Trying times in the labour market calls for proactive actions and an upbeat attitude. Just as important, the awareness of your rights as an employee is essential in negotiating the transition in and out of work.

In the current economic climate it pays to secure your place in the labour market. You don’t want to be forced to react to events, be discouraged about your situation or be in the dark about what your rights are.

First, be proactive with your situation. If worse comes to worse, you don’t want ...

There are a lot of things to consider when deciding when and why to move on. To begin with, you need to assess where you are now, what you have achieved and where you want to be in a few years time.

What do you enjoy about your present job? What do you feel is missing? What have you enjoyed about any previous roles you have done? What is the ideal situation for you? How will you know when you have achieved it?

Your CV is designed to do one thing and one thing only: to get you an interview. Yet the average recruiter will only spend between 20 to 30 seconds glancing at your CV. This means you need to make an impression quickly and sell yourself.

Your personal statement is your first opportunity to do just that. Its aim is to highlight your professional attributes and goals, emphasising why the recruiter should continue reading the rest of your CV. Aim to use no more than 50 words, making each sentence a key selling point.

Different jobs and industries have vastly different pay scales. As you work out your real worth in the job you are in now or hope to move into, do everything you can to research the market.

It’s great to get a break from work, but are there ways in which you can actually use your holiday to help boost your career? Here are some ideas:

Obviously, one of the great benefits of a holiday is that it gives you a chance to recharge your batteries. None of us can work at our best if we don’t take regular breaks. No matter how busy your job, don’t fall into the trap of thinking that you are indispensable and failing to take your holiday. Take time to relax, switch off and have fun. You’ll come back to work refreshed, energetic and raring to go.

Every schedule reflects a unique set of priorities and responsibilities. No two people have precisely the same idea of what constitutes perfect time management. The final determinant is simply whether your relationship with time is a happy one that enables you to meet your professional obligations, enjoy the company of those you love, and take good care of your health.

While there is no one-size-fits-all plan for managing time, there are basic principles that apply to a wide variety of circumstances.

Is work a rewarding and fulfilling part of your life, or is it something that has grown to take up so much of your time and energy that you resent rather than enjoy it?

We all have times when we’re especially busy and need to put in extra hours. But, for a healthy work-life balance, that situation needs to be the exception rather than the norm. So what are the warning signs you need to look out for to check that your balance isn’t tipping in the wrong direction?

Traditionally, the annual round of pikkujoulu (Little Christmas) parties begins on the fourth Saturday before Christmas. These are important events for most Finnish companies and are excellent opportunities to build your network to give your career a boost in the long term.

These events are normally festive and social; don’t expect to see a presentation regarding the last quarter’s sales figures. Nonetheless, don’t be misled. These are business events and should be approached as such.

According to the Finnish Expatriate Parliament, there are 254,909 Finnish citizens living and working abroad. Is anyone coming back, or should the last person to leave turn off the lights, please?

The employment statistics speak for themselves. “There are many jobs that are difficult to fill,” says Juha Martikainen of Statistics Finland. In practical terms, this means that “there are no applicants for these jobs,” says Martikainen.

Government ministers stress the need for a long-term view and a multipronged strategy to confront future economic challenges.

As the economy slows, one might be forgiven for thinking that a labour shortage would be the last of policy-makers’ concerns. However, government ministers are warning that short-term economic developments should not obscure inexorable long-term trends. Unemployment may edge slightly upwards in the near future but thousands of baby-boomers are heading into retirement over the coming decade.