Topical issues

Each year, the Finnish Centre for Pensions grants a Pro Gradu Award to a distinguished master’s thesis. This year the award goes to Jonathan Strömberg from the University of Oulu. His thesis examines the financial sustainability of the Finnish occupational pension system, comparing the Finnish, Dutch and Danish pension systems.

The majority of the pension funds in our comparison reached a real return of 5–10 per cent despite the exceptional year. The clearly highest return, around 20%, was made by the Swedish buffer fund AP6 that invests only in equities. The Finnish pension investors weathered the peculiar year with varying degrees of success.

The application service for A1 certificates for employees, employers, sailors and flight crew members has been renewed. As a result, the applicant may receive the A1 certificate within one hour from submitting the application and with fewer clicks than before.  The application service for A1 certificates is renewed as of Monday 10 May 2021. The …

Saving for retirement is more prevalent among men and the 55–64-year-olds. Women and the unemployed state more often than others that they are financially unable to save. This is evident from a recent study by the Finnish Centre for Pensions.

Many wage earners intend to continue working past their old-age retirement age. A recent study by the Finnish Centre for Pensions shows that men and the highly educated intend to retire at a higher age than others.

Are pensions enough to cover income in retirement, particularly if one cannot work until the statutory retirement age? Will caregiving towards the end of one’s career affect continued working? How do family biographies affect income in retirement? The Finnish Centre for Pensions’ research webinar on 10 May presents the hot-off-the-print Social Policy & Administration Special Issue …

Mental disorders continue to be the most common reason for retirement on a disability pension. The largest single reason is depression, which drives ten persons to retire on a disability pension each day. Two out of three new retirees on a disability pension due to depression are women.

The average monthly pension of Finns grew by nearly 50 euros in 2020. In real terms, it has risen by an ample 200 euros in one decade. Yet every third pension is less than 1,250 euros per month.

Among opposite-sex couples, the significance of the female’s employment for the couple’s income increases if the male spouse falls seriously ill. A new study shows that highly educated women are better equipped to support the couple financially than women with a basic or average-level education.

Different forms of flexible retirement are gaining popularity around the world. One potential group of beneficiaries are older workers with difficulties in reaching their full retirement age due to poor health. The upcoming ETK research webinar on Monday 19 April presents new research on the relation between health, ageing and flexible retirement in Finland and abroad.