Occupational health care and the social welfare and health care sector are being reformed – work ability must not be forgotten

Finnish Institute of Occupational Health media release 13 March 2025

“We need to strengthen occupational health care in order to boost productivity and promote well-being at work,” says Antti Koivula, Director General of the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health.  

Preventing negative health effects of work and supporting work ability are among the core competencies of occupational health care. Measures that reduce sickness absences and prevent incapacity for work benefits all of society. The cost of occupational health care is less than four per cent of the total costs of Finnish health care, and it is financed by employers (79%) and employees and entrepreneurs (21%). 

According to Koivula, work life and occupational health care are facing new challenges as large-scale societal changes transform the operating environment.  

"We are undergoing simultaneous transformations of work, health and the welfare state. Under these pressures, we need occupational health care that is capable of renewal and that understands the changing needs of workplaces," says Koivula.  

“We must find out how to better reward occupational health care service providers for the development of preventive occupational health care,” he continues.

Practices renewed to meet workplaces' changing needs 

The Finnish Institute of Occupational Health is currently updating the Good Occupational Health Practice guide from 2014. This handbook for occupational health care professionals informs co-operation between the workplace and occupational health care and implements the Government Decree on principles of good occupational health care practice (708/2013), which is being updated under the leadership of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. 

"The overarching principle of the guide is that occupational health care operations must be increasingly based on the needs of the workplace. Our experts provide practical instructions on how to do that," says Satu Soini, Chief Physician at the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health.  

New content also includes operating models for supporting mental health, which occupational health care uses to help workplaces manage psychosocial workload. 

The revised guide will be published in late 2025 and will be available online free of charge.

The expertise of occupational health care should be utilised for supporting work ability 

Occupational health care is the only party in the health care sector that is directly connected with the workplace. This connection is put to use in the Työote operating model that has allowed for close co-operation between occupational health care and wellbeing services counties, resulting in a reduction in the number of sickness absences.  

"Extended recurring sickness absences are not good for the employee nor the employer. That is why it is important to refer work ability assessment and work ability support measures to occupational health care," says Eva Helaskoski, Chief Physician and Director of the Occupational Health Care Unit at the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health.  

This year, the operating model will be introduced in primary care in addition to specialist health care. Transferring work ability assessment and support measures to occupational health care will reduce the workload of wellbeing services counties' personnel. Co-operation has positive cost effects for workplaces and society at large. 

"The next topical issue could be piloting Työote activities as part of the personal physician model. The personal physician model is a promising initiative, as long as we remember to include work ability support in it. The public health care sector does not have sufficient competencies regarding work life and work ability. Työote can be used to promote the integration of occupational health care with other healthcare services," says Chief Physician Pauliina Kangas from the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health. 

Further information 

• Antti Koivula, Director General, antti.koivula@ttl.fi, +358 (0)30 474 2340 
• Director, Chief Physician Eva Helaskoski, eva.helaskoski@ttl.fi, +358 (0)46 851 2432 
• Chief Physician Satu Soini, satu.soini@ttl.fi, +358 (0)46 851 5858 
• Chief Physician Pauliina Kangas, pauliina.kangas@ttl.fi, +358(0)30 474 2514

See also 

• Factual information about occupational health care | Finnish Institute of Occupational Health (in Finnish)
• The TYÖOTE operational model is being expanded to co-operation between primary and occupational health care | Finnish Institute of Occupational Health (in Finnish)
• The Työote model and the Good Occupational Health Practice guide are being implemented as part of the Mental Health Toolkit project, which is included in Finland's Sustainable Growth Programme. The project is funded by the European Union’s one-time recovery tool (NextGeneration EU) via the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health.