According to Duunitori, Finland’s largest job search service, there is unfortunately a shortage of summer job openings this year. However, job advertisements have drawn a record-breaking number of readers.
From November to May, approximately 24,000 summer job listings were published on Duunitori. This is 10% fewer than last year and as much as 43% fewer than two years ago. During the same period in 2024, there were about 27,000 listings, and in 2023 around 42,000. Nevertheless, the actual number of summer jobs is higher, as a single listing can seek dozens or even hundreds of workers.
“The number of summer jobs has decreased significantly, though not as much as job openings overall. There is demand for summer substitutes even during economic downturns, and hiring a summer worker is not as large an investment for employers as hiring a permanent employee,” says Aino Salonen, Communications Director at Duunitori.
Summer jobs are in high demand. On Duunitori, summer job ads have been viewed a total of 15 million times—39% more than last year. According to Duunitori, open positions generate more interest when job opportunities are scarce. Even more experienced and older workers are applying for summer jobs when roles suited to their expertise are unavailable.
The 10 Most-Read Summer Job Listings
Between November and May, the following companies’ job listings received the highest number of views on Duunitori:
- Lidl
- UPM
- Viking Line
- Valio
- Puuilo
- Kela (The Social Insurance Institution of Finland)
- HOK-Elanto
- ISS Palvelut
- Kaukokiito
- KappAhl
The listings from the top two, Lidl and UPM, each attracted over 100,000 views—an exceptionally high number for job ads. All of the top ten listings received over 50,000 views.
Employers such as Lidl, UPM, Viking Line, Valio, Puuilo, Kela, HOK-Elanto, and ISS Palvelut appear to be perennial favorites among summer job seekers, as they were also among the ten most-viewed employers last year. Large and well-known organizations that hire large numbers of summer workers across Finland are highly desirable.
“For example, Lidl was looking for over a thousand summer workers, and UPM for several hundred. Popular employers are often also brands familiar to young consumers, such as Lidl, Viking Line, and Valio,” Salonen explains.
In Duunitori’s summer job survey this year, strong brands topped the list of preferred employers. Respondents were most interested in customer service roles, sales and retail, the restaurant and tourism industries, the culture and arts sector, and the social and care sectors. The most frequently mentioned attractive summer employers included Lidl, Prisma, S-market, Tokmanni, IKEA, K-Market, Hesburger, SOK, Alepa, and Posti.
These Sectors Offer the Most Summer Jobs
On Duunitori, the most summer job ads this year were found in the following sectors:
- Restaurant and tourism industry
- Sales and retail
- Social and care sector
- Construction
- Industry and technology
Image: Duunitori
