Ministry of Finance’s budget proposal weakens basic services
“The Ministry of Finance’s proposal for the 2026 state budget will further weaken social and health services, as well as municipalities’ ability to provide basic education and early childhood education,” says Päivi Inberg, President of SuPer.
“Particularly concerning is the cut in municipal government transfers, which hinders municipalities’ ability to offer quality basic services. The cut directly impacts the resources for basic education and early childhood education.”
Additional cuts to subsidies for third-sector actors in the social and health sector will especially undermine preventive work, increasing the suffering of citizens awaiting services in the wellbeing services counties. Many helplines and other low-threshold services that assist our citizens will deteriorate and some may cease to exist altogether.
“Many organizations’ operating capacity has already been seriously endangered by previous cuts, and now the latest proposal seems to be scraping the bottom of the barrel,” Inberg notes.
The government’s previous healthcare savings, combined with the newly proposed cuts, are causing damage that will require more expensive measures to fix in the future. This is short-sighted policy that endangers citizens’ wellbeing and increases long-term costs.
Inberg is also concerned about the cuts to education and their impact on future skills and workforce availability. “The proposal to dismantle the Finnish National Agency for Education and other education cuts will further reduce citizens’ opportunities for additional training. This is almost unbelievable in a situation where the number of unemployed job seekers continues to grow,” Inberg points out.
“Many organizations’ operating capacity has already been seriously endangered by previous state cuts, and now the latest proposal seems to be scraping the bottom of the barrel.”
Päivi Inberg
SuPer has emphasized the importance of integrating foreign labor. Inberg is concerned about the Ministry of Finance’s proposal to cut integration efforts, thereby also weakening the integration of non-native speakers into working life.
“The government continues to try to attract foreign labor to the country, yet at the same time seems to be withdrawing from its responsibility to ensure the integration of these individuals into society. It is essential to offer immigrants sufficient language training and support so that they can adapt and fully participate in society. In the social and health sector, as well as early childhood education, we must ensure client and patient safety—which requires sufficient language skills from the staff working there.”