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Competitiveness and Business Environment in Finland – An International Benchmarking MTI Publications 7/2004 Industries Department

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Competitiveness and Business

Environment in Finland –

An International Benchmarking

MTI Publications

7/2004

Industries Department

Series title and number of the publication Aleksanterinkatu 4

P.O. Box 32 Tel. +358 9 16001 MTI Publications FIN-00170 Helsinki FINLAND

FIN-00023 GOVERNMENT Helsinki FINLAND

Telefax +358 9 1606 3666 7/2004

Date March 2004

Commissioned by Ministry of Trade and Industry

Authors Industries Department Hannu Lipponen Esa Viitamo

Date of appointment

Title Competitiveness and Business Environment in Finland - An International Benchmarking

Abstract Competitiveness and Business Environment in Finland - An International Benchmarking reviews the interaction between competitiveness, production structures, and the business environment. The survey sets out to analyse Finnish competitiveness in an international context. The economic performance is outlined thorough an analysis of standard of living, productivity and industrial structures. The analysis of business environment is narrowed down to innovation environment and labour and product markets. These are areas that have been highlighted in recent international competitiveness analyses, too. Finnish competitiveness is of a high standard. In recent years, productivity has increased rapidly and production has been developing towards knowledge-intensive structures. Finnish innovation environment is globally advanced and the innovation activities and support systems are efficient. Maintaining competitiveness requires that the base of productivity growth be extended to include more industrial activities. The percentages of gross domestic product are rather high in the sectors with lower growth rates in productivity. Moreover, their output is heavily dependent upon demand in the domestic market. These sectors include construction, transport, real estate, business-related services, social and health services, as well as education. To foster productivity growth and to further open up the economy, it is important to increase deregulation in product and labour markets. Moreover, there is a need to strengthen research and development inputs in the services sector. Finally, a great potential for improvement is found within public welfare services, where productivity can be raised through utilising the services of private enterprises. MTI contact: Industries Department/Senior Researcher Hannu Lipponen, tel. +358 9 1606 3606

Key words Industrial policy, competitiveness, markets, structural change, business environment, productivity, employment

ISSN 1459-9376

ISBN 951-739-764-X

Pages 82

Language English

Price € 17

Published by Ministry of Trade and Industry

Sold by Edita Publishing Ltd

Foreword

Competitiveness and Business Environment in Finland – An International

Benchmarking is a review drawn up by the Ministry of Trade and Industry. It aims

to outline the interaction between competitiveness, industrial structure and the

business environment of enterprises in Finland.

The review is a tool for the Ministry, to support the design and implementation of

Finland’s business environment policy. Our objective is also to discuss competi-

tiveness and its determinants. For this purpose, a section has been added to the Min-

istry’s website at the address www.ktm.fi/competitiveness. This section monitors

the development of competitiveness and the business environment in Finland.

The starting point of this review is benchmarking Finnish competitiveness in an in-

ternational context. Economic performance is examined through an analysis of the

standard of living, productivity and industrial structure. As for the business envi-

ronment, the focus is on the innovation environment, as well as on the labour and

commodity markets. The role of these factors has been emphasised in recent inter-

national studies, too. Taxation and macroeconomic factors are excluded from this

review. The purpose of the forthcoming reviews is to deepen and expand the analy-

sis of the business environment.

This review, compiled by the Industrial Policy Division of the Ministry’s Industries

Department, is also available at the web address mentioned above.

Erkki Virtanen

Permanent Secretary

Contents

Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Summary and Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

1 National competitiveness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

1.1 Competitiveness consists of several levels . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

1.2 Finland ranks well in international evaluations . . . . . . . . . . 13

2 Well-being . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

2.1 Finnish well-being is among the highest in the world . . . . . . 16

2.2 Economic growth has been among the fastest in the world. . . . 20

2.3 The structure of productivity growth has changed . . . . . . . . 24

3 Industrial structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

3.1 The market sector is expanding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

3.2 Productivity growth is driven by manufacturing . . . . . . . . . 28

3.3 Information and communications technology shows the way . . 32

3.4 Technology- and knowledge-intensity is increasing . . . . . . . 37

3.5 Industry restructuring reflects the dynamics of company

demography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

4 Innovation environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

4.1 High educational level of population . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

4.2 Many top-skilled workers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

4.3 R&D investment is top-class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

4.4 Availability of risk financing is good . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

4.5 Innovation activities are fruitful . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

5 Functioning of the market . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

5.1 Unemployment turning into lack of labour . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

5.2 The educational attainment level and demand for labour are ill

matched . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

5.3 Deficiencies in the flexibility of the labour market . . . . . . . . 73

5.4 The openness of economy is relatively low. . . . . . . . . . . . 74

5.5 Regulation restricts competition on the home market . . . . . . 76

Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Summary and Conclusions

Business environment is excellent, whereas the standard of living is only

average

Finland is doing well in the global competition. Productivity has grown rapidly and

the industrial structure has been upgraded. Welfare, measured by economic, social

and environmental indicators, is among the highest in the world, as in the other

Nordic countries.

Finland places remarkably high in international rankings of competitiveness, too.

The results of these rankings are, however, mixed from the Finnish point of view.

The competitiveness of the business environment gets an excellent score, whereas

for the standard of living the position has remained around the 15th for years. This

contradiction needs an explanation.

This explanation has been sought for by assessing competitiveness on three interde-

pendent levels. Standard of living depicts economic performance, with labour in-

puts and labour productivity as its components. Performance is influenced by the

industrial structure, which is a key determinant for the growth potential of econ-

omy. The third level is the business environment, which determines the industrial

structure and which business environment policy directs.

Restructuring of industry has been prominent

The growth of labour productivity has been strong for more than two decades. This

has mainly been attributed to the manufacturing sector, with productivity growth

second fastest after Ireland. For the service sector and construction in particular,

productivity growth has been markedly slower, at times even negative. By the inter-

national standard, however, productivity has grown rapidly in the service sector,

too. In general, industries producing information and communication technologies

and utilising them extensively show the highest productivity growth.

There has been a marked shift in the sources of the productivity growth towards the

end of the 1990s. Total factor productivity, reflecting technological development

and improvement in skills and know-how, has increasingly replaced productivity

growth based on capital deepening. This indicates a growing knowledge-intensity

of the industrial structure.

9

The change in the industrial structure has been profound and one of the fastest in the

world. Increase in technology-intensity of the manufacturing sector has been

strong, driven mainly by the manufacture of communications equipment. For the

service sector the structural change has been slower, though in international com-

parison the GDP share of the knowledge-intensive services has been growing rap-

idly as well. The enterprise volatility rate has also been high, boosting productivity

growth in several industries.

The growth rate of labour input and the standard of living have a strong interdepen-

dence. During the past ten years, employment has picked up dynamically, but there

are still some 130,000 jobs less than before the depression at the beginning of the

1990s.

Innovation environment is favourable, while the functioning of the markets

is deficient

Numerous indicators show that the Finnish innovation environment is excellent;

the level of educational attainment of the workforce is high and the research re-

sources are top-class, cooperation between businesses and research institutions is

intensive and innovation activities are productive and internationally oriented.

Moreover, the financial market functions efficiently, and the availability of venture

capital is good by the international standard.

The causality between the quality of the innovation environment and the rapid

growth of labour productivity is straightforward. Favourable innovation environ-

ment has promoted restructuring of the economy and the growth of the technol-

ogy-intensity of production processes as well.

Competition encourages firms to maintain and improve efficiency and develop new

products. The openness of economy, i.e. the extent it is internationally integrated,

determines the functioning of competition. The openness of the Finnish economy is

lower compared to that of the other small EU Member States. The share of foreign

trade of GDP and the number of foreign investments channelled to Finland are rela-

tively low, and the price level is one of the highest in the world.

The gradual deregulation of the product market, initiated in the 1980s, has pro-

moted the growth of productivity and restructuring. Still, in OECD estimates, Fin-

land figures among the countries where regulation has been proved to hinder com-

petition. Construction, water and natural gas resources management, retail trade

and transportation are among the sectors subjected to detrimental regulation. The

exposure of these industries to international competition has been low, too. The ris-

10

ing price level and weak productivity growth are characteristic of industries pro-

tected from international competition.

There is evidence of malfunctioning of the labour market, too. Problems occur in

matching the educational structure and the demand for labour, although the educa-

tional level, labour participation rate and participation in adult training are the high-

est in the world. The long duration of academic studies weakens the employment

rate. The greatest problem of the labour market is, however, high unemployment,

which results e.g. from the rapid industrial restructuring and ageing of the popula-

tion. Within the next few years, the ageing of the population and the increasing lack

of qualified labour will be factors that restrict economic growth.

The greatest potential for productivity growth lies in the service sector

Maintaining competitiveness calls for strengthening productivity growth and ex-

tending the growth base. Except for the manufacture of communications equip-

ment, the industries with the highest growth of productivity are relatively narrow.

Conversely, productivity growth is lowest in industries with considerable GDP

shares. Among these are construction and specific service industries: transporta-

tion, real-estate activities, business services, health care and social services, as well

as education and training.

The greatest potential for productivity growth is in the service sectors and in con-

struction. Productivity growth and increased openness of the economy necessitate

abolishing the detrimental regulation of the product and labour markets. R&D ac-

tivities in the service sectors should also be boosted. The greatest potential lies in

raising the productivity of public health care services by fostering market-based ac-

tivities in particular. Provision of services has been gradually opened to private en-

terprises. Still, lack of procurement skills is one of the factors putting the brakes on

the change.

11

1 National competitiveness

Starting point

Improvement of economic performance and recognition of the factors explaining it

have been raised as the core of business environment policy. This is influenced by

two development trends in particular, which became increasingly stronger in the

1990s.

The integration of world economy and deregulation of the markets have strength-

ened competition between firms and countries and subjected new, previously pro-

tected economic sectors to competition. Globalisation and the related rapid techno-

logical change have at the same time added to the volatility of international eco-

nomic development. Unanticipated changes in the business environment may

change, even rapidly, the relative competitive positions of countries.

1.1 Competitiveness consists of several levels

By definition, national competitiveness refers to a country’s economic perfor-

mance in relation to other countries or groups of countries1. On the methodological

side, the internal dynamics of economy is increasingly stressed. The characteristics

of the business environment and the resource base of a country pave the way for the

growth of production and productivity. This is further reflected in the development

of the standard of living and welfare, respectively.

In this review, too, analysis follows the successive stages mentioned above. The

competitiveness of the business environment is primarily determined by microeco-

nomic factors, of which the most important ones are the innovation environment

and functioning of markets. These factors are examined here, too. The purpose of

business environment policy is to improve the microeconomic environment2.

12

1 Competitiveness is related to a narrower concept, competitive advantage, which refers to resources or

assets that competitiveness of countries is based on (most often a factor of the business environment).

This resource is not freely available to other countries.

2 The other component of the business environment, macroeconomic factors, are excluded from this

review.

Figure 1. Levels and dynamics of competitiveness

The business environment provides the preconditions for the competitiveness of

firms, industries and production activities, which is measured by productivity and

change in the industrial structure. The competitiveness of the industrial structure

further determines the overall performance, i.e. the standard of living (GDP/popu-

lation). The standard of living again is an integral element of welfare, which is mea-

sured by such qualitative factors as education and training, health and the state of

the environment.

In Figure 1, the competitiveness effects are mainly directed from below upwards. In

reality, firms and industries also influence their business environment and its com-

petitiveness in many ways. This also applies to welfare, which through social capi-

tal affects labour productivity. However, examination of these feedbacks is ex-

cluded from the scope of this review.

1.2 Finland ranks well in international evaluations

The Swiss institutes, World Economic Forum (WEF) and International Institute for

Management Development (IMD), draw up annually evaluations of the competi-

tiveness of developed and less developed economies. Competitiveness is measured

by composite indexes that are derived from statistics describing the state of econo-

mies and the views of business executives of various countries. In the evaluations

of both institutes, Finland has ranked high in recent years.

