A new assessment commissioned by Metsä Group and conducted by KPMG quantifies the forest industry company's full economic footprint in Finland, covering employment, tax contributions, and value added to GDP .
Jobs supported across the Finnish economy
Metsä Group's operations generate more than €10 billion in economic activity in Finland each year — the equivalent of €1,800 for every Finnish citizen — according to a study published in June 2026 by KPMG. The results, which Metsä Group says highlight the key role of the forest industry in the Finnish economy at a time of slow growth and uncertain economic outlook, are based on 2023–2025 data modelled using Statistics Finland's input–output framework.
The company's value-added impact — wages, profits, and taxes generated in Finland — amounts to approximately €3.4 billion per year, a figure Metsä Group says represents a significant contribution to Finland's GDP and close to a quarter of the entire forest sector's value added.
Employment
The company's total employment impact stands at 30,810 jobs — a figure benchmarked against the entire working population of the city of Seinäjoki. Of those, 5,750 are direct employees. A further 19,760 jobs are supported through the company's domestic supply chain purchases, while 5,300 positions arise from income effects — the economic activity generated by wages paid to directly and indirectly employed workers.
The employment footprint spans a broad range of sectors, with the largest concentrations in transportation and storage (3,590 jobs), manufacturing (2,830), and wholesale and retail trade (2,320). Agriculture, forestry, and fishing account for a further 1,960 jobs, reflecting the company's deep roots in the Finnish forest value chain. Metsä Group notes that the impacts extend across business sectors and regions, with work carried out in forests, logistics, and industry feeding through to society and the economy nationwide.
GDP and domestic purchases
Of the €3.4 billion in annual value added that remains in Finland, €1.95 billion is direct GDP impact, €890 million flows through the value chain, and €570 million arises from induced consumption. The €1.64 billion GDP impact generated through domestic purchases is concentrated in four sectors: agriculture, forestry, and fishing (26%), manufacturing (24%), transportation and storage (15%), and wholesale and retail trade (14%).
Tax revenues
The group's operations generate €930 million in annual tax revenues for the Finnish state — a sum KPMG equates to the annual salaries of more than 20,000 nurses. Direct tax contributions account for €450 million, with €220 million generated through the supply chain and €270 million arising from induced effects.
"€930 million in tax revenues equals the annual salaries of more than 20,000 nurses." — KPMG, for Metsä Group, June 2026
"The assessment concretely demonstrates the extensive impact that forestry and the forest industry have on employment, economic growth and public finances in Finland. Value is created from Finnish forests and refined into a broad domestic value chain that provides jobs and generates wellbeing across the country. Finland and Finns will continue to need a vibrant forestry and forest industry to support public finances and employment. In the current environment, it is particularly important that Finland does not, through national decisions, weaken the operating conditions for forestry and the forest industry, but instead supports their renewal, efficiency and international competitiveness." Jussi Vanhanen, President and CEO, Metsä Group.
The assessment conducted by KPMG is based on data provided by Metsä Group for 2023–2025 as well as Statistics Finland data. The analysis uses an input–output model and covers the company's direct, indirect, and induced effects, including the economic activity generated by wage spending of directly and indirectly employed people in Finland.
