Finland, like other Nordic countries, has so far shown itself to be particularly resilient to the current financial shocks, but the clouds are gathering over the “Land of the Midnight Sun”. After five consecutive quarters of growth, buoyed by robust domestic demand, activity is expected to slow significantly in the second half of 2022 due to the persistent geopolitical tensions, tightening of financial conditions and price rises that are impacting on corporate margins and on the purchasing power of households. In an increasingly less favourable economic environment Finland can, nonetheless, be pleased with its structural efforts and in particular with the success of its housing policy
Thwarted since the beginning of the year by a strong surge in the Covid-19 pandemic, the economic recovery is now threatened by the repercussions of Russia’s military offensive in Ukraine. Given its geographic location, Finland is highly dependent on Russia for its energy imports, and its energy bill has already risen considerably. After reporting GDP growth of 3.3% in 2021, Finland is unlikely to meet the European Commission’s 2022 forecast of 3%.
Confronted like the rest of Europe by an upsurge in Covid-19 cases, Finland has reintroduced protective health measures that could temporarily dampen its recovery. Estimated at 3.4% in 2021, GDP growth could still reach 2.8% in 2022 according to the European Commission. After taking a reasonable approach to “whatever the cost”, the government is now seeking to consolidate public finances.
Although Finland was one of the European countries hit the least by the Covid-19 pandemic, its economic recovery was nonetheless pushed back by a third wave of contaminations in late winter 2020 and early spring 2021. The economy will rebound in the second half of this year, buoyed by consumption and the upturn in global trade. GDP growth should range between 2.5% and 3% in 2021 and 2022. Very concerned about the solidity of its public finances, the country saw its public debt swell by about 10 points of GDP last year while the deficit rose to 5.4% of GDP.
In Q2 2020, Finland stood out from the rest of Europe as the country that reported the smallest decline in GDP – “only” –4.4%. Yet the ensuing recovery was less vigorous than for its EU neighbours, and Finland will surely continue to underperform in the months ahead. Even so, the Finnish economy is still one of the most resilient in Europe, thanks notably to the relatively feeble spread of the virus and robust support from the fiscal and monetary authorities.
Finland’s economy was showing signs of weakness even before the Covid-19 pandemic started – indeed, GDP contracted a bit in the fourth quarter of 2019. In spite of that, the economy has been one of the most resilient in Europe. That is notably because the pandemic has been relatively contained, allowing the authorities to impose softer restriction measures. Another reason is the substantial support provided by the government.
Economic activity will plummet under the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, but not only via the export channel. The recession could become more virulent if household consumption and production channels were also to freeze up. In addition to the ECB’s monetary policy support, the government will also try to use fiscal policy to buffer the shock and limit the decline in employment.
Finnish growth had only just regained some momentum in 2015 before slowing again in 2018. GDP growth is expected to weaken further in the quarters ahead. The country’s openness to trade exposes it to the deterioration of the global economic environment. Slower export growth and uncertainty linked to protectionist policies will undermine investment. Households, in contrast, should benefit from stronger wage growth. The unemployment rate has fallen to the lowest level since year-end 2008, and should continue to decline despite the slower pace of job creations.
Finland is a parliamentary republic with a Prime Minister and a President. The central government is based in Helsinki. The country is divided into 19 regions and 70 sub-regions.
Finland is among Europe’s wealthiest economies. It is a member of the European Union and of the Eurozone. The most important sector of Finland’s economy is industry. Intra-EU trade accounts for more than 50% of Finland’s exports (mostly Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands) and more than 70% of its imports.
Competitiveness has improved over the past five years, with unit labour costs decreasing between 2015 and 2018 and since then rising at the same pace as those in the Eurozone as a whole. This improvement in competitiveness has been largely due to the implementation of structural reforms by the Finnish government since 2016. These have included the scrapping of regulation that hinder competition and the agreement of a “Competitiveness Pact” between employers and unions to hold wage growth down.
Finland is one of the countries that came out the best from the Covid-19 pandemic, with one of the lowest infection rates in Europe. Nevertheless like in many developed economies confronted to this crisis, the surge in government spending associated with fall in receipts badly hurt public finances in Finland. Still, at 71% of GDP in 2021 (Commission estimates), the public debt to GDP ratio is one the lowest in the OECD and the country risk profile still one of the best.
