Outokumpu is the best entrepreneurial municipality in North Karelia in the latest Finnish Entrepreneurs' Municipal Barometer. In addition, the city rose to sixth place in the national comparison of small municipalities - improving its ranking by as much as 49 places.
The Finnish Entrepreneurs' Municipal Barometer is based on responses from almost 12,000 entrepreneurs from all over Finland. The survey was conducted in early 2026 and is the largest of its kind to date. 357 responses were received from North Karelia, which is a clear increase compared to the previous survey.
In the overall comparison, Outokumpu ranked first in the region, ahead of Kontiolahti and Liperi. The rise from 55th to 6th place in the national ranking indicates significant development in strengthening business friendliness.
Business orientation at the center
From the perspective of entrepreneurs, the business orientation of municipal decision-making is still the most important single factor in economic policy. In Outokumpu, this area received a rating of 4 on a scale of 1–5.
The results show that dialogue between businesses and the municipality plays a key role. When the everyday lives and needs of entrepreneurs are taken into account in decision-making, better services and stronger growth are created.
The most important services for a starting entrepreneur
According to the municipal barometer, services for starting entrepreneurs emerged as the most important business service. The next most important were assessed to be financial and investment advice and smooth permit services. Business services are of central importance for the vitality of a municipality.
– Municipal business services are not just a support function, but a key part of economic policy. They create the foundation for whether new companies are created, whether people dare to grow and whether investments are made locally, says Merja Blomberg, CEO of North Karelia Entrepreneurs.
– The results of the municipal barometer show that companies value above all services that directly affect everyday life and opportunities for growth.
There is still room for improvement in employment policy
The survey assessed for the first time the success of employment policy since the transfer of responsibility to municipalities. The results show that there is still room for improvement: only about a quarter of respondents felt that employment policy had been very successful.
However, effective employment services are critical for companies, as they directly affect the availability of skilled labor and the growth opportunities of companies.
Check out the results by municipality! The regional and municipal results of the responses of almost 12,000 entrepreneurs were published on May 20 at the municipal leadership seminar in Jyväskylä. You can view the regional and municipal results at yrittajat.fi/muntabarometri.
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