The share of qualified teachers in Finland’s early childhood education sector has declined sharply since 2015, despite a growing overall workforce. A new study by the Research Institute of the Finnish Economy (ETLA) finds that this trend is driven by regional disparities, rising demand for daycare services, and persistent differences in relative pay.
According to the report, authored by Aino Kalmbach, the number of early childhood education teachers increased from around 16,000 in 2010 to over 23,000 in 2022. However, the share of those formally qualified to teach dropped from 87% in 2015 to just 73% in 2022.
The demand for teachers has outpaced supply due to rising participation rates and a shift from family daycare to centre-based care. These trends have driven staffing needs higher, particularly for the youngest age groups, where more staff per child is required. While the number of qualified teachers has increased in absolute terms, it has not kept up with the total workforce growth.
The shortage is not uniform across the country. Regional differences are significant. In Uusimaa, which includes Helsinki and holds 35% of all early childhood education staff, the number of qualified teachers fell by over 7% between 2015 and 2022. During the same period, the number of children in daycare remained high, and the region’s share of qualified staff dropped by more than 10 percentage points.
Other regions, including Lapland and Southwest Finland, also saw sharp declines in the share of qualified staff, despite varying changes in overall demand. Meanwhile, areas like North Ostrobothnia and South Ostrobothnia managed to expand the total number of qualified staff, though not as quickly as the general workforce.
The report also links teacher shortages to relative pay. Wages in early childhood education are largely uniform nationwide due to centralised collective agreements. However, average earnings for other professions differ by region, which affects how competitive early childhood education jobs appear to potential recruits.
Kalmbach’s analysis shows that in most areas, a smaller gap between teacher pay and the regional average wage is associated with a smaller shortage of qualified staff. In other words, where teacher pay compares more favourably with local earnings, retention and recruitment are stronger.
This relationship does not hold in the Helsinki region. Despite having the highest number of education graduates and training institutions, Uusimaa still faces a worsening shortage. The report suggests this may be due to factors beyond salary, such as housing costs or working conditions, which were outside the scope of the analysis.
Between 2010 and 2022, teacher qualification requirements in Finland changed. Until recently, qualifications could be obtained through both university and polytechnic degrees. A law passed in 2018 raised the standard, and from 2030 onwards, at least two-thirds of staff must have a relevant degree, half of whom must be qualified teachers. This will likely increase demand for university-trained staff.
HT