Growth centre at the heart of Finland

Central Finland is one of the current growth centres in Finland. The region’s strengths lie in the traditional industries of paper and wood products, metal, machinery and equipment, but also in the rising new sectors: wellness and nanotechnology. The largest numbers of workers are in the fields of health care and social services.  

The next biggest employers are the business sector, education, retail trade, construction and the machinery and automation industry.

With 270 000 inhabitants, Central Finland is suitably small, but big enough. The region is within reasonable distance of all parts of the country; a flight from Helsinki to the regional capital Jyväskylä takes only 40 minutes.

Central Finland is a region of learning and expertise. The University of Jyväskylä and JAMK University of Applied Sciences are highly popular institutions of higher education with a yearly student intake exceeding 22 000 in total.

Bustling sub-regions

The Jämsä and Äänekoski sub-regions are strong areas of industry, well known for their paper production. Industry is also of key significance in the Keuruu, Saarijärvi and Viitasaari sub-regions: Keuruu’s strength is metal, while the wood products industry flourishes in the north of Central Finland.

Farming and forestry are of particular importance in the south-east of Central Finland, where the largest municipalities are Hankasalmi and Joutsa. In the regional capital Jyväskylä, the service sector and industrial sector are the biggest employers.