The proportion of hired labour has doubled in only a few years

(Helsinki 06.06.2005 - Juhani Artto) The proportion of hired labour in Finland has increased rapidly in the last few years. According to the latest estimate about 1,2 per cent of the labour in the enterprises belong to the hired labour category. Just a few years ago the proportion was only half of that. Now the Finnish situation is close to the average level of other Western European countries.

Varamiespalvelu, "staffing agency" as it calls itself, published in late May a survey on the experiences of hired labour. Varamiespalvelu is the largest enterprise in the labour hiring business in Finland. It employs daily about 3,000 and annually 13,500 men and women.

Production is the most common way of using hired labour. According to the survey half of the jobs were in production. A third was in services and a fifth in warehousing.

Trade unions criticise employers of the way they use hired labour. According to the Metalworkers' union president Erkki Vuorenmaa many enterprises that have begun to use hired labour to level temporary peaks have made the usage permanent. That has become a way to bypass the "inconveniences" enterprises face when dismissing their employees.

Ann Selin, the leader of the Service union united (PAM), emphasises that hired labour does not enjoy same level of social security as permanent employees. They may loose their sick leave pay and maternity leaves. Also they might have problems in receiving overtime allowances. Especially weak is the job security of the hired labour.

Read more on the survey in Trade Union News from Finland.