The commerce sector is clearly the largest summer employer in the economy – the search for this year’s summer jobs is ongoing

Commerce is the largest employer in the economy and the most significant employer of young people; as many as over one-fifth of all workers under the age of 25 are employed in the commerce sector. The commerce sector is by far the largest employer of young people in the economy this summer, too.

“In the commerce sector, a summer job can be a crucial first step on a career path. Many professionals in the commerce sector have started their careers by working a summer job, and the sector offers diverse jobs and opportunities to develop in working life. Many sectors value experience in the commerce sector, such as customer service experience,” says Anniina Ulvila, Labour Market Expert at the Finnish Commerce Federation.

“It is important to encourage young people to apply for summer jobs in the commerce sector and try out different positions in different companies. Even though applications to many places are already open, it is a good idea to ask about summer jobs until the beginning of the summer,” says Ulvila.

There are summer jobs in the daily consumer goods trade, specialty goods trade, technical trade and car business. Overall, the commerce sector employs approximately 277,000 people in Finland.

Although the economic situation is challenging, the annual member survey* of the Confederation of Finnish Industries shows that the number of summer jobs in the commerce sector has remained almost unchanged. In summer 2026, the commerce sector is expected to employ approximately 37,000 summer workers, which is approximately one-third of all summer jobs offered by the economy. In recent years, the commerce sector has employed: approximately 35,000 young people in 2025 and approximately 34,700 young people in 2024.

In the daily consumer goods trade, K Group will employ approximately 5,000 summer workers next summer, S Group approximately 14,000 and Lidl more than 1,000. In the specialty goods trade, Motonet, for example, will employ several hundred summer workers. In many companies, the need for seasonal workers will only become clearer closer to summer.

Commerce has invested in training for young school-aged people

In recent years, the commerce sector has focused particularly on employing young school-aged people. The Earn as You Learn trainee programme for comprehensive school students over the age of 14 and for upper secondary school students is part of the commerce sector collective agreement. The programme offers young people the opportunity to participate in a two-week traineeship in the commerce sector and be paid a one-off compensation of EUR 425.

”An employment contract that is designed for employers in the commerce sector makes it easier to employ schoolgoers. We want to offer young people suitable practical work, experience of the operations in the commerce sector and a view of possible career paths,” says Ulvila.

The grocery stores K Group, S Group, Lidl and Tokmanni, for example, report that the programme is a popular way for young people to find a job in the commerce sector.

Young people appreciate the working atmosphere and orientation in commerce

Young people’s experiences of summer jobs in commerce are positive. According to a student survey** conducted by the Finnish Commerce Federation in autumn 2025, young people feel that the working atmosphere in commerce is the best when compared to other sectors. As many as 78 per cent of students who had worked in commerce felt that the working atmosphere was good, compared to the average of 65 per cent of respondents in all other sectors. Young people also experienced and observed the least amount of workplace bullying in the commerce sector.

Orientation also received above-average ratings in commerce: 62 per cent of students felt that the orientation was good, compared to 59 per cent in all sectors.

“The results show that commerce offers young people a supervised first contact with working life that supports learning. Positive work experiences are key, as commerce is the largest employer for young people and is highly responsible for what kind of future employees young people will become,” says Ulvila.

For further information, please contact: Anniina Ulvila, Labour Market Expert, Finnish Commerce Federation, tel. +358 40 501 9674, anniina.ulvila(at)kauppa.fi

For further information on the survey, please contact: Jaana Kurjenoja, Chief Economist, Finnish Commerce Federation, tel. +358 (0)40 820 5378, jaana.kurjenoja(at)kauppa.fi

*636 member companies from different sectors completed the survey by the Confederation of Finnish Industries. The data collection of the survey was carried out in November 2025.

**Information on the survey: On 27 October–16 November 2025, the Finnish Commerce Federation conducted a survey for students of their experiences of their last job (summer job, traineeship or a valid employment relationship). In addition to commerce, the following sectors were included: industry (incl. construction), health care, restaurants and cafés, the public sector (incl. education, excl. health care) and others. 554 students completed the survey, and the respondents were collected via the Frank Students mobile app. The survey was conducted on the Webropol platform.