AI Has a Neutral or Even Positive Association with the Well-Being of Finnish Wage Earners

Based on Statistics Finland’s Quality of Work Life Survey, we find that AI use, or its intensity, is not systematically associated with lower job satisfaction in Finland. By contrast, work engagement is higher among wage earners who use AI themselves in their own work, and the association is strongest among those for whom AI is an essential part of the job. In contrast to the international literature, we do not find broad-based evidence in Finland that AI use is associated with the technology-related fears we examine. In addition, fear that one’s own work contribution may be replaced by technology remained virtually unchanged between 2018 and 2023. Our interpretation is that Finland’s high-trust institutional environment and strong safety nets may help dampen the psychological and economic pressures that have elsewhere been linked to rapid technological change. Finland’s distinctive pattern may be explained in part by the Nordic model: high levels of interpersonal trust and strong safety nets act as buffers that mitigate the pressures created by technological disruption. Although the use of AI remains relatively limited in Finland, our findings suggest that it should not be viewed solely as a threat to worker well-being. At the same time, it is important to emphasize that these patterns may change as AI use becomes more widespread.