13

Competitiveness of

the business environment

• Innovation environment

• Labour market

• Commodities market

Competitiveness of

the industrial structure

• Productivity of sectors

• Change in the industrial structure

• Enterprise turnover rate

Business

environment

policy

Welfare and standard of living

• Human and environmental well-being

• Labour input

• Productivity

Competitiveness of

the business environment

• Innovation environment

• Labour market

• Commodities market

Competitiveness of

the industrial structure

• Productivity of sectors

• Change in the industrial structure

• Enterprise turnover rate

Business

environment

policy

Welfare and standard of living

• Human and environmental well-being

• Labour input

• Productivity

However, Finland’s overall performance is mixed. In the latest ranking of IMD,

Finland tops the comparison in terms of the business environment depicting the fu-

ture competitiveness potential, but as to performance realised it is ranked at 18

only. The business environment indexes are based on questionnaire material,

whereas performance has mainly been measured by statistics.

WEF’s Growth Competitiveness Index, which in 2001 was the second highest in

Finland after the United States, measures the growth potential of economy and

thereby future competitiveness potential, too. Finland is well placed by indicators

of technological development and functioning of public institutions, but our macro-

economic competitiveness is relatively low, respectively3. As in the results of IMD,

Finland is ranked high by indexes based on the views of business executives.

The Finnish paradox

WEF’s growth competitiveness analysis is complemented with a comparison of the

microeconomic business environment, which aims to map out the factors explain-

ing the differences in the standard of living. Here the analytical framework is a clus-

ter model by Michael Porter4, in which the competitiveness of the various industries

is created as a joint effect of the strategies and business environment of firms. The

total microeconomic index is obtained as a weighted average of the indicators mea-

suring these determinants.

Based on this cluster approach, too, the Finnish business environment turns out to

be excellent. The competitiveness of the microeconomic business environment cor-

relates positively with the standard of living, i.e. countries with high competitive-

ness also have a high GDP per capita. Deviations are, however, big, and Finland, to-

gether with the UK, belongs to countries where the standard of living is clearly

lower than what the quality of the business environment statistically predicts.

In general, there are two explanations for this performance deficit. According to

WEF, Finland’s competitiveness lies on a solid ground, and the deficit can be attrib-

14

3 The Global Competitiveness Report 2002–2003, WEF. According to the latest report by WEF, Fin-

land also ranks on the top in terms of macroeconomy as well: at the second position. The main ex-

planation for this leap is that the index depicting public expenditure has been replaced by indexes

measuring the efficiency of the public sector.

4 Cf. Porter, 1990.

uted to a slow upward adaptation of the standard of living5. An opposite explana-

tion is based on the measurement method of the indicators; namely, the microeco-

nomic competitiveness index is also derived from the questionnaire material. Thus

there would not be any performance deficit, if the evaluations of the business envi-

ronment were oversized. The results of IMD also support this conclusion. One of

the aims of this review is to find the possible reasons for this contradiction.

Source: Global Competitiveness Report 2003–2004, WEF.

Figure 2. Standard of living and microeconomic business environment.

15

Standard of living

(GDP/population)

1. United States

2. Ireland 3. Norway

15. Finland

Business environment

1. Finland

2. United States

3. Great Britain

Corporate strategies

1. United States

2. Germany

3. Great Britain

4. Finland

Microeconomic

(business)

competitiveness

1. Finland

2. United States

3. Great Britain

Standard of living

(GDP/population)

1. United States

2. Ireland 3. Norway

15. Finland

Business environment

1. Finland

2. United States

3. Great Britain

Corporate strategies

1. United States

2. Germany

3. Great Britain

4. Finland

Microeconomic

(business)

competitiveness

1. Finland

2. United States

3. Great Britain

5 According to this explanation, the improvement of the quality of the business environment is not im-

mediately reflected in higher performance.

2 Well-being

Interrelation between well-being, the environment and technology

Well-being can be divided into human and environmental well-being, which are

mutually dependent. Economic growth and the state of the environment have tradi-

tionally had a negative interdependence: if one is to be increased, the other has to be

cut. Technological change is, however, reducing this juxtaposition. The growth of

production based on research and intangibles allows increasing material well-being

without impairing the state of the environment6.

2.1 Finnish well-being is among the highest in the

world

According to a narrower definition, Finnish well-being is at 11th place in the

global ranking. Our educational level tops the rankings, but health and the stan-

dard of living represent the average level of the most developed countries.

With a broader definition (quality of living), Finland belongs to the top ten rank-

ing together with the other Nordic countries. The same applies to the well-being of

the environment and eco-competitiveness.

Health and the standard of living drop Finland off the leading scores

The Human Development Report, published annually by the United Nations, eval-

uates the socio-economic development of countries with a combined indicator HDI

(Human Development Index). The index is calculated as an average of life expec-

tancy, educational level and the standard of living (GDP/population). According to

the UN definition, human development is about creating an environment in which

people can develop their full potential and lead productive, creative lives in accord

with their needs and interests.

16

6 The state of the environment may even improve, if the production share of industries that heavily

strain the environment decreases at the same time.

Norway, Iceland and Sweden of the Nordic countries are countries with the highest

human development, which, except for Sweden, rank on top by all the three indica-

tors. In relation to the overall ranking, Sweden scores relatively low by the GDP per

capita. In the 2001 human development comparison, Finland shared the 11th place

together with Denmark, Ireland, the UK and Luxembourg. In terms of educational

attainment, Finland heads the world rankings (shared first place), but our overall

score declines owing to lower standard of living (15th position) and life expectancy

(16th position).

Quality of living and sustainable development are the world’s best

Despite its usability, the UN’s human development indicator omits some central

sub-sectors of well-being. The World Conservation Union (IUCN) uses a well-be-

ing index that is broader than HDI7. This index measuring sustainable development

distinguishes between human well-being (HWI8) and environmental well-being

(EWI9).

Table 1. Sustainable Development Index

Human Well-being Index (HWI) Ecosystem Well-being Index (EWI)

Health and stability of family size Biodiversity, state of the eco-system

Income level, nutrition, hygiene and national

economy

Quality of waterways and potable water

Educational level, communications system Air protection and quality of urban atmo-

sphere

Society, freedom, administration, crime Animal protection, diversity of species

Distribution of income and equality between

the genders

Consumption of natural resources and bur-

dens on the environment

Source: Wellbeing of Nations (2001).

The countries with the highest score in sustainable development are Sweden, Fin-

land, Norway and Iceland of the Nordic countries, together with Austria (cf. Figure

3). Thus Finland’s ranking is considerably higher, as well-being is expanded to in-

stitutional factors and when indicators of basic human needs are included in the

standard of living (prosperity). HWI, too, clearly favours the Nordic well-being

17

7 Wellbeing of Nations (2001).

8 HWI = Human Well-being Index.

9 EWI = Ecosystem Well-being Index.

model. In contrast, the ranking of many of the countries with a high standard of liv-

ing is declining. Luxembourg is at 14th place, the United States at 19 and Ireland at

15.

Source: World Conservation Union, http://www.iucn.org/themes/ssc.

Figure 3. Countries with the highest Sustainable Development Index

The differences between countries in the overall ranking are mainly attributed to

the differences in environmental well-being. In this regard, however, the countries

with the highest sustainable development are far from the world’s top. Finland

ranks at 85, Norway and Iceland at 94 and Sweden at 6210. If the other industrialised

18

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160

Spain

Netherlands

Luxembourg

Greece

Portugal

UK

Belgium

USA

Italy

France

Japan

Ireland

Denmark

Germany

Canada

Switzerland

Austria

Iceland

Finland

Norway

Sweden

Human well-being

index

Environmental well-

being index

10 The non-industrialised countries with low utilisation of natural resources head the ranking.

countries are taken as points of reference, the Nordic countries retake the leading

positions11.

The ranking of the countries remains almost the same for eco-efficiency, which is

measured by the ratio between HWI and EWI (cf. Figure 4). The index value shows

roughly to what extent human well-being has been achieved at the expense of

straining the environment at the different levels of HWI. For instance, Greece,

where the HWI index gets a relatively low value, ranks high in terms of eco-effi-

ciency. Norway drops to the 7th place. As can be seen in the Figure, the standard of

living of the countries with the highest eco-efficiency represent the average level of

the OECD countries12.

Source: World Conservation Union, http://www.iucn.org/themes/ssc.

Figure 4. Eco-efficiency (HWI/EWI) and standard of living (GDP/population)

19

0

0,5

1

1,5

2

2,5

3

3,5

4

Sw

eden

Canada

Sw

itzerland

Fin

land

Icela

nd

Austr

ia

Norw

ay

Gre

ece

Germ

any

Port

ugal

US

A

Irela

nd

UK

Italy

Fra

nce

Denm

ark

Japan

Luxem

bourg

Belg

ium

Neth

erlands

Spain

0

10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

60000

Eco-efficiency

GDP/population

HWI/EWI GDP/population

11 Interestingly, the countries where the forest industry plays a key role (Finland, Sweden, Austria and

Canada) top the ranking of both sustainable development and eco-system well-being.

12 The index is calculated with the current PPP in US$ in 2000.

2.2 Economic growth has been among the fastest in

the world

Finland’s standard of living has for long occupied the 15th position. Of the factors

constituting the standard of living, productivity and labour participation rate are

the most important ones.

Economic growth in Finland has been among the fastest in the world. This has re-

sulted mainly from the dynamic growth of productivity and the relatively rapid

growth of employment.

The standard of living, which measures the performance of national economy, is

determined by the number of production inputs and the output yielded by the in-

puts. In its simplest form, the standard of living can be expressed by the identity be-

low:

The first term at the right hand side of the identity, labour productivity, depicts the

efficiency of total production. The second term denotes the average annual working

time, and the third one labour participation. Thus growth in labour productivity, an

increase in the number of working hours and an increase in the number of the em-

ployed in relation to the population affect the standard of living.

Labour participation is more important than working time

As for the standard-of-living, Finland’s ranking at the 15th position is about the

same as the score for its components. Compared e.g. to Ireland, the share of the em-

ployed population is higher in Finland, but Ireland has more working hours per em-

ployee, and productivity is also clearly higher. Similarly, in comparison to the sec-

ond ranking, Norway, Finland has clearly more working hours, but in Norway pro-

ductivity, as well as the proportion of the employed of the population, is higher. In

Finland the employment rate is higher than in the EU on average, but distinctly

lower than in the other Nordic countries. (cf. Figure 5).

20

population

employment

employment

rsworkinghou

rsworkinghou

GDP

population

GDP���

Source: Database of the University of Groningen.

Figure 5. Main components of the standard of living, 2002 (USA = 100)13

Looking at the OECD countries as a whole, there seems to be a negative interdepen-

dence between the standard of living and working hours, i.e. in the countries with a

high standard of living the number of working hours is low on the average. Except

for Finland, this is typical of the Nordic countries in particular. Instead, in most of

the Anglo-Saxon countries and in Japan, a high standard of living is associated with

a high number of working hours.

Conversely, the dependence of the standard of living on productivity and the em-

ployment rate is positive. The higher productivity and the employment rate are, the

higher standard of living can be attained. Therefore it can be concluded that produc-

tivity and the standard of living could be increased by reorganising work and rais-

21

60 70 80 90 100 110 120

UK

France

Finland

Japan

Italy

Germany

Belgium

Sweden

Austria

Australia

Netherlands

Canada

Denmark

Switzerland

Ireland

Norway

Employment/population

Hours/employment

GDP/hours

13 The countries are listed in the order of the quality of the standard of living.

ing the labour participation rate. These effects are transmitted through an increased

and more efficient use of labour inputs. Figure 6 illustrating an increase in the stan-

dard of living 614 also supports this conclusion.

