Labour market survey
What is YKA? → Labour market survey
This survey is about you, a social science professional
Every year, we conduct our own Labour Market Survey to examine, among other things, the sectors in which our members work, their positions, employment situation and salary development. The survey helps us monitor developments in the social science field and safeguard the interests of social science professionals in the labour market.
An invitation to participate in the Labour Market Survey is sent to our graduate members towards the end of each year.
Highlights from the 2025 survey
Median gross salary of a social science professional4800 €/month
Share of members working for the government32 %
Average working week of a professional37.3 hours/week
The 2025 Labour Market Survey is our 28th report on our members’ situation in the labour market
The results reveal concerning figures for the employment situation of new graduates: at the time of the 2025 survey, 18% of new graduate respondents were unemployed. In 2022, the corresponding figure was just 4%. Among YKA’s entire membership, the unemployment rate at the time of the survey in late 2025 was approximately 7%.
On the other hand, 59% of respondents under the age of 30 were already employed when they graduated. One year after graduation, only 3% of this age group were still without work. The proportion of those who found employment by the time they graduated, or who were already employed before graduating, has remained at around 60% from year to year. One factor behind these positive figures may be that students time their graduation to coincide with finding employment, which can be a sensible approach in a challenging economic climate.
The median gross salary of YKA members was €4,800 per month, while the average gross salary was €5,020 per month. Salary development is primarily influenced by the pay increases negotiated by trade unions in collective agreements.
The government remains the largest employer of YKA members, accounting for 32% of the membership. Municipalities, wellbeing services counties and HUS employ 24%, while businesses employ 14%. Organisations and foundations employ 16% of YKA members, and universities and universities of applied sciences 12%.
The annual Labour Market Survey reports are available in full in Finnish only. You can find the reports here.