Well-being along the life course in Finland: Implications for forward-looking policy design

This paper examines labour market outcomes, skills, health, subjective well-being and social connectedness across the life course in Finland, drawing on the OECD Well-being Framework to identify policy areas where interventions could be assessed for their economic and well-being returns. Three findings stand out. First, Finland's strong overall performance masks a significant intergenerational gradient: while older cohorts enjoy robust well-being outcomes relative to both younger Finns and international peers, results for younger generations are increasingly fragile, with rising unemployment, declining PISA scores and deteriorating subjective well-being in recent years. Second, each age group faces distinct vulnerabilities: older adults could benefit from expanding lifelong learning; middle-aged men face declining employment while women shoulder a disproportionate unpaid work burden alongside a persistent gender wage gap; and mental health for both groups lag behind international comparators. Third, loneliness and social isolation have risen for all ages since 2018, pointing to a cross-generational challenge.