Growth of the standard of living is based on labour productivity

Of the OECD countries, growth of the standard of living has been clearly fastest in

Ireland – 6.4% on average – followed by Finland with a growth rate of over 3%. As

in most industrialised countries, the most important factor of economic growth in

Finland has been labour productivity. The growth of the employment rate has also

played a significant role. In this respect Ireland, Spain and the Netherlands stand as

the best examples. In the countries with the fastest growth of employment, how-

ever, the number of working hours per employee has fallen. This has occurred in

Finland, too, especially towards the latter half of the 1990s. In contrast, in countries

like the United States and Denmark, where the number of working hours has risen,

growth of employment and also of the standard of living has been slower.

22

14 The countries are organised by the growth rate of the standard of living.

Source: database of the University of Groningen.

Figure 6. Annual growth of the standard of living; broken down to the main

components, 1993–2001

23

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23

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mp

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t/p

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tio

n

2.3 The structure of productivity growth has

changed

The basis of labour productivity growth has shifted over to total factor productiv-

ity. This has been connected with a decreased impact of capital deepening arising

from the decline in the investment rate. This change reflects a decline in the invest-

ment rate and improved efficiency in use of production resources.

Labour productivity depends on two factors, total factor productivity (TFP15) and

capital deepening16. Total factor productivity refers to all residual effects of pro-

ductivity growth outside the increase in labour and capital. Among these are tech-

nological development, organisational innovations, dissemination of technological

information, and improved skills of the workforce. Total factor productivity is con-

sidered to be the most important indicator of growth, because it depicts the overall

efficiency of the use of production resources of economy.

Capital deepening of production refers to a growing substitution of capital for la-

bour. In the Western industrialised countries, and Finland in particular, capital

deepening has been boosted by favourable macroeconomic factors and labour

costs, which are considered high.

In Finland the main long-term source of growth of labour productivity has been to-

tal factor productivity with the average growth effect of around 1.8 percentage

points per year. The effect of capital deepening has varied between 1.2% and 1.8%,

respectively. In the early 1990s – before the fastest stage of the restructuring – Fin-

land showed one of the highest growth rates in total factor productivity (cf. Figure

7).

24

Labour

CapitalTFP

Labour

GDP�����

15 TFP = Total Factor Productivity.

16 The analysis of the components of labour productivity based on the hypotheses of the standard pro-

duction theory on the production possibilities and substitutability of inputs. The basic assumption is

constant returns to scale, i.e. an increase of inputs by one unit, increases the ouput by one unit. Then

growth of labour production can be expressed as a sum of total factor productivity and capital dee-

pening as follows:.

Source: European Competitiveness Report 2001.

Figure 7. Average annual contribution of total factor productivity to labour

productivity growth in the 1990s, %

Restructuring has increased the relative importance of total factor

productivity

The structure of total factor productivity changed essentially towards the end of the

past decade. The effect of total factor productivity rose to over three per cent, while

the impact of capital deepening diminished and turned even negative (cf. Figure 8).

This change resulted, above all, from the dynamic growth of the technology-inten-

sive electronics and ICT industries, which has boosted the total factor productivity

growth of manufacturing. The influence of total factor productivity has increased in

the traditional industries and in the private service sectors, too.

25

-1 0 1 2 3 4

Japan

Spain

Italy

Germany

EU-15

France

Netherlands

Belgium

UK

Denmark

Austria

USA

Luxembourg

Portugal

Greece

Sweden

Finalnd

Ireland

1995-2001

1990-1995

Along with the change in the industrial structure, the decrease in the investment rate

in the traditional manufacturing in particular has brought down the relative impor-

tance of physical capital17. Although developments in the majority of industrialised

countries have gone in the same direction, in Finland the change has been excep-

tionally drastic.

Source: European Competitiveness Report 2001.

Figure 8. Average annual contribution of capital deepening to labour produc-

tivity growth in the 1990s, %

26

-0,5 0 0,5 1 1,5

Finland

Ireland

Netherlands

Sweden

Italy

Spain

France

Belgium

UK

Luxembourg

Denmark

EU-15

Germany

Austria

USA

Greece

Japan

Portugal

1995-2001

1990-1995

17 Physical capital is increasingly being replaced by immaterial capital.

3 Industrial structure

Regeneration is the driving force of competitiveness

Renewal of production activities enhances productivity in three different ways.

Development of business activities and innovativeness within companies are re-

flected in industry-specific efficiency and thereby in productivity of economy. A

change in the industrial structure strengthens this effect, if the proportion of indus-

tries with rapid productivity growth increases. The third effect is brought about

through the transaction relations between industries18. The innovativeness of the

subcontracted industries, such as services, may raise the productivity of economy,

even if their productivity remained unchanged.

3.1 The market sector is expanding

The industrial structure in Finland resembles in broad outline the average of the

OECD countries and the EU Member States. The share of the service sector is

around two thirds, that of industry and construction less than one third, and the

share of primary production close to 5%. Compared with the United States and the

leading European countries, the share of the service sector of total production is,

however, about 10% lower in Finland, and the share has even decreased in recent

years.

As in the other Nordic countries, the public sector in Finland is mainly responsible

for the provision of welfare services. Consequently, the share of the public sector of

service production is internationally high. A look at the share of the so-called busi-

ness services19 in the whole service sector reveals that Finland and the other Nordic

countries are, nevertheless, going their separate ways. With the growing share of

business services, Finland is converging the USA and the leading European coun-

tries (cf. Figure 9).

27

18 Viitamo (2003).

19 This ratio also broadly illustrates the size of the public sector, as the services outside the business ser-

vice sector mainly consist of welfare services.

Source: OECD, STAN database.

Figure 9. Business services; share of the value added of the service sector

The growth of the demand for business services and gradual outsourcing of the ser-

vice activities of business enterprises have mainly influenced the development. As

a result of outsourcing, market-based production may increase even without any

growth in total production. The recent increase of business activities in provision of

welfare services has had similar effects.

3.2 Productivity growth is driven by

manufacturing

In Finland growth of labour productivity has ranked on the world’s top during the

past 20 years. The growth has mainly been driven by manufacturing, with the pro-

ductivity level already higher than in the USA.

Compared to manufacturing, the productivity level of services is distinctly lower

and growth slower. Nevertheless, the growth of productivity in the service sector

and in market-based services has been faster than in the OECD countries on aver-

age.

28

58

60

62

64

66

68

70

72

74

US

A

UK

Germ

any

Fra

nce

Neth

erlands

Fin

land

Norw

ay

Denm

ark

Sw

eden

-1

-0,5

0

0,5

1

1,5

2

2,5

3

3,5Share 2000

Change 1995 - 2000

% %

Productivity of manufacturing already higher than in the USA

By long-term productivity growth, Finland figures among the most competitive

countries in the world. During 1980–1999 the aggregate labour productivity rose

80%20, while in most of the OECD countries growth remained below 50% during

the same period. Productivity growth has been driven by manufacturing, where

productivity increased as much as 180%. At the end of the past decade, the produc-

tivity level of manufacturing was higher than in the United States (cf. Figure 10)21.

Measured by the number of employees, however, the difference is still around 10%

between the USA and Finland22.

Source: Database of the University of Groningen.

Figure 10. Development of productivity levels in manufacturing; measured by

working hours (USA = 100)

29

0 20 40 60 80 100 120

Australia

UK

Canada

Japan

Germany

France

Sweden

Netherlands

Belgium

USA

Finland

2000

1980

1960

20 Measured by working hours.

21 The method of calculating value added is based here on the unit values of industrial products. From

these the values and volume data are derived for product groups (University of Groningen;

http://www.eco.rug.nl/GGDC/icop.html)

22 Ireland, where productivity level is one of the highest in the world, is missing from the reference

countries.

While productivity of services and construction has increased slower than in manu-

facturing, the long-term growth of private services in particular ranks on the

world’s top. Of the most developed countries, Japan has experienced the fastest

productivity growth, around 70% during 1980–1999, but Finland is placed second

with the growth rate of 60%23.

This is also reflected in the narrowing down of Finland’s productivity gap with re-

spect to the USA. In 1980 the productivity level of private services was 40% lower

than the U.S. level, but in 1999 the difference was no more than about 20%. Al-

though Finland has during the same period outstripped e.g. Sweden and Denmark,

productivity level of services as a whole represents the average level of the indus-

trialised countries.

Ireland dominates in manufacturing, the USA in services; Finland is well

placed in both

The effect of manufacturing on the aggregate productivity growth is significant in

most countries, especially in countries with highest productivity growth rates (cf.

Figure 11). Of the EU Member States, Finland ranks second after Ireland, where

productivity growth in the service sector has been modest. Productivity growth

rates in services that are lower than the average are typical of many Central Euro-

pean countries as well, whereas in the Anglo-Saxon countries productivity growth

has been rapid.

In most developed countries productivity of business services has increased faster

than productivity in the service sector as a whole. This implies that productivity of

welfare services has increased slowly, if at all. While productivity of the service

sector in Finland has increased faster than in the OECD countries on average, the

difference with respect to the leading USA still remains considerable.

30

23 Mankinen, Rouvinen, Ylä-Anttila (2002)

Source: OECD, STAN database.

Figure 11. Annual productivity growth by main industrial sector, 1995–2000,

%24

31

Ind

ust

ryS

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ice

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or

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24 Productivity has been calculated as an annual change of fixed value added (base year 1995) in relati-

on to the number of the employed. The order of the countries is based on the aggregate productivity

growth.

3.3 Information and communications technology

shows the way

Productivity growth has been fastest in the industries producing ICT, in which the

growth is among the highest in the world. Of the industries utilising ICT exten-

sively, productivity growth has been strong in financing and in manufacturing of

electrical machinery. In general, there remains much to improve in utilisation of

ICT across industries.

Except for manufacture of communications equipment, high productivity growth

is concentrated on relatively narrow groups of industries. In contrast, productivity

growth in the industries with the highest GDP share has been slack. Among these

are construction, public services and some of the central private services. This im-

balance partly explains the Finnish paradox of why the aggregate productivity

and standard of living are only of the international average.

As conveyed by the recent studies, information and communications technology

(ICT) has become one of the major factors explaining the productivity differences

across industries. In its international benchmarking studies on productivity, the

University of Groningen applies an ICT-based industry taxonomy. It divides indus-

tries into those producing and utilising ICT extensively and into industries that uti-

lise ICT only little or not at all (other sectors)25. The classification is based on an

empirical finding that productivity growth in the ICT industries is faster on average

than in other sectors.

32

25 The classification is based on the ICT investments statistics by industry in the USA, which reflects

the utilisation potential of ICT in other developed countries (Bart van Ark & al. 2002). Note that there

may be sector-specific differences across countries. For instance, in Finland transportation and logis-

tic services utilise extensively ICT-based applications (Viitamo, 2003).

Table 2. The breakdown of the ICT-based industry classification

Industry pro-

ducing ICT

Services pro-

viding ICT

Industry uti-

lising ICT

Services uti-

lising ICT

Other in-

dustry

Other

services

Office equip-

ment and

computers

Communica-

tions equip-

ment

Semi-

conductors

Optical

fibres

Electronic

circuits

Medical

appliances

Measure-

ment instru-

ments

Postal and

telecommu-

nications

Computer

and related

services

Clothes

Printed mat-

ter

Machinery

Electrical

equipment

Optical

instruments

Ships and

aircrafts

Wholesale

and retail

trade

Banking and

insurance

Research

and devel-

opment

Consultancy

Technical

testing

Food

products

Textiles

Wood

products

Paper

products

Chemicals

Base

metals

Metal

products

Cars

Oil products

Trade in

vehicles

Hotels

and res-

taurants

Logistics

Public

adminis-

tration

Educa-

tion

Health

care

Source: Bart van Ark & al (2002).

Finland, the EU and the USA

An examination of the shares of the industry groups reveals that Finland deviates

from the EU and the USA in two respects (cf. Figure 12). Like in Ireland, the share

of industries producing and utilising ICT only little is notably high in Finland. Sim-

ilarly, the share of the services utilising ICT extensively is essentially lower than in

the EU and in the USA.

As for the productivity growth, the EU and Finland resemble each other more. In

Finland the productivity of industries producing ICT is somewhat lower than in the

EU, which is affected e.g. the remarkable 42% growth of productivity in Ireland26.

