As unemployment continues in Finland recruiters are increasingly encountering emotionally charged and at times aggressive responses from disheartened jobseekers. Many applicants feel abandoned in a job market where more candidates are competing for fewer positions.
Published: 16/07/25 | 17:23
Recruitment professionals say the pressure is building. “We’ve received messages from people threatening to confront us in person, questioning recruiters’ qualifications or even criticizing them for being too young or inexperienced. Some have gone as far as looking up recruiters online to criticize their backgrounds,” explained Jenni Tontti, who is Recruitment Director at aTalent.
Among the harshest feedback received were comments like:
“A terrible recruiter. Totally unqualified. Has no idea what they’re doing.”
Although some feedback includes offensive language and personal attacks Tontti says the most common thread is a deep sense of isolation and being ignored. “Jobseekers feel like their messages are going into a void and are unanswered and unnoticed. This trend began last autumn but has escalated in the spring.”
Out of the 19,120 applicants aTalent worked with during the first six months of the year only 206 found employment through their services.
Tontti noted a major downturn in the IT sector. “Just a few years ago we had to actively search for candidates but now there aren’t nearly enough positions for the professionals available.”
In May Finland’s average period of unemployment reached a record-breaking 70 weeks which is the highest since 2007.
Some of the feedback has been particularly harsh:
“Recruitment consultants are like cancer and are a parasite standing between the candidate and the employer.”
At Porkkana & Keppi which is a recruitment agency focused on technical and leadership roles the atmosphere has noticeably shifted.
“Applicants are increasingly challenging the recruiters’ know-how,” said CEO Eeva-Maija Hiekkataipale. “In some cases we’ve seen applicants completely lose their temper.”
The firm has also noticed a significant jump in applicant numbers as there are twice as many people now applying for each expert-level job compared to a few years ago.
Laura Christie, who is CEO of Academic Work said rejections are becoming more emotionally charged. Phone calls to inform candidates they weren’t selected which used to be brief now often stretch to 30 minutes as applicants seek detailed feedback and practical guidance for their job search.
Applications for single positions have surged as what once drew 40 applications now receives over 200.
“We haven’t faced outright abuse but the emotional burden people carry is far heavier than before,” Christie observed.
In the Uusimaa region over 10 percent of working-age residents were unemployed in May. The figure was even higher in Vantaa reaching nearly 14 percent.
According to Sanna-Mari Levijoki,who is an employment services manager for the City of Vantaa many clients at job centres are overwhelmed. “It’s not unusual for people to break down in tears. The desperation is especially strong when they’re worried about essentials like whether they’ll have enough to eat or a roof over their head.”
Even teenagers seeking their first summer job are now up against highly educated adults who have been laid off and are applying for the same entry-level roles.
“When you hear ‘you weren’t chosen’ again and again or sometimes dozens of times it really wears you down even if your confidence is strong,” Levijoki said.
