Finland’s Finance Ministry predicts sluggish recovery from pandemic

State number crunchers forecast a six-percent slump this year – but Finland’s economy will slowly recover towards the end of this year, the Ministry of Finance said on Tuesday.
For next year, it forecasts GDP growth of 2.5 percent, followed by 1.7 percent in 2022.
The gradual lifting of coronavirus restrictions is primarily spurring the service sector, it says.
Overall consumption will be down this year, but in first half of next year consumption of goods and most services are expected to return to normal. Travel-related services will recover more slowly, according to the ministry.
Second wave unlikely
The ministry expects exports to begin to rise again in the second half of the year.
It does not expect a significant second wave of the coronavirus pandemic next autumn, but says that consumer confidence and overall functioning of the economy will remain shaky until there is an effective treatment or vaccine for Covid-19.
Joblessness to climb
The ministry says Finland should brace for a steep decline in employment this year, with the employment rate sinking by 2.5 percent to below 71 percent. It projects that the unemployment rate for 2020 will rise to 8.5 percent, up from 6.5 percent last year. That figure was near the historical low and had been on track to fall further this year before the corona crisis hit Finland.
Also on Tuesday, the official statistics bureau reported that output fell by almost eight percent in April compared to a year earlier, and by more than two percent, seasonally adjusted, from the month before.
In March, even as the pandemic spread into Finland, output rose by 5.7 percent compared to a year earlier.
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: Nunavut businesses, private sector struggle to find space in closed economy, CBC News
Finland: Finland eases curbs on cross-border travel, public events, Yle News
Greenland/Denmark: Inuit in Canada, Alaska and Greenland found international business association, Eye on the Arctic
Iceland: Iceland offers COVID-19 testing to international travellers starting June 15, Eye on the Arctic
Norway: Entire season in jeopardy for Svalbard expedition cruising, The Independent Barents Observer
Russia: All Russia’s North Pole cruises rescheduled to 2021, The Independent Barents Observer
Sweden: Extra billions to SAS – but with stricter climate requirements, Radio Sweden
United States: Airline shutdown creates new challenges for rural Alaska, The Associated Press