In the United States productivity increased in this group clearly faster. Of the ser-

vice sectors producing ICT, Finland’s special strength is postal and telecommuni-

cations with a 13.5% productivity growth. Of the domestic industries, ICT produc-

ing manufacturing and services also show the fastest growth in total factor produc-

tivity. Their effect on the total factor productivity of economy is thereby consider-

able.

33

26 Productivity growth in manufacturing of communications equipment has been clearly faster in Fin-

land than in the EU and USA.

Source: Bart van Ark & al (2002).

Figure 12. ICT industries; size and annual productivity growth, 1995–2000

34

010

20

30

40

50

ICT

pro

du

cin

g

ma

nu

factu

rin

g

ICT

pro

du

cin

g

se

rvic

es

ICT

usin

g

ma

nu

factu

rin

g

ICT

usin

g

se

rvic

es

Oth

er

ma

nu

factu

rin

g

Oth

er

se

rvic

es

Fin

lan

d

US

A

EU

05

10

15

20

25

ICT

pro

du

cin

g

ma

nu

factu

rin

g

ICT

pro

du

cin

g

se

rvic

es

ICT

usin

g

ma

nu

factu

rin

g

ICT

usin

g

se

rvic

es

Oth

er

ma

nu

factu

rin

g

Oth

er

se

rvic

es

Fin

lan

d

US

A

EU

010

20

30

40

50

ICT

pro

du

cin

g

ma

nu

factu

rin

g

ICT

pro

du

cin

g

se

rvic

es

ICT

usin

g

ma

nu

factu

rin

g

ICT

usin

g

se

rvic

es

Oth

er

ma

nu

factu

rin

g

Oth

er

se

rvic

es

Fin

lan

d

US

A

EU

05

10

15

20

25

ICT

pro

du

cin

g

ma

nu

factu

rin

g

ICT

pro

du

cin

g

se

rvic

es

ICT

usin

g

ma

nu

factu

rin

g

ICT

usin

g

se

rvic

es

Oth

er

ma

nu

factu

rin

g

Oth

er

se

rvic

es

Fin

lan

d

US

A

EU

Sh

are

of

the

GD

Pin

20

00

%P

rod

uct

ivit

yg

row

th%

Although in Finland, too, the productivity of sectors utilising ICT extensively is

higher than in the other sectors, the case of manufacturing is the opposite. For in-

stance, the forest industries, belonging to the non-ICT group, a faster productivity

growth than in the EU and USA. In terms of services utilising ICT, the ranking of

Finland is good, with only the USA, Norway and Sweden ahead of us. Here the

spearhead industries are financial intermediation and other activities auxiliary to fi-

nancing.

The spear is sharp but thin-pointed

A more detailed examination confirms that the ICT industries are on top of produc-

tivity development in Finland. Table 3 presents a compilation of the industries with

productivity growth during 1995–2000 at least as rapid as in economy as a whole

(2.4%). In 1998 the share of this group of total production was 41%, productivity

growth 5.1% and production growth 7.1%.

Table 3. Sectors with fastest production growth, 1993–2001

Industry Percentage

(GDP)

1998

Annual growth of

productivity %

(working hours)

Annual growth

of production %

(value added)

ICT producer Radio- and communications equip-

ment

3.5 15.3 35.1

ICT user Activities auxiliary to financing 0.2 10.5 22.0

ICT producer Postal and telecommunications 2.7 9.6 10.9

ICT user Financial intermediation 2.7 6.1 1.8

Electricity, gas and water supply 2.3 5.2 1.7

ICT user/

producer

Electrical machinery and equip-

ment

0.9 4.7 7.7

Agriculture and forestry 3.7 4.7 1.7

Chemicals 1.5 4.2 4.8

Base metals 1.1 4.1 5.0

Other vehicles 0.3 3.7 8.9

ICT user Publishing and printing business 1.5 3.4 3.2

Wood products 1.2 3.3 5.9

Food products 1.9 3.1 1.5

Pulp and paper 4.1 3.1 3.9

ICT user Other machinery and equipment 2.9 3.0 6.4

ICT user Wholesale and retail trade 10.5 3.0 4.8

Mining 0.2 2.8 2.8

Total 41.4 5.1 7.1

Source: OECD, STAN database.

35

The share of the ICT industries of the productivity growth of the industries listed

under Table 3 is around 70 % and over 80 % of production growth. The impact of

the ICT sectors on the growth of the entire economy is also high on average, with

the most significant exception financial intermediation, in which productivity

growth is based on capital deepening.

Large sectors and services utilising ICT only little are the weak points

In a similar way, the most problematic areas of productivity growth can be illus-

trated by examining the development of the largest industries (cf. Table 427). In

1998 the GDP share of this sector of was 48%, total productivity growth 0.5% and

production growth 2.5% during 1993–2001.

The largest industries consist of public services, real-estate services, transportation

and construction. The proportion of public services of GDP is nearly 18% and their

productivity and growth is among the lowest of this group. Other industries with

low performance are construction, business services and other societal and personal

services. Thus Finland’s average ranking in productivity and standard of living

can be explained by the high GDP share of sectors with low productivity growth.

Table 4. Development of the productivity and production of the largest indust-

ries, 1993–2001

Sector Percentage

(GDP)

1998

Annual

productivity

growth %

(working hours)

Annual

production

growth %

(value added)

Real-estate services 11.0 2.1 3.0

Health care and social services 7.8 -0.5 1.1

Transportation and storage 7.3 1.7 3.6

Construction 5.0 -2.2 1.5

Public administration and defence 5.0 0.7 1.0

Education and training 4.9 -0.6 1.7

ICT user Business services 3.7 0.1 6.4

Other societal and personal services 3.5 0.3 2.9

Total 48.2 0.5 2.5

Source: OECD, STAN database.

36

27 Of the largest sectors, retail and wholesale trade (2.), pulp and paper industry (8.) and agriculture and

forestry (10.) have been excluded here.

3.4 Technology- and knowledge-intensity is

increasing

In Finland the change in the industrial structure has been biggest in manufactur-

ing, where the share of technology-intensive sectors of total production is one of

the highest in the world. This restructuring has, above all, resulted from the dy-

namic growth of the ICT manufacturing. Restructuring has, at the same time,

strongly contributed to the aggregate productivity growth.

The restructuring of manufacturing is also reflected in the rapid increase in the

technology-intensity of goods exports. The technology-intensity of exports has

reached the average level of the OECD countries.

In Finland the GDP share of knowledge-intensive services is lower than in indus-

trialised countries on average. The growth of their GDP has, however, been

among the fastest in the OECD countries.

The growth of the technology-intensiveness of manufacturing has been

among the fastest in the world

Measured by the production structure of the manufacturing sector, Finland is one of

world’s most technology-intensive countries. After the leading countries, Ireland

and Korea, the differences between Hungary, Germany and Finland are small. This

can be seen when examining the proportion of high and medium-high technology

industries of total production (cf. Figure 13). In Finland the impact of high technol-

ogy, mainly communications technology, is remarkable, and its relative share is the

highest of the OECD countries. In Finland the share of medium-high technology

sectors is lower than on average. This is influenced e.g. by the high GDP share of

the forest industry, which belongs to low technology industries.

37

Source: OECD, STAN database.

Figure 13. Technology-intensive manufacturing; the share of the GDP, %

Restructuring has boosted productivity growth

In regard to the restructuring of manufacturing and growth of technology-intensity

(cf. Figure 14), the OECD countries can be divided into three groups; countries

where the overall change has been negative, countries where the increase in the

shares of technology groups have balanced, and countries where the change has

been driven by high-tech manufacturing. Finland, which belongs to the latter

group, ranks first in terms of the growth of the share of high-tech manufacturing

and thereby specialisation.

When Figure 14 is compared with Figure 11 illustrating productivity growth, the

dependence between restructuring and productivity growth becomes obvious.

Countries where the share of high-tech industries has increased the most are also

positioned high with regard to productivity growth in manufacturing. The most ob-

vious exception is the USA, where technology-intensiveness has, in fact, de-

creased. Nonetheless, productivity has increased in the USA, too, and faster than on

average. For the USA productivity growth is more induced by internal renewal of

industries and wide-scoped utilisation of ICT.

38

0

5

10

15

20

25

Irela

nd

Kore

a

Hungary

Germ

any

Fin

land

Japan

Sw

eden

Belg

ium

Canada

Mexic

o

US

A

Fra

nce

Italy

Austr

ia

UK

Denm

ark

Spain

Neth

erl

ands

Austr

alia

Norw

ay

Gre

ece

Medium-hightech

Hightech

Source: OECD, STAN database.

Figure 14. The share of technology-intensive manufacturing; annual change of

the GDP, 1992–2001

The technology-intensiveness of goods exports has reached the average

OECD level

The restructuring of manufacturing is reflected in the technology-intensity of goods

exports as well. This is measured by the weighted average of the export shares of

the four technology categories.28 The horizontal axis of Figure 15 measures the

value of the indicator in 2001 and the vertical one the absolute change during

39

-10 -5 0 5 10 15 20

Greece

Spain

Italy

Germany

Netherlands

Australia

Japan

USA

UK

France

Belgium

Norway

Austria

Canada

Denmark

Sweden

Korea

Ireland

Mexico

Hungary

Finland

Medium-hightech

Hightech

28 The weightings have been given as follows: high technology (0.4), medium-high technology(0.3),

medium-low technology (0.2) and low technology (0.1).

1992–2001. The average of the OECD countries, which divides the countries into

four categories of competitiveness, is also highlighted.

The growth of technology intensity of Finnish exports has been among the fastest in

the world, but the present structure has just reached the OECD average only. The

main factor explaining the relatively low level is the high export share of the forest

products29. In Finland the growth of technology intensity attributes mostly to the

exports of telecommunications equipment, whereas e.g. in Ireland and Hungary the

medium-high technology industries have also contributed to the change. In the

leading industrialised countries the share of medium-high technology industries is

higher than in Finland, too, but in most countries the restructuring has been slower

than the OECD average.

Source: OECD, Bilateral trade statistics.

Figure 15. Technology intensity of the exports of the manufacturing sector in

the OECD countries

40

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

14 19 24 29 34

IreHun

FinGre

Por

NedCzeUK

Ice Tur

Den OECD

Bel-Lux

Kor

Fra

Swe

Swi

NzlAul

Nor

GerPol

USA

JpnSpa

Aus

ItaCan

Slo Mex

Fast growth/Low level Fast growth/High level

Slow growth/Low level Slow growth/High level

Share 2001 %

Growth %

29 Although in the OECD classification the forest industry belongs to the low-technology industries, se-

veral studies show that the forest industry in Finland is one of the most technology-intensive in the

world (Viitamo, 2003). The OECD classification is based on the input-output statistics of a few key

countries, in which Finland is not included.

The growth of the knowledge-intensiveness in the service sector ranks on the

world’s top

The so-called knowledge-intensive business services30, which belong to business

services, play a central role with respect to growth of competitiveness. According

to an ICT-based industry classification, the knowledge-intensive service sector in-

cludes services producing ICT, i.e. postal and telecommunications, computer ser-

vices and services utilising ICT (excluding the sectors of trade).

High knowledge-intensity of services or extensive use of ICT are not necessarily

associated with high growth of productivity. For instance, in many business service

sectors value added has increased on a par with the labour input (cf. Table 3). More

often, the competitiveness effects of knowledge-intensive services manifest them-

selves in indirect productivity impacts in client industries.

In most of the OECD countries, the proportion of knowledge-intensive services of

total production and the service sector is increasing (cf. Figure 16). A positive dif-

ference between these indicators implies that the proportion of the service sector of

total production is increasing. As indicated by Figure 16, the trend in Finland, Can-

ada, Norway and Ireland have been the opposite in recent years. That is, the GDP

share of the service sector is diminishing31.

In Finland the growth of the share of the knowledge-intensive services has been

rapid by the international standard, and fastest, if the change in this share is viewed

within the service sector. The fastest-growing industries in Finland are computer

services and postal and telecommunications. Among the factors that have contrib-

uted to this are the dynamic growth of the ICT manufacturing, outsourcing of ser-

vice activities and liberalisation of the telecommunications market at the beginning

of the 1990s.

