Finnish Industry Mood Improves in April

2026-04-27 05:17 By Chusnul Chotimah 1 min. read

Finland’s manufacturing confidence indicator rose to 1 in April 2026 from -1 in March, entering positive territory and moving above the long-term average of 0.

Manufacturers’ expectations for order books in the coming months improved (-12 vs -20), while finished goods inventories increased (4 vs 1), bringing them in line with the long-term average of 3.

Production expectations remained unchanged from the previous month (at 20).

Spare capacity in the sector remained notable, with 64% of respondents reporting they were operating at full capacity in April, compared with 62% in the previous month.

“The economic uncertainty is high, but the majority of Finnish companies have seen slight growth in production and sales during the first half of the year,” Penna Urrila, Chief Economist at the Confederation of Finnish Industry, said.



News Stream
Finnish Industry Mood Improves in April
Finland’s manufacturing confidence indicator rose to 1 in April 2026 from -1 in March, entering positive territory and moving above the long-term average of 0. Manufacturers’ expectations for order books in the coming months improved (-12 vs -20), while finished goods inventories increased (4 vs 1), bringing them in line with the long-term average of 3. Production expectations remained unchanged from the previous month (at 20). Spare capacity in the sector remained notable, with 64% of respondents reporting they were operating at full capacity in April, compared with 62% in the previous month. “The economic uncertainty is high, but the majority of Finnish companies have seen slight growth in production and sales during the first half of the year,” Penna Urrila, Chief Economist at the Confederation of Finnish Industry, said.
2026-04-27
Finland Industry Confidence Falls in March
Finland's manufacturing confidence indicator fell to -1 in March 2026 from a five-month high of 3 in February, slipping below the long-term average of 0. Manufacturers’ expectations for production in the coming months remained positive but were slightly more cautious than in the previous month (20 vs 24 in February). Order books declined further (-21 vs -17), while finished goods inventories increased (1 vs -2), bringing them close to the long-term average of 3. There continues to be notable spare capacity in the sector, with 61% of respondents reporting they were operating at full capacity in March, compared to 57% in the prior month. In February, manufacturing confidence in Finland was somewhat stronger than the EU average.
2026-03-27
Finland Industry Confidence Improves in February
Finland’s manufacturing confidence improved to 3 in February 2026 from a revised reading of 0 in the previous month, moving slightly above its long-term average level of 0. Production expectations remained favourable, pointing to continued output growth in the coming months. Order books strengthened from January but stayed below their historical average, while inventories of finished goods remained broadly in line with normal levels. Spare capacity persisted across the sector, with 57% of firms reporting operating at full capacity in February, down from a revised 66% in the prior month. Earlier data showed Finland’s manufacturing confidence in January stood slightly above the EU average, indicating relatively resilient industrial sentiment despite remaining capacity slack.
2026-02-26