Health and social services personnel – All personnel working in the health and social services sector

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Social welfare and health care personnel increased in 2023 – growth focused on social welfare and the private sector

At the end of 2023, approximately 372,600 people were employed in social welfare and health care services. The number of personnel increased by 1.7 per cent compared with 2022. The growth was particularly concentrated in social welfare, where employment increased by 2.8 per cent from 2022.

Number of Personnel in Health and Social Care in the Public, Business, and Nonprofit/Organisation Sectors, and Temporary Agency Workforce in Health and Social Care, 2008–2023
Year Health care – Public Health care – Company Health care – Organisation Social care – Public Social care – Company Social care – Organisation Temporary agency workers in social work and health care
2008 143 080 27 799 7 346 71 937 21 241 29 510 2 566
2009 140 955 28 692 6 442 74 673 23 371 30 130 2 833
2010 141 898 30 842 6 154 75 432 25 897 28 901 2 712
2011 142 578 33 127 5 956 75 052 27 972 28 820 2 820
2012 142 512 34 102 5 523 78 872 29 708 29 230 2 710
2013 141 595 34 778 4 989 79 912 32 112 28 638 2 641
2014 141 735 34 901 4 659 81 948 32 960 27 133 2 655
2015 137 220 36 753 3 630 82 255 34 840 27 433 2 631
2016 134 043 37 852 3 448 83 451 38 795 26 985 3 010
2017 136 076 38 991 3 524 84 460 42 784 25 188 2 799
2018 135 784 41 260 2 735 86 768 47 426 24 758 3 761
2019 134 908 41 754 2 454 87 568 50 918 23 548 3 383
2020 135 329 41 319 2 342 97 399 53 191 22 743 3 669
2021 133 677 45 701 2 693 92 735 57 701 22 764 3 557
2022 134 016 46 698 2 651 94 454 60 285 23 358 4 774
2023 134 857 47 158 2 570 94 915 66 468 21 739 4 893

Growth focused particularly on the private sector in 2023

In social welfare and health care services, personnel growth was clearly concentrated in the private sector, where the number of employees increased by 6.1 per cent over the year. In 2023, approximately 118,500 employees worked in social welfare and health care services in the private sector.

In the public sector, personnel numbers increased by only 0.6 per cent, while employment in the voluntary sector declined (–6.5 per cent).

The increasing share of the private sector was particularly evident in social welfare, while growth in health care was more moderate. However, the public sector remained the largest employer in social welfare and health care, with 61.7 per cent of personnel working in the public sector in 2023.

Residential services for older people increased personnel – staffing in institutional care declined in 2023

Within social welfare, personnel numbers increased most in residential services for older people, where the number of employees grew by more than 4,800 people in 2023. At the same time, staffing levels declined significantly in institutional care for older people.

Growth was strongest in the private sector, but personnel numbers in residential services for older people also increased in the public sector.

The change reflects the development of the service structure in services for older people, where institutional care is being phased out entirely. Read more about services for older people.

370+ thousand employees in health and social care in 202

25 % of the health and social care workforce were aged 55 or older in 2023

Growth in health care personnel was modest in 2023

In health care, personnel numbers increased only slightly (+0.6%). Employment increased in hospital services by 3.2 per cent but declined in health centre services by 3.8 per cent in 2023.

Of the health care personnel in 2023, just over half were employed in hospital services.

The share of people aged over 54 increased

The share of people aged over 54 increased by 8.3 percentage points between 2004 and 2023. Over the same period, the share of those aged 45–54 decreased by 8.1 percentage points.

The median age of social welfare and health care personnel was 43 years in 2023.

About the data in more detail

Background information

  • Statistical quality report
  • Privacy notice (in Finnish)

The occupational groupings and industry classifications used in the statistics for social welfare and health care professionals, as well as their correspondences with Statistics Finland’s occupational and industry classifications, can be found in the Concepts and definitions section of the statistical report.
Read the entire statistical report (Julkari) (in Finnish) 

Source

Health care and social welfare personnel 2023
Statistical Report 62/2025, 18.12.2025.
Official Statistics of Finland, Health care and social welfare personnel. THL.

Description of the statistics

The Health Care and Social Welfare Personnel statistics describe persons who were permanently resident in Finland on the last day of the year and who mainly work in health and social services or in health and social care occupational titles in Finland in the private sector, the public sector and the voluntary sector, persons trained for the social welfare and health care field, and, in addition, persons who have been granted professional licences in social welfare and health care and who had an address in Finland on the last day of the year.

The data are produced from Statistics Finland’s Employment Statistics and have been refined by linking them with data from the professional registers of Valvira (The Finnish Supervisory Agency as of 1 January 2026). The professional register data provide information on professional licences in health and social care, the qualifications associated with these licences, and registered holders of professional licences.

These statistics form part of THL reporting on health care and social welfare personnel. In addition, supplementary information on personnel in social welfare and health care services provided by wellbeing services counties and federations, as well as by municipalities and joint municipal authorities, is produced in the Personnel in local government health and social services statistics.

Update schedule

The Health Care and Social Welfare Personnel statistics are published once a year, approximately two years after the end of the statistical year.

The more exact publication time can be found in the publication calendar.

Publication calendar for statistics