41

30 KIBS = Knowledge Intensive Business Services.

31 Unlike the GDP share, the proportion of the service sector of total employment has been on a con-

tinuous increase in Finland, which partly reflects the relative decline in productivity in the service

sector with respect to other sectors. However, this is not characteristic of Finland only. In many

OECD countries employment has increased faster than the GDP share.

Source: OECD STAN database32.

Figure 16. Knowledge-intensive business services; annual growth 1996–2001,

%

42

-0,5 0,5 1,5 2,5 3,5 4,5

Spain

France

Norway

Canada

Austalia

Belgium

Denmark

Austria

Sweden

Germany

Italy

UK

Korea

Ireland

Japan

Mexico

USA

Greece

Finland

Netherlands

Hungary

Luxembourg

Share of the service sector

Share of the GDP

(44,5)

(16,3)

(21,0)

(10,5)

(22,5)

(15,1)

(13,5)

(13,5)

(15,4)

(20,5)

(16,5)

(16,9)

(20,0)

(15,6)

(17,6)

(20,9)

(12,2)

(15,8)

(23,4)

(13,0)

(28,6)

(22,2)

32 The share of knowledge-intensive services of total production in the latest year available 1999–2001

is given in brackets.

3.5 Industry restructuring reflects the dynamics of

company demography

In contrast to the EU, production and employment in manufacturing have centred

on large companies in Finland. The majority of new firms are enterprises with one

employee only. Therefore the employment effect of new firms is among the lowest

of the developed countries.

In Finland the enterprise volatility rate has been of the international average, but

the growth of the number of enterprises is slow. In manufacturing the enterprise

volatility rate is lower than in the service sectors, where the costs of entries and ex-

its are lower. The volatility rate is also influenced by the rapidity of technological

change and the knowledge-intensity of industries. The enterprise volatility has in-

creased productivity of industries.

Enterprise volatility is restructuring on the micro level

Change in the industrial structure is ultimately determined by the differences in the

growth rates of companies and the enterprise volatility. Enterprise volatility refers

to market entries of new enterprises and exits of operating firms from the market.

For the competitiveness of the countries, the enterprise volatility rate and removal

of the obstacles to it are important; as companies with low profitability are replaced

by profitable businesses, the resources of an economy are allocated to new growth

sectors. Besides this creative destruction, renewal of the company stock as such re-

flects the capacity to regenerate and innovativeness of economies, which are the

cornerstones of competitiveness.

Production and employment have centred on large companies

In Finland, as in most OECD countries, the majority of companies are micro enter-

prises – with less than 10 employees. At the end of the 1990s, their share of all Finn-

ish companies was around 85%, while their share of production in the manufactur-

ing sector being only 5% and 10% of employment33. In this respect, Finland, to-

gether with Germany, the USA and Sweden, can be counted among the countries

43

33 In the service sector, the production and employment shares are higher.

with large-company dominance34. The size structure of the company stock can be

largely explained by the country’s industrial structure and technological character-

istics of industries, such as economies of scale of production. Economies of scale

also partly explain why productivity is in general higher in large companies in par-

ticular35. In terms of differences in productivity, Finland is close to the EU average

(cf. Figure 17).

Source: Observatory of European SMEs 2002 / No 2.

Figure 17. Labour productivity by company size in 2000

The enterprise volatility rate has decreased

In regard to the average enterprise volatility rate, Finland is ranked high in an inter-

national comparison (cf. Figure 18). Due to the equality of entry and exit rates, the

growth of the company stock (difference between the entry rate and the exit rate)

has been slow, however. In Sweden, for example, the rapid growth of the company

stock has resulted from a low exit rate.

44

0

50

100

150

200

250

Luxem

bourg

Germ

any

Gre

ece

Belg

ium

Neth

erlands

Lie

chte

nste

in

Italy

Denm

ark

Port

ugal

Sw

eden

Austr

ia

EU

Fin

land

Norw

ay

Sw

itzerland

Spain

UK

Fra

nce

Irela

nd

Icela

nd

SMEs Big enterprises

Country average = 100

34 OECD (2002), Small and Medium Enterprise Outlook

35 These are companies with 250 employees or more.

Source: Observatory of European SMEs 2002 / No 2.

Figure 18. Enterprise volatility rate; the average during 1995–2000, %

In Finland the volatility rate has decreased since the mid-1990s, partly due to the

rapid growth of the company stock after the recession at the beginning of the de-

cade. Sectoral differences remain, however, considerable. In the service sectors and

construction the volatility rate is distinctly higher than in manufacturing, which is

characteristic of the other developed countries, too.

The scale factors and the entry and exit costs also explain why the enterprise volatil-

ity is typical of small enterprises. In Finland the share of entrepreneurs (one-man

enterprises) of start-ups is close to 88%, which is one of the highest figures in the

world. Consequently, the employment effect of new Finnish enterprises is also

among the lowest in the developed countries, less than one per cent of total employ-

ment.

Enterprise volatility has improved productivity of industries

Besides start-up costs and growth prospects, the dynamics of competition influ-

ences the sectoral volatility differences. In knowledge-intensive industries, charac-

terised by rapid technological change and product differentiation, enterprise vola-

tility is also high. Business services in particular represent such sectors (cf. Figure

45

0 5 10 15 20 25 30

Sweden

Iceland

Ausrtia

Switzerland

Italy

Netherlands

Belgium

Greece

UK

Portugal

Iceland

Finland

Spain

Germany

Birth rate Death rate

19). According to the OECD, services that produce and utilise ICT in particular ex-

plain much of the variation in the start-up rates across countries36.

Enterprise volatility is associated with the productivity growth of industries, too.

Here the effects can be decomposed into four factors37, which are

• entry of firms

• exit of firms

• output reallocation among existing firms, and

• within-firm productivity growth.

Source: Statistics Finland, Business Register.

Figure 19. Enterprise volatility rate in business service sectors, 2001, %

46

0 10 20 30 40 50

Manufacturing

Real estate activities

Technical consultancy

Technical testing

Renting of transport equipment

Legal and business consultancy

Labor recruitment

Research and development

Advertising

Industrial cleaning

Other business activities

Investigation and security activities

Computer and related activities

Birth rate

Death rate

36 OECD (2003), Differences in Entry and Exit in OECD Countries – Findings and Impact of Methodo-

logical Differences.

37 OECD (2003), The Sources of Economic Growth in OECD Countries.

According to a survey by the OECD, within-firm productivity growth and exit

components had the most substantial effect on the growth of labour productivity in

manufacturing in the 1990s. In Finland the depression at the beginning of the 1990s

is the primary reason for this. Market exits of inefficient firms made room for

growth of viable enterprises and restructuring of industries.

While the relative importance of business start-ups has been minor in Finland, it,

too, has contributed to productivity growth in manufacturing. The same applies to

business services, too. In the services producing ICT in particular (e.g. telecommu-

nications), company entries and exits have distinctly enhanced the growth of labour

productivity.

In summary, the knowledge intensity of industries and the dynamics of competition

explain the effectiveness of enterprise volatility on productivity in economy. In this

respect, total factor productivity is a more appropriate indicator. In Finland, for in-

stance, enterprise volatility has clearly increased total factor productivity in manu-

facturing38.

47

38 OECD (2003), The Sources of Economic Growth in OECD Countries.

4 Innovation environment

Innovations and functioning of the market are highlighted in the business

environment

Successful business activities form the basis for competitiveness. In addition to

companies’ own measures, the business environment influences their success in

many ways. Transport connections and other infrastructure, legislation and safety

are the basic elements of the business environment. The renewing industrial struc-

ture and strengthening of international competition emphasise the importance of in-

novations in developing business and competitive framework conditions. Full ex-

ploitation of the innovation capacity also calls for well functioning markets, which

provide the necessary spurs for commercialisation of innovations.

4.1 High educational level of population

The educational level of Finnish population ranks on the world’s top. However,

the shares of graduates with at least secondary level qualification should be raised

by encouraging transition from the primary level to the secondary level. Measured

by student performance, the quality of teaching is of high level and it is attained in

a cost-efficient manner. Participation in adult training is wide-scoped.

Investment in education and training has increased in real terms and the share of

training costs of public expenditure has been on a constant increase.

Competitiveness from education

Education is part of the well-being of citizens, and it has multiple societal objec-

tives. Education is also a basic element of productivity and competitiveness. Suc-

ceeding in international competition requires maintaining the level of educational

inputs and diversification of education even in countries with high-level education.

In working life the know-how requirements of personnel, especially in communica-

tive and social skills, are rising all the time. The rapid ageing of the population,

however, reduces labour and hampers updating of know-how.

48

High educational level and excellent student performance

The educational level of Finnish population is good. As for tertiary graduates, Fin-

land is one of the leading countries in the world. On the other hand, the share of citi-

zens with primary education only is relatively high. To improve this situation, mea-

sures have been launched to make the transition to the secondary level education

more efficient and to reduce the number of drop-outs.

Finnish 15-year old students rank on the world’s top in their reading and writing

proficiency and their mathematical and scientific literacy is also top-class39. More-

over, these rankings are achieved cost-efficiently. One explanation for the success

of the leading countries may be the comprehensive school, where a high level and

equality can be reached at the same time.

Source: http://www.pisa.oecd.org/Docs/Download/PISA2001(english).pdf, s. 264.

Figure 20. Student performance and expenditure per student (PISA 2000)

49

Sweden

Germany

Greece

Spain

Portugal

Hungary

Czech Republic

Ireland

Australia

USA

FranceBelgiumSwitzerland

Italy

Denmark

United

Kingdom

Poland

Austria

Norway

JapanFinlandKorea

460

470

480

490

500

510

520

530

540

550

10 000 20 000 30 000 40 000 50 000 60 000 70 000 80 000

Cumulative expenditure on educational institutions per student up to the age of 15

years, USD (PPP) 1998

Stu

dent

perf

orm

ance

on

the

com

bin

ed

readin

g,

scie

ntific

and

math

em

aticallite

racy

scale

s,

2000

39 OECD, PISA 2000, http://www.pisa.oecd.org

Investment in education on a good level

The share of public expenditure on education of GDP has decreased since the

mid-1990s. This has been a general tendency on the international arena, and the op-

posite trend can be seen in Denmark, Sweden, Portugal and the Netherlands only.

The main reason for the declining share has been the rapid growth of GDP. In Fin-

land financing of education is primarily public. The proportion of the private sector

remained under two per cent in 2000.

In Finland the share of education of public expenditure was 12.2 per cent in 2000,

which is 0.5 percentage units more than in 1995. Furthermore, public expenditure

on education was in real terms 11 per cent higher in 2000 than in 1995.

Source: OECD Education at a glance 2003.

Figure 21. Public expenditure on education as a percentage of total public ex-

penditure

50

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

Nor

way

Den

mar

kS

witz

erla

ndIr

elan

dS

wed

enP

ortu

gal

Fin

land UK

Fra

nce

Spa

inA

ustr

iaN

ethe

rlan

dsB

elgi

um

Japa

n

Ital

yG

erm

any

Gre

ece

Levels below tertiary education 2000

All levels of education combined 2000

All levels of education combined 1995

Wide participation in adult training

In international comparisons Finland is ranked high in terms of participation in

adult training. Of the active population, nearly 19 per cent participates in training

annually. The corresponding average of the EU Member States is a little more than

eight per cent (cf. Figure 22). However, participation in training is biased, so that

highly educated women and employees of large companies mainly apply for further

training.

Source: Eurostat, Structural Indicators

Figure 22. Percentage of the population aged 25–64 participating in education

and training, 2002

51

19

8

0 5 10 15 20

United Kingdom

Finland

Sweden

Denmark

Netherlands

Norway

EU15

Ireland

Luxembourg

Austria

Belgium

Germany

Spain

Italy

Portugal

France

Greece

4.2 Many top-skilled workers

Measured by tertiary education, Finland has top-level resources for innovation

activities. The top-skilled are heavily focused on technology and the health care

and welfare sectors, whereas the share of business and law and social sciences re-

mains low.

