The chemicals industry is an important employer sector for chemists – and one of the largest export sectors in Finland. The chemicals industry includes bio, pharmaceutical, plastic, oil, petroleum and paint industries in addition to the basic chemical industry. Chemists are also employed in the technology industry, commerce, the forest industry, the food industry, state research institutes and agencies, as teachers in different levels of education and in health care. In addition, chemists are working in universities as doctoral students, postdoctoral researchers and research team leaders.
You can study chemistry in University of Helsinki, University of Turku, University of Jyväskylä, University of Oulu and University of Eastern Finland. Approximately 150 chemists graduate annually.
Sources of employment and examples of employers
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- Kemira
- Neste
- Tikkurila
- Borealis Polymers
- PCAS Finland
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- Bayer
- Orion
- Janssen
- Pfizer
- Santen
- MedEngine
- Medfiles
- Medaffcon
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- Perkin Elmer/Wallac
- Thermo Fisher Scientific
- Fermion
- MAP Medical Technologies
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- Stora Enso
- UPM
- Metsä Group
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- Altia
- Fazer
- Valio
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- GlaxoSmithKline Customer Healthcare
- Berner
- Roche
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- Admescope
- KVVY Tutkimus Oy
- Eurofins Scientific Finland
- SGS Finland
- Vaisala
- VTT
- Yhtyneet Medix Laboratoriot
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- Ministry of Social Affairs and Health
- Finnish Food Authority
- Finnish Medicines Agency Fimea
- National Bureau of Investigation
- Natural Resources Institute Finland
- Finnish Environment Institute
- Customs Laboratory
- National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health Valvira
- Finnish Meteorological Institute
- Finnish Safety and Chemicals Agency
- Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority
- The Finnish Defence Research Agency FDRA
- Finnish Institute of Occupational Health
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- Aalto university
- University of Helsinki
- University of Eastern Finland
- University of Jyväskylä
- University of Oulu
- University of Tampere
- University of Turku
- University of Vaasa
- Åbo Akademi
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- central and university hospitals
- laboratories in university hospitals: HUSLAB, TYKSLAB, ISLAB
- Fimlab
- Finnish Red Cross Blood Service
Phenomena in the field
- new, more environmentally-friendly chemical product versions, sustainability in production
- new bioproducts and circular economy in production
- research cooperation concerning semi-finished pharmaceutical products produced for product development purposes and other activities serving the pharmaceutical industry
- health care innovations (e.g. biomaterials) and medical technology
Chemists’ titles in Finnish job market
Employment and career opportunities
There are approximately 3,500 chemists in the labour market and approximately 150 unemployed jobseekers. The unemployment rate is about 4%, which is close to the average of Akava people. Chemistry is the fourth-largest natural science sector after the information sciences, mathematics and biology.
There are approximately 750 doctors in the labour market, and approximately 40 of them are unemployed jobseekers. The unemployment rate is around 5%.
Looking for a job?
We have listed the job adds in English in the field of chemistry – check it out!