Finland Industry Employment
Employment in industry SL.IND.EMPL.ZS
Finland's industry employment was 20.84% in 2025, ranked 111th globally. This represents a 0.6% decrease from 2024. Data from World Bank, covering 1991–2025.
Overview
Finland's industry employment stood at 20.84% in 2025, a decline of +0.13% from 2024. Based on recent trends, this figure is projected to reach 20.59% by 2026. Finland ranked 111th globally.
Finland’s share of the labour force employed in industry fell from 28.76 percent in 1991, the highest level recorded over the 35‑year series, to 20.84 percent in 2025, the lowest point and a rank of 111 globally. This decline reflects the country’s long‑term shift toward services and high‑technology sectors, a pattern echoed in other advanced economies that have reduced manufacturing employment while expanding knowledge‑intensive activities. The 2025 figure is closely aligned with South Africa’s 20.76 percent and New Caledonia’s 20.65 percent, illustrating that Finland now shares a similar industrial employment share with economies at very different stages of development. The persistent downward trajectory suggests that without policy interventions to bolster domestic manufacturing or green‑industry initiatives, the proportion of workers in industry will likely continue to contract, reinforcing the dominance of service‑oriented employment in the Finnish economy.
Data & projection
| Year | Industry Employment | YoY change | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2028* trend | 20.19% | - | - |
| 2027* trend | 20.39% | - | - |
| 2026* trend | 20.59% | - | - |
| 2025 | 20.84% | −0.13% | #111 |
| 2024 | 20.97% | −0.39% | #110 |
| 2023 | 21.37% | +0.47% | #114 |
| 2022 | 20.89% | −0.98% | #112 |
| 2021 | 21.87% | +0.75% | #119 |
| 2020 | 21.12% | −0.56% | #117 |
| 2019 | 21.68% | −0.26% | #118 |
| 2018 | 21.94% | +0.10% | #119 |
| 2017 | 21.85% | −0.44% | #117 |
| 2016 | 22.29% | +1.15% | #121 |
| 2015 | 21.14% | −1.79% | #109 |
| 2014 | 22.93% | +0.62% | #122 |
| 2013 | 22.31% | −0.30% | #122 |
| 2012 | 22.61% | −0.58% | #123 |
| 2011 | 23.19% | −0.86% | #126 |
Detected Pattern
Analysis
Finland matched the Export Boom Cycle pattern in 2021. Historically, 71% of countries showing this pattern (546 out of 768) saw industry employment improve within 24 months. View full analysis →
Frequently Asked Questions
Finland's industry employment was 20.84% in 2025. Ranked 111th globally. This represents a 0.6% decrease from the previous year.
Finland's industry employment peaked at 28.76% in 1991.
The lowest industry employment in Finland was 20.84% in 2025.
Finland ranks 111th globally in industry employment as of 2025.
The World Bank indicator code is SL.IND.EMPL.ZS. Data sourced from World Bank.
Finland's industry employment is projected to reach 20.59% by 2026 based on trend extrapolation.
The industry employment of Finland in 2025 was 20.84%. This ranks 111th in the world.
Cite this page
@misc{historysaid_finland_industry-employment,
title = {Finland Industry Employment},
url = {https://historysaid.com/finland/industry-employment/},
publisher = {HistorySaid},
year = {2026}
}