The National Programme for Ageing Workers, Finland: Executive Summary INTRODUCTION In Finland, the incentive for the implementation of a national programme for ageing workers (FNPAW) came from the rapid increase in unemployment of the age group 55-64. Earlier measures

In Finland, the incentive for the implementation of a national programme for ageing workers (FNPAW) came from the rapid increase in unemployment of the age group 55-64. Earlier measures such as the widespread use of early retirement were seen to have positive short-term effects but potentially devastating long-term effects. Despite the demographic indicators (e.g. ageing population and deteriorating dependency ratio), the severe economic depression of the nineties had led to the introduction of early retirement and an emphasis on work opportunities for younger people. However, in the mid-1990s there was a consensus among key actors that human capital (“Experience is a national asset”) is a key source of sustained growth and that a long-term strategy must bank on that factor. The Finnish National Programme for Ageing Workers was introduced in 1998 for a period of five years.