Finland Industry Mood Rises Further in July

Finland’s manufacturing confidence indicator rose to 7 in July 2026 from 4 in the previous month, holding at its highest level since June 2022 and remaining above its long-term average of 0. Production expectations for the coming months strengthened further to 31 from 28 in June, while spare capacity in the sector remained notable, with 68% of respondents reporting they were operating at full capacity in June, up from 66% in the previous month, although it remained below the historical average of 70%. Assessments of order books remained unchanged from -11, moving closer to normal levels, while views on finished goods inventories declined to -1 from 3.

Finland’s manufacturing confidence indicator remained unchanged at 4 in June 2026, holding at its highest level since July 2022 and remaining above its long-term average of 0. Production expectations for the coming months strengthened further to 27 from 25 in May, while spare capacity in the sector remained notable, with 66% of respondents reporting they were operating at full capacity in June, up from 63% in the previous month, although it remained below the historical average of 70%. Assessments of order books improved to -11 from -14, moving closer to normal levels, while views on finished goods inventories rose to 3 from 1, returning to their long-term average. "The economic picture is brightening. Uncertainties related to geopolitics have eased somewhat, although the conflict in the Middle East is creating cost pressures," Jouko Kangasniemi, Economist at the Confederation of Finnish Industry, said.

Finland’s manufacturing confidence indicator edged up to 3 in May 2026 from an upwardly revised 2 in the previous month, reaching its highest level since February. Manufacturers’ expectations for production over the next three months strengthened to 25 from 20 in April. Meanwhile, assessments of order books deteriorated further to -14 from -12, while views on finished goods inventories softened to 1 from 4. Spare capacity also remained evident across the sector, with only 62% of firms reporting that they were operating at full capacity in May, down slightly from 64% in the previous month. In April, manufacturing confidence in Finland was stronger than the EU average.