Expenditure during post-secondary studies and its annual share of the GDP are

high in Finland. The proportion of the private sector of the expenditure is low.

High relative expenditure produces many graduates and researchers.

High educational level is a prerequisite for innovations

Highly educated personnel are the most important resource of innovation activities.

Researchers are responsible for producing innovations and utilisation of novel

knowledge in research and development. In addition, higher education provides ca-

pacity for commercialisation of innovations and their utilisation in society on a

wider scale.

A high number of researchers

In Finland the share of R&D personnel and researchers of the employed is the high-

est of all the EU Member States and also higher than in the USA and in Japan. Fin-

land heads the statistics in regard to the growth of the number of researchers. Con-

versely, in Finland and in the EU the share of the private sector of researchers is

lower than in the USA and in Japan.

52

Source: OECD, Main Science and Technology Indicators 2003–1

Figure 23. Total for researchers and R&D personnel per 1,000 of total employ-

ment.

Know-how capital accumulated fast

Demand is highest for tertiary-level graduates. Finland ranks among the top ten of

the OECD countries, when the share of post-secondary education graduates of the

population is compared. Still, in the case of university studies the corresponding

ranking is lower. Accumulation of know-how capital is, however, fast, because in

2001 Finland was placed on top of the OECD countries in terms of the new univer-

sity degrees40.

53

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22

Finland '01

Sweden '01

Japan '01

United States '99

Belgium '01

France '01

Denmark '01

Germany '01

EU-15 '01

United Kingdom '98

Netherlands '01

Spain '01

Ireland '00

Austria '98

Greece '99

Portugal '01

Italy '00

Researchers

R&D personnel

40 OECD Education at a glance 2003, Table A2.1, Table A2.3

The share of technology of degrees is considerable

In 2001 the share of degrees in technology and in the health care and welfare sectors

was clearly higher in Finland than in the EU Member States on average. Corre-

spondingly, the shares of the social sciences, mathematics and computing were the

lowest. In the United States the degree structure is focused on business and law and

social sciences41.

Finland is placed high in the comparison, when the degrees in social sciences (incl.

mathematics and computing) and in technology are proportioned to the

20–29-year-olds. Ireland, however, stands in a class of its own.

Source: Eurostat, Structural Indicators.

Figure 24. Total for tertiary graduates in science and technology per 1,000 of

population aged 20–29, ‰

54

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

22

24

1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001

Ireland

France

United Kingdom

Finland

Sweden

Denmark

US

Spain

Belgium

Germany

Norway

Austria

Netherlands

41 OECD Education at a glance 2003

Of the EU Member States, Finland ranked second after Sweden in terms of the

number of qualified doctors in science and technology (in relation to population

aged 25–34) in 2000. The USA and Japan placed lower than the EU average42.

Costs are high during studies

In Finland the annual expenditure on tertiary-level educational institutions per stu-

dent remained clearly lower than the average international level in 200043. The

growth of the costs has represented the average level of the developed countries.

However, due to long student periods total expenditure on the tertiary level during

the student period is higher than the average in Finland (cf. Figure 25). Further-

more, the annual expenditure of post-secondary studies in relation to GDP is high

by the international standard44. One reason for this is the reform of the polytechnics,

which resulted in a situation where a considerable number of degrees were trans-

ferred from the secondary level to the tertiary level.

The internationally high expenditure on tertiary-level educational institutions

(costs during studies and GDP share) renders, however, many graduates and re-

searchers.

In Finland and in most of the other EU Member States the public sector is responsi-

ble almost entirely for the financing of tertiary-level education. In the USA and in

Japan the share of the private sector of the expenditure is clearly higher.

55

42 Towards a European Research Area; Science, Technology and Innovation; Key Figures 2002

43 OECD Education at a glance 2003, Table B6.2

44 OECD Education at a glance 2003, Table B2.1b

Source: OECD Education at a glance 2003. Table B1.3

Figure 25. Cumulative expenditure on educational institutions per student over

the average duration of tertiary studies, 2000 (USD PPS)

56

0 10 000 20 000 30 000 40 000 50 000 60 000 70 000

Sweden

Austria

Switzerland

Germany

Finland

Denmark

Netherlands

Italy

France

Ireland

United Kingdom

Spain

Greece

4.3 R&D investment is top-class

Finland has rapidly risen to the world’s top in R&D investment. The share of the

corporate sector of R&D financing is among the highest in the world. The propor-

tion of public financing has continued to decrease in the past few years. The

growth of public financing stopped in 2000. In Finland public financing is aimed

at dynamically promoting the R&D activities of SMEs.

Like the industrial structure, the R&D expenditure of manufacturing has been fo-

cused on the high- and low-technology sectors. Correspondingly, the share of me-

dium-high-tech sectors is low.

The share of the service sectors of the R&D expenditure of enterprises has in-

creased, but still remains low by the international standard.

Growth derived from utilisation of technology

Research and product development are the pillars of innovations. Technological

development is a central factor explaining the growth of productivity and the stan-

dard of living. Utilisation of international research results and technological devel-

opment is a particularly important source of growth for small countries. The Finn-

ish contribution to global research and development is 0.6 per cent only.

R&D investment has risen at a record pace

In research and development Finland has rapidly achieved the top level in the

world. Correspondingly, the real growth of the R&D expenditure of the large EU

Member States has been slow particularly towards the end of the 1990s. In Finland

the real growth of expenditure was rapid up to the year 2000, but since then the

growth rate has slackened45.

57

45 OECD, Main Science and Technology Indicators 2003/1

Source: Eurostat, Structural Indicators

Figure 26. Gross domestic expenditure on R&D as a percentage of GDP

The share of enterprises of R&D financing is high

In the major EU Member States (excl. Germany) the share of enterprises of R&D fi-

nancing is clearly lower than in the USA and in Japan. Instead, in Finland the share

of firms is the highest of the EU Member States and higher than in the USA46. Cor-

respondingly, the proportion of public financing of the research expenditure of

companies is markedly lower in Finland than in the EU on average (cf. Figure 27).

Up to the year 2000 the central government finances for R&D still grew faster than

the EU average, but after this the growth came to a halt.

58

1,5

2,0

2,5

3,0

3,5

4,0

4,5

1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002

Finland

Sweden

Japan

US

Germany

United Kingdom

EU

FranceDenmark

46 OECD, Main Science and Technology Indicators 2003/2

Source: OECD, Main Science and Technology Indicators 2003-2

Figure 27. Percentage of expenditure on R&D in the business enterprise sector

financed by government

The share of high technology is considerable

In Finland the share of the high-tech sectors of R&D expenditure of manufacturing

is the highest of the EU Member States and higher than in the USA and in Japan.

The share of the medium-high-tech sectors is relatively low, and, correspondingly,

that of low technology is higher than in the EU Member States on average.

59

0

5

10

15

20

1991 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002

Finland

Sweden

Japan

US

Germany

UK

EU

Ireland

Source: Towards a European Research Area; Science, Technology and Innovation; Key Figures 2002.

Figure 28. Share of manufacturing R&D by industry type, 2000

Service sectors’ share of expenditure on R&D is low

In Finland the share of the service sectors of the R&D expenditure of enterprises is

low. This results partly from the industry-intensive industrial structure, but also

from the low product development activity of the service sectors. On the other

hand, in recent years the share of the service sector has increased to some extent.

60

0 % 20 % 40 % 60 % 80 % 100 %

Spain '99

Belgium

Netherlands '99

Ireland '99

Finland

Denmark '99

Japan

France '99

EU-11 '99

United Kingdom

US

Italy

Sweden '99

Germany

High-Tech Medium-High-Tech Medium-Low-Tech and Low-Tech

Source: OECD MSTI Database

Figure 29. Service sectors’ share of expenditure on R&D in the business enter-

prise sector, %

The SMEs’ share of publicly funded R&D is high

In Finland the SMEs’ share of research and development is around 30 per cent,

which is of the average international level. Thus public financing is used to actively

promote the development activities of SMEs in Finland.

61

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

501985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

Norway

Denmark

Greece

US

BelgiumUK

SwedenFinland

EU

Source: OECD Science, Technology and Industry Outlook 2002

Figure 30. SMEs’ share of national R&D performance, 2001, %

4.4 Availability of risk financing is good

The equity ratio of companies is one of the best in the world and especially good

with small enterprises. The relative size of Finland’s venture capital investment

and securities markets is among the world’s biggest. Moreover, the availability of

venture capital is good in the view of business executives.

Innovation activities require that a company is capable of risk-taking. Sufficient

self-financing is the basic condition for innovations. Start-up companies and firms

that develop their operations dynamically also need venture capital from the mar-

ket for their projects.

62

29

58

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100P

ortugal

Norw

ay

Spain

Denm

ark

Belg

ium

Sw

itzerland

Fin

land

Neth

erlands

Unite

dK

ingdom

Italy

Fra

nce

Unite

dSta

tes

Sew

den

Germ

any

Japan

Total R&D Government-funded R&D

Good equity ratio of companies

In Finland the equity ratio of companies was one of the best in Europe in 2000 and

the dispersion of self-sufficiency low in relation to company size. In Europe the

self-sufficiency of small enterprises was lower than in the USA, but in Finland it is

at the same level as in the USA47. Finnish SMEs do not consider the availability of

bank credits to restrict business as much as SMEs in most of the other EU Member

States do.

Venture capital market placed high in international comparisons

Venture capital investments in relation to GDP were the second highest in Finland,

after Sweden and before the USA and the other EU Member States in 2002. In Fin-

land venture capital investments have focused on the so-called early stage, i.e. on

seed and start-up financing48. Heavy investments in high technology are also typi-

cal of the Finnish venture capital investment market.

Source: European Innovation Scoreboard 2002

Figure 31. High-tech venture capital investment as a percentage of GDP, 2001

63

0,57

0,24

0,0 0,1 0,2 0,3 0,4 0,5 0,6

Finland

Denmark

Belgium

Sweden

Norway

Ireland

EU

Switzerland

France

UK

Netherlands

Italy

Spain

Greece

Austria

Germany

Portugal

Venture capital is the sum of early stage capital

(seed and start-up) plus expansion capital

High technology firms active in the following sectors:

computer related fields, electronics, biotechnology,

medical/health, industrial automation, financial services

47 Enterprise Policy Scoreboard 2002

48 Towards a European Research Area; Science, Technology and Innovation; Key Figures 2002

The relative size of the Finnish securities market is the third largest of the EU Mem-

ber States (market value of shares of domestic companies in relation to GDP aver-

age during 2000–2003)49.

In the interviewing material of IMD50 and WEF51, Finland is ranked on top, when

the availability of financing from the securities and venture capital markets is con-

cerned.

4.5 Innovation activities are fruitful

R&D activities have yielded good results. The number of scientific publications is

one of the world’s highest, but in terms of references made to these publications

our ranking remains average. In patents Finland is one of the leading countries at

the European level, and in high-tech patents it is heading the scores.

Commercialisation of innovations has been successful. The share of high technol-

ogy of goods exports has risen rapidly, but it is still only slightly higher than the

EU average. Exports of immaterial knowledge and imports reflecting its utilisa-

tion are on a good level, globally speaking. The high proportion of the high-tech

sectors of employment and production is also an example of Finland’s good com-

petitive position.

In SMEs the profitability of innovation activities represents the top level of the EU

Member States, while the inputs represent the average.

Measuring the results of innovations is difficult

The results of R&D are compared internationally e.g. by the number of scientific

publications and patents. Research results do not improve competitiveness until

they can be realised in new products and methods. At the level of national economy,

commercialisation of innovations is measured in general with trade in high technol-

64

49 Enterprise Policy Scoreboard 2003

50 World Competitiveness Yearbook 2003

51 The Global Competitiveness Report 2002–2003

ogy and immaterial knowledge. The majority of innovation activities of firms are

improvements in production processes, planning and organisation, not so much

new products created by research. The effects of innovation activities on business

are usually assessed by means of interviews.

