The salaries paid to chairpersons serving on the boards or councils of Finland's wellbeing services counties varies drastically based on the region, with some commanding annual incomes of more than 80,000 euros.
This is despite the fact that the vast majority of regions are struggling to make ends meet, with many forced to lay off hundreds of workers.
According to data compiled by Yle, the chair of the board in the Kanta-Häme region receives 91,644 euros per year, while the person working in the same position in South Karelia earns a mere fraction of that, at just 3,480 euros per year.
The salaries paid to chairs of the councils meanwhile varied from 41,008 per annum in North Ostrobothnia to 3,000 in Central Ostrobothnia.
The board chairs and the council chairs are all elected officials, a change introduced following the massive overhaul of Finland's social and healthcare services — nicknamed 'Sote' — that came into force from the beginning of 2022.
In addition to an annual salary, chairpersons may also be compensated for lost earnings and travel expenses, as well as additional payments for attending certain meetings.
"No clear logic at all"
The authorities themselves decide on the level of pay and compensation paid to their board chairs and council chairs, but Arto Haveri, a Professor of Administrative Science at the University of Tampere, told Yle that the decisions — and the discrepancies — do not make much sense.
"If you compare the salaries to variables such as the size of the area, the scope of the wellbeing area's responsibilities, the structure of services, or the adopted administrative model, there is no clear logic at all," Haveri said.
The regions that pay the highest salaries are not the largest by any means. For example, Kanta-Häme is the 14th largest wellbeing county by population (out of a total of 21).
A spokesperson for North Ostrobothnia, which pays its board chair over 82,000 euros per year and its council chair 41,000 euros, explained that the region decided the board needed a full-time chairperson.
"It was considered that this position is demanding and involves a heavy workload. Our regional board meets weekly," the region's Chief Legal Officer Tiina Kalliokulju said, noting that the salary was set at the same level as a first-term Member of Parliament.
The salary for the council chair was set at half that amount, Kalliokulju explained, as the position is not full-time.
Figures released in 2024 showed that the North Ostrobothnia wellbeing services county was running at a loss of some 60 million euros, which led staff wages being reduced by an average of about 6 percent.
According to Arto Haveri, each region has made a decision on the salary levels based on whether it is more important to keep the pay moderate or to try to attract the most qualified candidates for the positions.
"Of course, the compensation should be proportionate to the workload and difficulty of the position," Haveri said.
