Employment minister Matias Marttinen (NCP) insists that the government remains committed to its target of creating 100,000 new jobs during its term. A new government is to be formed after the April 2027 elections.

Other members of his party, however, have expressed doubts about achieving the goal.

Marttinen said he remains steadfast on the government's employment targets. In an interview with Yle, he said the administration intends to uphold all its objectives on labour policy.

"We will not give up. We will push reforms forward and aim to strengthen employment as much as possible before the end of the parliamentary term," he said.

Marttinen acknowledged that the employment situation is challenging. The ministry of economic affairs and employment has begun preparatory work aimed at restoring consumer confidence.

The problem, however, is that Finland's economy is underperforming, and employment is not rising at the pace the government had promised. According to the finance ministry's forecast, the number of employed is expected to return to roughly the same level by the end of the government's term as when it took office in 2023.

The finance ministry has said weak domestic demand accounts for much of the economy's sluggish performance. Right now, people in Finland are choosing to sock away their money rather than spend it.

"We now need to assess whether tax measures could be used to target support for a stronger rebound in private consumption," Marttinen said.

Restoring consumer confidence is easier said than done. According to Marttinen, there is no single silver bullet to resolve the situation.

One indication of the challenge is that Finns are holding record amounts of money in bank accounts and investment funds.

Marttinen said Finland's unemployment situation is particularly difficult, with the country recording the highest jobless figures in Europe, according to Eurostat data.

"The situation is tough, and there is no way around it. Long-term unemployment has risen, and the number of jobs is far from sufficient," he said.

At the same time, Marttinen pointed to some positive signs in the economy. Both employment and total hours worked picked up towards the end of last year.

The finance ministry's latest forecast, however, suggests that the government is unlikely to meet any of its economic targets.