Ministers do not believe in Government employment goal anymore
Antti Kalliomäki
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Matti Vanhanen
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Tanja Karpela
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Tarja Filatov
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Sinikka Mönkäre
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Juha Korkeaoja
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Most ministers in the present three-party government admit either directly or indirectly that the goal in the government’s policy programme of creating 100,000 new jobs in Finland by the end of the present electoral term will not be attained.
Helsingin Sanomat put the question of the possible attainment of the government’s goal to all 18 ministers on Wednesday.
None would give a direct yes or no answer, but most indicated that they had lost hope that the target could be met by the beginning of 2007.
Finance Minister Antti Kalliomäki (SDP) said that the main reason for falling behind schedule is that the world economy has not picked up as quickly as was expected when the government’s policy programme was written in the spring of 2003.
Despite the expectation that the timetable will falter, the ministers are not willing to let go of their actual goal of 100,000 new jobs.
"This is a common goal for all of Finland. Naturally it should be absolutely adhered to", said Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen (Centre) when answering the question put to him in the corridors of the House of Parliament.
A number of ministers questioned the propriety of the question, suggesting that moving in the right direction is more important than timetables and numbers.
"There is not much sense in focusing on mere numbers at this stage", said Minister of Culture Tanja Karpela (Centre).
There were interesting differences in the ministers’ responses on the government’s scope for influencing the employment situation.
Prime Minister Vanhanen said: "There are still decisions ahead of us. There are taxation decisions, support for low-paid work, and the impact will come later."
Many others also mentioned the upcoming labour market agreement, saying that the level of pay increases was the most decisive factor with respect to employment. "Much now depends on what kind of a labour market agreement emerges", said Tarja Filatov (SDP).
Agriculture and Forestry Minister Juha Korkeaoja (Centre) said that progress in employment is not primarily in the hands of the government. He said that attaining the goal of the government was possible, but that it would require positive development in areas that the government cannot decide on its own. He said that positive international development would be needed, in addition to labour market decisions in Finland that support this goal.
The only minister to suggest completely new goals for the government was Sinikka Mönkäre (SDP), the Minister of Social Affairs and Health.
"These are terribly old theses", she said, commenting on the goals of the government programme. "We have to have the right to change the goal or at least expand it."
Both Mönkäre and Prime Minister Vanhanen tended to agree with the basic ideas expressed by Professor Matti Pohjola in the magazine Talous & Yhteiskunta, in which Pohjola stated that the key problem of the Finnish national economy is the slowdown in the productivity of work.
"If the goal of100,000 new jobs cannot be attained, then raising productivity becomes all the more important", Mönkäre said.
Helsingin Sanomat put the question of the possible attainment of the government’s goal to all 18 ministers on Wednesday.
None would give a direct yes or no answer, but most indicated that they had lost hope that the target could be met by the beginning of 2007.
Finance Minister Antti Kalliomäki (SDP) said that the main reason for falling behind schedule is that the world economy has not picked up as quickly as was expected when the government’s policy programme was written in the spring of 2003.
Despite the expectation that the timetable will falter, the ministers are not willing to let go of their actual goal of 100,000 new jobs.
"This is a common goal for all of Finland. Naturally it should be absolutely adhered to", said Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen (Centre) when answering the question put to him in the corridors of the House of Parliament.
A number of ministers questioned the propriety of the question, suggesting that moving in the right direction is more important than timetables and numbers.
"There is not much sense in focusing on mere numbers at this stage", said Minister of Culture Tanja Karpela (Centre).
There were interesting differences in the ministers’ responses on the government’s scope for influencing the employment situation.
Prime Minister Vanhanen said: "There are still decisions ahead of us. There are taxation decisions, support for low-paid work, and the impact will come later."
Many others also mentioned the upcoming labour market agreement, saying that the level of pay increases was the most decisive factor with respect to employment. "Much now depends on what kind of a labour market agreement emerges", said Tarja Filatov (SDP).
Agriculture and Forestry Minister Juha Korkeaoja (Centre) said that progress in employment is not primarily in the hands of the government. He said that attaining the goal of the government was possible, but that it would require positive development in areas that the government cannot decide on its own. He said that positive international development would be needed, in addition to labour market decisions in Finland that support this goal.
The only minister to suggest completely new goals for the government was Sinikka Mönkäre (SDP), the Minister of Social Affairs and Health.
"These are terribly old theses", she said, commenting on the goals of the government programme. "We have to have the right to change the goal or at least expand it."
Both Mönkäre and Prime Minister Vanhanen tended to agree with the basic ideas expressed by Professor Matti Pohjola in the magazine Talous & Yhteiskunta, in which Pohjola stated that the key problem of the Finnish national economy is the slowdown in the productivity of work.
"If the goal of100,000 new jobs cannot be attained, then raising productivity becomes all the more important", Mönkäre said.
Helsingin Sanomat