

15,3

9,4

14,6

10,5

13,5

11,3

14,6

11,1

16,8

9,6

14,6

9,7

17,1

11,7

Source: Eurostat Health Database [hlth_dpe020] - People at risk of poverty.  
Note: this table shows national trends in financial poverty risk, rather than the general AROPE indicator 
(which is not as comparable between age groups due to the effect of paid employment); the survey 
does not distinguish ‘activity limitation’ for children under 16. 

Table 16: Self-reported unmet needs for medical examination, 3-year average (%, aged 16+) 

%

14

12

10

8

6

4

2

0

No disability

Some disability

Severe disability

Disabled total

EU27 average

National average

1,2

2,2

3,4

7,4

5,4

12,6

4,0

8,5

Source: Eurostat Health Database [hlth_dh030] – ‘Too expensive or too far to travel or waiting list’. 
Note: due to large variations an average of three years is indicated. EU mean averages are also skewed 
by  high  values  in  a  minority  of  countries  within  disability  groups  but  median  averages  for  the  total 
disability and no disability groups in 2019 are consistent with the 3-year mean values. 

7.2.1  Alternative sources of poverty or health care data in Finland 

The EU-SILC data provides a comprehensive and reliable source concerning poverty 
or  social  exclusion  rates.  In  addition  to  the  summary  tables  presented  so  far,  the 
Eurostat  disability  database  also  contains  breakdowns  concerning  disability  and 
poverty before and after social transfers, as well as in-work-poverty.34  

34  Eurostat Health Database, https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/health/data/database.  

25 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                            
European Semester 2021-2022 country fiche on disability - Finland 

Administrative data is available on the number of persons receiving disability benefits 
and  services  from  Kela  and  summarised  in  a  disability  chapter  of  the  statistical 
pocketbook.35  

7.3  EU data relevant to disability and education 

Table 17: Early school leaving rates, by disability status (aged 18-24 and 18-29)36 

%

25
20
15
10
5
0

Disabled young
people (18-24)

Non-disabled (18-
24)

Disabled young
people (18-29)

Non-disabled (18-
29)

EU27 average

National average

20,3

20,3

9,8

4,6

21,3

15,2

10,9

4,7

Table 18: Completion of tertiary or equivalent education (aged 30-34 and 30-39) 

%

60
50
40
30
20
10
0

Disabled young
people (30-34)

Non-disabled (30-
34)

Disabled young
people (30-39)

Non-disabled (30-
39)

EU27 average

National average

29,4

40,1

43,8

53,0

30,4

40,4

41,7

51,9

Source: EU-SILC 2019 Release 2021 version 1 (and preceding UDBs). 
Note: Confidence intervals for the disability group are large and reliability low (due to the small sample 
size in the target  age group). An  average  of several  years may  be needed  to establish trends  or to 
compare breakdowns by gender.  

7.3.1  Alternative sources of education data in Finland 

Statistics Finland publishes statistics on discontinuation of education,37 but it does not 
record pupils nor students according to disability.  

35   Disability benefits provided by Kela: Social Insurance Institution of Finland 

https://helda.helsinki.fi/bitstream/handle/10138/331629/Pocket_Statistics_2021.pdf?sequence=4&i
sAllowed=y.  

36   There was a change from ISCED 1997 to ISCED 2011 qualification definitions in 2014 although 

some Member States continued to use the older definition after this time. 

37   Discontinuation of education. Statistics Finland. https://www.stat.fi/til/kkesk/index_en.html.  

26 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                            
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