economy
February 25, 2026
Paying to be a delivery driver: A story from the 'dream country' will shock many
In Finland, about 20,000 people are currently waiting for an opportunity to work as a food delivery driver, at a time when the unemployment rate has reached 10.6%, the highest in the European Union.
TL;DR
- Registered couriers in Finland are reportedly renting out their contracts for €450-€900 monthly or a third of their daily earnings.
- Finland faces a paradox of high unemployment (10.6%) alongside a shortage of skilled workers in IT, medicine, and green transition fields.
- In December, over 50,000 highly educated individuals were unemployed, the highest number this century.
- Economic slowdown, digitalization, automation, and AI are transforming the labor market, leading to a skills mismatch.
- Weakened trade with Russia and the return of pensioners to the workforce are additional pressures.
- Immigrants increasingly fill delivery jobs, which are often described as difficult and poorly paid.
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