Helsingin Sanomat's top-read story explored therecord-high unemployment now facing highly educated professionals in Finland. Thepaper follows the journey of three young adults who graduated from the sought-after Aalto University into a reality marked by unemployment and uncertainty.

Ellen Heikkilä, 29, is an architect who graduated from Aalto University in 2022. After working as a project coordinator on a student union building project, she was laid off in 2024 when construction stalled. Despite strong credentials, she has been unemployed since.

"Besides rent, I have 28,000 euros in student loans to pay. At first, I believed I would quickly get back to work. However, I have applied for jobs both within my field and outside it, but nothing has taken so far."

Vera Saavalainen, 26, holds a master's degree in economics from Aalto University, specialising in sustainable development. Though she had multiple internships and aimed to graduate only after securing full-time work, she was forced to finish her degree in April this year when her student aid ran out.

"I haven't received a single interview invitation, even though I meet all the job criteria."

Basic unemployment benefits and support from public services have helped, but Vera finds the experience discouraging and hard on her self-esteem.

Iida Saaristomaa, 26, earned her Master of Science in Technology after studying engineering—a field known for stable employment. Despite holding part-time university jobs, she graduated in May 2024 into a job market with no available positions.

"it is frustrating to be part of a generation experiencing historically high unemployment."

Iida currently has a summer job at the university, but her future remains uncertain.

Petri Suomala, Vice President for Education at Aalto University, acknowledges the tough job market for recent graduates and said he is particularly concerned about international students. Aalto has the highest proportion of international students in Finland.

"If they cannot find suitable work in Finland within a reasonable period, they will leave for other countries. This is unfortunate for Finland. In the future, we will need a significant number of highly educated people in various fields."

Heatwave history

The record-breaking heatwave that scorched Finland has finally ended, the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI) reports.

According to tabloidIlta-Sanomat, the weather agency told Finnish News Agency STT that the highest temperatures on Sunday reached 28.5 degrees at two measurement stations in Sodankylä, Loka and Vuotso.

Finland recorded 22 straight days of temperatures hitting over 30 degrees somewhere in the country, ending on Saturday. The previous record was 13 consecutive days above 30 degrees, set in 1972.

The weather will remain hot at the beginning of the week, but will cool down and become more unsettled with rains and thunderstorms across the country as the week progresses.

Finland's climate is warming significantly faster than the global average. Last year, the increase in the average global temperature exceeded the critical threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius, according to the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO). In Finland, last year was 3.4 degrees warmer than pre-industrial levels.

Digital scams rise

About 7.3 percent of Finns — over 400,000 people— have lost money to digital scams, according to a new survey by Finance Finland. Of those affected, 1.9 percent — or roughly 107,000 people — said the losses were significant,reports rural-focused newspaper Maaseudun Tulevaisuus.

According to the paper, scam calls have surged this summer, warns OP Group. Criminals often pose as bank reps, claiming a large payment is pending, then trick victims into handing over credentials to transfer money to a fake “security account.”

Arno Ahosniemi, CEO of Finance Finland, reminds us that there is no such thing as a bank security account.

"If someone asks for your banking credentials or talks about a security account, they are a scammer."

Many scams begin on online platforms. Ads on social media, marketplaces and even paid results on search engines like Google can lead users to phishing sites.

Users with an Yle ID can leave comments on our news stories. You can create your Yle ID viathis link. Our guidelines on commenting and moderation are explainedhere.