Scientific publications are drawn up in great numbers

In 2000 Finland was placed second of the EU Member States in terms of the num-

ber of scientific publications, when the publications are proportioned to population.

In countries with a low number of publications, the number has increased faster

than in Finland and the other leading countries during 1995–2001. As for the scien-

tific importance of research, Finland is ranked at 8th, when the references to the pub-

lications are examined52. In Finland the focus of scientific publications is on life

sciences, the computer science and on technology.

In patents Finland heads the scores

In 2001, in terms of the number of patents in relation to population, Finland was

second after Sweden of the EU Member States both in Europe (applications) and in

the USA (awarded)53. The high ranking of both Finland and Sweden partly derives

from the situation in which production is focused on such sectors as electronics,

where patents are used for protecting industrial rights more than in many other in-

dustries.

Exports of high technology have increased rapidly

In the 1990s the high-tech share of goods exports increased rapidly in Finland. Ow-

ing to a global standstill of the growth of the data communications equipment mar-

ket, the share sank in 2001 down to little more than 20 per cent, which is slightly

higher than the average of the EU Member States54. The fact that the Finnish pro-

portion of the global high-tech export market grew by c. six percent is an example

of the good developments of the years 1995–2000. In 2000 the share was 0.9%.

65

52 Towards a European Research Area; Science, Technology and Innovation; Key Figures 2002

53 Eurostat, Structural Indicators

54 Tekes, http://www.tekes.fi/tekes/tilastot.html

Trade in immaterial knowledge is extensive

The technology balance of payments depicts trade in immaterial knowledge. The

receipts and payments of the balance of payments are formed from the transfer of

immaterial technology as divided into four categories. These are technology trans-

fer (patents and licences), transfer of designs, trademarks and patterns, services

with a technical content, and industrial R&D.

In Finland the technology balance of payments showed a slight surplus in 2001 (cf.

Figure 32). The receipts and payments are high in relation to GDP in Finland. This

is an indication of firms’ success in commercialisation of know-how and technol-

ogy on the one hand, and of a capability of utilising foreign expertise, on the other

hand. The growth of both the receipts and the payments has been rapid in recent

years. Ireland runs a big deficit, because there are many foreign subsidiaries that

pay compensations to their parent companies for technology purchased from them.

Source: OECD, Indicators of Economic Globalisation

Figure 32. Technology balance of payments as a percentage of GDP, 2001

66

8,5-8,2

-0,5 0,0 0,5 1,0 1,5 2,0 2,5

Ireland

Germany

Portugal

Italy

Norway

Spain '99

Austria '00

France

Finland

Japan

US

Denmark

Belgium

Switzerland

UK

balance

receipts

payments

Profitability of innovation activities in SMEs is good

Finland’s ranking in the profitability of innovation activities is good, because in

Finnish small and medium-sized enterprises, in terms of the market, the share of

new products of their net sales is among the highest of the EU Member States. In in-

dustry the ranking is better than in the services. In innovation activities, the ranking

of Finnish enterprises is average, when measured by the share of enterprises prac-

tising innovation activities of their own of all SMEs. Instead, in regard to the share

of SMEs engaged in innovation cooperation, Finland is one of the leading countries

in the EU, both in industry and in the service industries. The share of innovation ex-

penditure of the turnover is higher in industrial SMEs than the EU average, but it

does not reach the top level. In the service industries, however, that share is clearly

lower than the EU average (3rd Community Innovation Survey55).

Finland was at 9th place of 58 countries in regard to firms’ innovation-orientedness

in the interview material of WEF56.

67

55 EU, Innovation Scoreboard 2003

56 The Global Competitiveness Report 2002–2003

5 Functioning of the market

Competition brings innovations

Functioning of the market is a central factor for the productivity of innovation ac-

tivities and competitiveness in any country. The labour market, where the

know-how requirements are on a constant increase, a balance of demand and sup-

ply is a prerequisite for improvement of employment and promotion of innovation.

The functioning of the commodities market and competitiveness have a close inter-

action. Open economy and deregulation subject enterprises to international compe-

tition and make globalisation of business possible. Competition that functions well

forces firms to improve the efficiency of their operations and to innovate. Re-

sources allocated for research and development produce the more, the better the

market is functioning.

5.1 Unemployment turning into lack of labour

The employment rate and retiring age are higher in Finland than in the EU on av-

erage. The relation of persons of pensionable age to working age population is

still good at present, but it is expected to rise faster than in our competitor coun-

tries.

In Finland the regional differences of employment are among the biggest in the

EU Member States. Unemployment is still a significant problem: it is among the

highest in the EU countries at both ends of the age distribution.

Labour supply is still good, but the dependency ratio is declining rapidly

In 2001 the average retiring age was 62 years in Finland and 60 years in the EU

Member States. The employment rate is over three percentage units higher than in

the EU, which particularly derives from the high employment rate of women in Fin-

land. Of the EU countries, Finland has the fourth highest regional differences in

employment.57. In Finland the full-time equivalent employment rate is higher than

68

57 Eurostat, Structural indicators

in the Netherlands and United Kingdom, because in Finland the share of part-time

employment is low by the international standard.

Source: Ministry of Labour

Figure 33. Employment rate 2002, %

After 2010 the Finnish population will age rapidly. The old age dependency ratio,

i.e. the ratio of pensioners to population of the working age, is expected to fall from

the current 25 per cent to 39 per cent by the year 2020. This change would be the

fastest in the EU countries and among the fastest within the entire OECD area.

Of the EU Member States, the unemployment rate in Finland is third highest and

highest in the case of men. Unemployment at both ends of the age distribution is

among the highest in the EU countries. Regional differences in unemployment are

also marked, whereas long-term unemployment is below the EU average. The main

reason for the high level of unemployment is that in Finland there are still approxi-

mately 130,000–200,000 jobs less than before the recession at the beginning of the

1990s, despite the swift growth rate of employment.

69

67,7

64,3

50 55 60 65 70 75 80

Denmark

Sweden

Netherlands

United Kingdom

Finland

EU

France

Employment rate

Full-time equivalentemployment rate

Source: European Commission

Figure 34. Old age dependency: ratio of people of 65 to population aged 15 to

64

5.2 The educational attainment level and demand

for labour are ill matched

The employment rate is higher than the EU average at all educational levels. Un-

employment is higher than in the EU at the low and medium educational attain-

ment level. Although employment of the highly educated population is good and

match up to the level of the best Member States, unemployment is still of the aver-

age EU level.

In Finland the educational level of population does not meet the demand on the la-

bour market as well as in the EU Member States on average. The situation is par-

ticularly worrying in the case of the unemployed and the population that is not

part of the workforce.

70

0 % 5 % 10 % 15 % 20 % 25 % 30 % 35 % 40 %

Italy

Finland

Sweden

Germany

France

Greece

Belgium

EU-15

Denmark

Spain

Netherlands

Austria

UK

Luxembourg

Portugal

Ireland

2000 2010 2020

Unemployment of the highly educated is on the average EU level

In Finland the employment rate is higher at all educational attainment levels (high,

medium and low) than in the European Union on average. The proportion of the

highly educated population is the highest of the EU Member States. Employment of

this group is on the level of the best EU Member States, but unemployment, how-

ever, represents the EU average.

Employment of persons with medium-level education is higher than the EU aver-

age, and unemployment among the highest. Employment of persons with low-level

education corresponds to the EU average, but unemployment is the highest of the

EU countries.

There is room for improvement in the match of population and the

educational attainment levels of the employed

In Finland the distribution of the educational attainment level of population (low,

medium, high) became closer to the corresponding distribution of the employed

during the latter half of the 1990s. However, education still does not meet the labour

market as well as in the EU Member States on average58. In Finland the educational

attainment levels of the unemployed and the part of population outside the

workforce clearly deviate from the distribution of the educational attainment levels

of the employed. The deviations are among the biggest of the EU countries. In Fin-

land there are exceptionally marked differences in the educational levels of the age-

ing and the young. There is a gap between the demand for labour, whose growth is

based on know-how, and the unemployed, aged labour.

71

58 European Competitiveness Report 2002, Chapter II.4.2

Source: Employment in Europe 2003

Figure 35. Employed and unemployed persons according to educational attain-

ment level, 2002, %

72

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5.3 Deficiencies in the flexibility of the labour

market

In the OECD evaluation, regulation of the Finnish labour market is of the average

level of the developed countries, but in the surveys by IMD and WEF clearly stron-

ger than the average. According to the OECD report, employment in Finland can

be improved by increasing the flexibility of the labour market system and encour-

agement for working.

Regulation can be eased

On the basis of the material of IMD and WEF that maps out the labour market, it can

be stated that there are features that restrict competitiveness in the functioning of

the labour market. In the comparison of 59 countries by IMD59, Finland is placed at

20 in regulation of labour (hiring/firing practices, minimum wages, etc.) and at 41

in how unemployment legislation provides an incentive to look for work. In the

comparison of 80 countries by WEF,60 Finland is ranked at 38 in hiring and firing

practices, at 78 in flexibility of wage determination and at 30 in the relation of pay

to worker productivity. Both materials are based on interviews of business execu-

tives of these countries.

In terms of legislation on employment protection, Finland was placed around the

average in a comparison of 17 OECD countries in 199861.

OECD recommends structural reforms

The OECD’s country review62 makes the following observations on the Finnish la-

bour market:

• Structural problems can be linked to the Finnish governance model and

value system, which promote equity and solidarity, with decisions based

on consensus between the social partners.

73

59 World Competitiveness Yearbook 2003

60 The Global Competitiveness Report 2002–2003

61 ICT and Economic Growth, OECD 2003, p. 32

62 OECD Reviews of Regulatory Reform: Finland – A New Consensus for Change, SG/SGR(2003)2

• Productivity suffers indirectly from a centralised process of determining

wages and salaries, which leads to reductions in wage differentiation.

Therefore the spurs of the system to improve the efficiency of the shelte-

red sectors of economy are insufficient.

• The regulatory regime for the labour market includes features that do not

encourage people to seek employment again. Among these are the long

maximum duration of the unemployment benefits, high levels of sup-

port for long-term recipients of benefit and the short waiting period be-

fore benefits can be claimed.

According to the report, the functioning of the Finnish labour market can be im-

proved with the following measures:

• reform of the pension system and reduction of the incentives for early re-

tirement,

• reform of the unemployment and the related benefits,

• improvement of the efficiency of active employment schemes,

• increase in the flexibility of employment and labour costs,

• improvement of the skills and competencies of labour force, and

• increase in the flexibility of centralised wage negotiations.

5.4 The openness of economy is relatively low

The other small EU Member States are more open than Finland when measured

by the shares of foreign trade, direct investments from abroad and of foreign sub-

sidiaries. The Finnish price level is also high compared to other countries.

The share of foreign trade of economy is relatively low

The size of the market, economic and industrial structure and geography affect the

transparency of economy. Small countries are usually more open than the large

ones. Of the small EU Member States, Finland ranks last in the integration of for-

eign trade (the share of exports and imports of GDP). In recent years the advance-

ment of integration has not been any faster than in other countries.

74

Source: Eurostat, Structural Indicators

Figure 36. Average value of imports and exports of goods divided by GDP, %,

average of 1998-2002

Direct investments as well are of minor importance

Besides openness of economy, direct investments indicate a country’s attractive-

ness as a business environment. Of the small EU Member States, Finland shares the

place with Denmark ahead of Austria, which ranks the last (the from-coun-

try-to-country share of investments of GDP 1997–2001)63.

Direct investments from Finland are clearly bigger than investments to Finland. In

fact, Finland belongs to the top five of the OECD countries in terms of abroad-ori-

ented investments (share of GDP) during 1994–200164. In investments from abroad

Finland is placed close to the average of the OECD countries.

