Helsinki's Economy

Shipbuilding is a major industry in Helsinki (click for larger version)

Helsinki generates a third of the total GNP for all of Finland. Envisioned as a governmental center, it has long

since become the centerpiece of economic activity as well. It is primarily an information and service oriented city,

with most of the economic activity centered on technology applications, trade, and financial activities. Eighty

percent of the jobs in Helsinki are service-sector jobs; only ten percent are industrial. The metro

area is home to the large Finnish corporations known worldwide, such as Nokia, a cell phone manufacturer. Helsinki

is also the headquarters of Kvarner, a world famous shipyard, specially skilled in the construction of icebreakers.

Indeed, the port and airport are also large parts of the economy; Helsinki's connectivity is an important factor in its

status as a major player in the information age. This status comes from its pivotal position in the

telecommunication industry and from the fact that Finland has the highest rate of Internet users in the world. In

Helsinki, more than half the workforce is women, and of these women, ninety-three percent work full time. Only

Stockholm has similar values, out of all European metropolises. On the downside, Helsinki is suffering from severe

unemployment. Seventeen percent of Helsinki's population in unemployed, worse than every European metropolis

except Madrid. This is probably due in part to liberal welfare policies, as is the case in much of Europe. Helsinki's

economic boom will probably continue as long as the information boom does.

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