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23.01.2026 13:58

PAM member survey: Financial concerns shape the lives of service sector workers

Members of the Service Union United PAM are more likely to experience financial concerns than Finns in general. At the same time, stress levels and interest in changing fields are rising, according to PAM’s recent annual member survey.

For the fourth year in a row, PAM members’ financial worries are significantly more common than during the 2010s.

The situation is especially severe in households of unemployed people and single parents. One in five single parents living with children is very worried about their livelihood during the next month.

Changes made by the government to unemployment benefits have further weakened the ability of unemployed people to improve their financial situation.

69 percent of unemployed respondents said that the removal of the exempt amount in unemployment security has affected their chances of accepting part-time or short-term jobs.

Financial concerns are also reflected in experiences of stress. Among PAM members who face significant financial concerns, 59 percent feel at least a fair amount of stress. Stress is more common among younger age groups than among older ones.

Those who responded to PAM’s member survey appear to be more active voters. More than 60 percent said they had voted in the most recent municipal elections, and nearly 70 percent in the parliamentary elections. The turnout in the municipal elections was 54.2 percent and 71.9 percent in the parliamentary elections.

Interest in changing sector is growing

At the same time as livelihood concerns grow, attitudes towards work are changing. The view of work as an important part of life has weakened significantly among PAM members.

Last autumn, 47 percent of employed respondents agreed with this, compared to 57 percent ten years ago.

65 percent feel that their work is more burdensome than before and that job demands have increased.

As many as 48 percent of respondents are interested in changing sector, while only 32 percent have career plans or dreams in their current field of work. Among those under 30 years old, as many as 64 percent were interested in a change of sector.

Of the respondents, 84 percent were employed and 12 percent unemployed. The share of part-time workers was 41 percent, the same as the previous year. However, over ten years, the share of part-time workers has increased by 7 percentage points.

Read the full survey in Finnish

The survey was sent to 69,984 members selected through simple random sampling, and 12,689 responded. Of the respondents, 12 percent were unemployed and 78 percent employed. The survey was conducted in Finnish and English. 7 percent of respondents answered the English version. The survey was conducted from 3 November to 30 November 2025.

Keywords:

employment relationship income part-time work pay

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