75

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

BLEU

Ireland

Netherlands

Austria

Denmark

Sweden

Finland

Portugal

Germany

Spain

United Kingdom

France

Greece

Italy

EU15

US

Japan

Goods and services

Services

63 Eurostat, Structural Indicators

64 OECD, Indicators of economic globalisation, DSTI/IND(2003)4

The price level is high

In 1991 Finland ranked third in terms of the price level of households’ consump-

tion, after Denmark and Sweden. There are indications of the Finnish price level’s

being in a downward trend in relation to the other EU Member States.

Source: Eurostat, Structural Indicators

Figure 37. Comparative price levels of final consumption by private households

(incl. indirect taxes), EU-15=100, 2002

5.5 Regulation restricts competition on the home

market

In Finland there are still regulation obstructing market operations and insuffi-

cient competition in many sectors of the home market. OECD encourages Finland

to continue market openings, to improve the efficiency of the public sector and to

remove the obstacles to market access.

76

0 50 100 150

Japan

Norway

Denmark

Finland

Ireland

Sweden

US

UK

Germany

Netherlands

Austria

EU15

France

Luxembourg

Belgium

Italy

Spain

Greece

Portugal

Estonia

More regulation than on average

An OECD report, whose material mainly dates back to 1998, examines the degree

of regulation on the commodities market. The following observations can be made

of the report65:

• Finland has more regulation than on average, when the regulatory envi-

ronment is examined as a whole.

• Of the developed countries, Finland is ranked second after Norway in

regard to the share of publicly owned companies of the production of the

enterprise sector.

• Finland represents the average in liberalisation of the trade in manufac-

tured products.

• Of the service sectors, Finnish regulation exceeds the OECD average in

retail trade only.

Competition law is still efficient

In the comparison of 59 countries in the report by IMD66, Finland heads the scores

in terms of competition legislation and the functioning of product and service legis-

lation. In the WEF report67 Finland ranks second in the effectiveness of antitrust

policy of 80 countries. The results of both reports are based on interviews of busi-

ness executives of the countries.

OECD country review: competition policy is to be made more efficient

The OECD country review68 examines the regulation and functioning of the Finn-

ish commodities market. According to the report, the measures implemented in

Finland in the 1990s to reduce regulation have had a positive effect on economic

growth and productivity. Nevertheless, there is still regulation that obstructs com-

petition in Finland. The OECD categorises Finland into countries where market

regulation is especially detrimental (of the 21 OECD countries, Finland is placed

within the higher 25 per cent in terms of detrimental regulation).

77

65 Regulation, Productivity and Growth: OECD Evidence, ECO/WKP(2003)1

66 World Competitiveness Yearbook 2003

67 The Global Competitiveness Report 2002-2003

68 OECD Reviews of Regulatory Reform: Finland – A New Consensus for Change, SG/SGR(2003)2

OECD justifies its evaluation as follows:

• In Finland the share of the subsidiaries of foreign companies is low in

both industry and the service sectors.

• The State has considerable shareholdings and the public sector is large

in Finland compared to the OECD average.

• There is detrimental regulation mainly in water and gas resources mana-

gement, construction, retail trade (incl. pharmacies), sectors of transpor-

tation (railway and air traffic, taxis), postal services, professional servi-

ces, as well as in community, social and personal services.

The conclusions by the OECD is supported by the observation that in sectors that

have been open to international competition the growth of labour productivity has

been rapid and prices have been cut. Instead, prices have risen and productivity has

decreased in sectors where detrimental regulation and lack of competition occur

(cf. Figure 38).

Source: OECD Reviews of Regulatory Reform: Finland – A New Consensus for Change, SG/SGR(2003)2

Figure 38. Difference between average growth rates per industry and total econ-

omy 1990–2000, %

78

-9 -4 1 6 11 16

Communication equipment

Electrical and optical equipment

Post and telecommunications

Manufacturing

Electricity, gas, water

Primary production

Financial intermediation

Total

Transport and storage

Mining and quarrying

Trade, restaurants and hotels

Real estate and business services

Construction

Community, social and personal services

Labour productivity

Output price

The OECD urges Finland to continue the market deregulation and strong competi-

tion policy e.g. by earmarking sufficient resources for the Finnish Competition Au-

thority. The OECD recommends that Finland should improve the efficiency of the

public sector, to promote competition in the fields of the domestic market, to make

cartel sanctions more severe and to remove the constraints of the labour market.

Service provision at the local level, where productivity is to be raised, without com-

promising the quality of services, places a great challenge to competition policy.

79

Sources

European Commission:

European Commission (2002), Employment in Europe 2002 – Recent Trends and

Prospects

http://europa.eu.int/comm/employment_social/news/2002/sep/employment_in_eu

rope2002.pdf

European Commission (2002), Enterprise Policy Scoreboard 2002

http://europa.eu.int/comm/enterprise/enterprise_policy/better_environment/doc/e

nterprise_policy_scoreboard_2002_en.pdf

European Commission (2002), European Competitiveness Report 2002,

(SEC(2002)528)

European Commission, European Innovation Scoreboard 2002

http://trendchart.cordis.lu/Scoreboard2002/index.html

European Commission (2002), Innobarometer 2002, Innovation papers No 33

http://www.cordis.lu/innovation-smes/src/innobarometer2002.htm

European Commission (2002), Towards a European Research Area; Science,

Technology and Innovation; Key Figures 2002

OECD:

OECD, Bilateral trade statistics

OECD (2003), Differences in Entry and Exit in OECD Countries – Findings and

Impact of Methodological Differences, JT00148582

OECD (2003), Education at a Glance 2003 http://www.oecd.org/document/52

OECD (2002), Education at a Glance 2002

http://www.oecd.org/els/education/eag2002

OECD (2003), ICT and Economic Growth, Evidence from OECD Countries,

Industries and Firms.

OECD (2003), Indicators of Economic Globalization, DSTI/IND(2003) 4

OECD (2003), Main Science and Technology Indicators, Volume 2003/1

80

OECD, MSTI Database

OECD (2003), OECD Reviews of Regulatory Reform: Finland – A New

Consensus for Change, SG/SGR (2003) 2

OECD (2002), OECD Science, Technology and Industry Outlook 2002

OECD (2001), OECD Science, Technology and Industry Scoreboard 2001 -

Towards a Knowledge-Based Economy

http://www1.oecd.org/publications/e-book/92-2001-04-1-2987/

OECD (2001), PISA 2000

http://www.pisa.oecd.org/

http://www.pisa.oecd.org/Docs/Download/PISA2001(english).pdf

OECD (2003), Regulation, Productivity and Growth: OECD Evidence, ECO/WKP

(2003) 1

OECD (2003), The Sources of Economic Growth in OECD Countries

OECD, STAN database

Others:

Eurostat, Observatory of European SMEs 2002 / No 2

Eurostat, Structural Indicators

http://europa.eu.int/comm/eurostat/Public/datashop/print-product/EN?catalogue=

Eurostat&product=1-structur-EN&mode=download

Database of the University of Groningen

Institute for Management Development, IMD (2003), IMD World

Competitiveness Yearbook 2003. Lausanne, Switzerland

Mankinen Reijo, Rouvinen Petri and Ylä-Anttila Pekka (2002), Palveluiden

tuottavuus – Kilpailu ja teknologia muuttavat rakenteita, Keskusteluaiheita No.

829. ETLA, the Research Institute of the Finnish Economy

Porter Michael (1990), The Competitive Advantage of Nations, The Macmillan

Press LTD

Statistics Finland, Business Register

81

United Nations Development Programme, UNDP (2003), Human Development

Report 2003, Oxford University Press

Van Ark Bart, Inklaar Robert, McGuckin Robert (2002), “Changing Gear”,

Productivity, ICT and Services: Europe and the United States, Research

Memorandum GD-60. University of Groningen

Viitamo Esa (2003), Knowledge-intensive Services and Competitiveness of the

Forest Cluster: The Case of Finland, Interim Report, IR-03-057, International

Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, IIASA

The World Conservation Union IUCN (2001), Wellbeing of Nations, Gland,

Switzerland

World Economic Forum, WEF (2003), The Global Competitiveness Report

2002–2003, Oxford University Press

82

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Toimielimen asettamispäivä

Julkaisun nimi Suomen kilpailukyky ja toimintaympäristö – kansainvälinen vertailu

Tiivistelmä Suomen kilpailukyky ja toimintaympäristö – kansainvälinen vertailu on katsaus, joka hahmottaa kilpailu-kyvyn, tuotantorakenteen ja yritysten toimintaympäristön välistä vuorovaikutusta. Lähtökohtana on Suomen kilpailukyvyn kansainvälinen vertailu. Talouden suorituskykyä tarkastellaan elintason, tuottavuuden ja tuotantorakenteen avulla. Toimintaympäristön tarkastelu on rajattu innovaatio-ympäristöön ja työ- ja hyödykemarkkinoihin, joiden merkitystä on korostettu myös uusimmissa kansain-välisissä kilpailukykyarvioissa. Suomen kilpailukyky on hyvä. Tuottavuus on jo pitkään kasvanut nopeasti, ja tuotantorakenne on uudis-tunut osaamisintensiiviseen suuntaan. Suomen innovaatioympäristö on maailman korkeatasoisimpia, ja innovaatiotoiminta on ollut tuloksellista. Kilpailukyvyn ylläpitäminen edellyttää tuottavuuden kasvun perustan laajentamista. Heikon tuottavuus-kasvun toimialojen BKT-osuudet ovat huomattavia, ja niillä tuotanto nojaa pääosin kotimaiseen kysyn-tään. Näitä toimialoja ovat rakentaminen ja palvelualoista kuljetus, kiinteistöala, liike-elämän palvelut, sekä terveys- ja sosiaalipalvelut ja koulutus. Tuottavuuden kasvun ja talouden avoimuuden lisäämisen kannalta keskeisintä on haitallisen hyödyke- ja työmarkkinoiden sääntelyn purkaminen. Palvelualojen t&k-toimintaa on tarpeen vauhdittaa. Suurimmat mahdollisuudet liittyvät kuitenkin julkisten hyvinvointipalveluiden tuottavuuden nostamiseen erityisesti yritystoimintaa lisäämällä. KTM:n yhdyshenkilö: Elinkeino-osasto/Hannu Lipponen, puh. (09) 1606 3606

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Referat Finsk konkurrenskraft och finska förhållanden – en internationell jämförelse är en översikt vars syfte är att gestalta växelverkan mellan konkurrenskraften, produktionsstrukturen och företagens verksamhets-betingelser. Utgångspunkt är en internationell jämförelse av den finska konkurrenskraften. Ekonomins prestations-förmåga granskas med hjälp av levnadsstandarden, produktiviteten och produktionsstrukturen. Gransk-ningen av förhållandena har avgränsats till innovationsomgivningen och arbets- och nyttighetsmarknaden, vilkas betydelse har framhävts under den senaste tiden inom konkurrenskraften på mikronivå. Den finska konkurrenskraften är i gott skick. Produktiviteten har redan länge ökat snabbt och produktions-strukturen har förnyats i kunskapsintensiv riktning. De finska innovationsförhållandena är bland de hög-klassigaste i världen och den innovativa verksamheten har varit framgångsrik. För att konkurrenskraften skall kunna upprätthållas förutsätts att grunden för produktivitetstillväxten breddas. Branscher med svag produktivitetstillväxt står för ansenliga delar av BNP och deras produktion stöder sig huvudsakligen på inhemsk efterfrågan. Dessa branscher är byggandet och av servicesektorerna transporterna, fastighetsbranschen, affärslivets tjänster samt hälso- och socialtjänsterna och utbildningen. Med tanke på produktivitetstillväxten är det viktigaste att undanröja skadlig reglering av nyttighets- och arbetsmarknaden för att ekonomin skall bli öppnare. Det är nödvändigt att få fart på FoU-verksamheten inom servicebranscherna. De största möjligheterna är dock förknippade med en höjning av produktiviteten inom de offentliga välfärdstjänsterna i synnerhet genom ökad företagsverksamhet. Kontaktperson på HIM: Näringsavdelningen/Hannu Lipponen, tfn (09) 1606 3606

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