Lahti region ranked in the top five – cooperation between universities and companies is a big attraction

Lahti improved its ranking by three notches in the EK’s biennial ranking of municipalities.

The Lahti region has improved its ranking in the ranking of municipalities by the Confederation of Finnish Industries (EK).

The EK’s biennial ranking of municipalities measures the attractiveness of different sub-regions from a business perspective. The Lahti region was ranked fifth in the latest ranking, up from eighth two years ago.

The comparison uses both a survey for businesses and regional statistics on local economies and entrepreneurship. Business leaders’ assessments of the Lahti region’s business policy and treatment of businesses are higher than the national average.

Cooperation with universities attracts businesses

According to Vanhala, close cooperation between universities in the region, the LUT University and the Lab University of Applied Sciences and the companies has become an important attraction. However, attracting companies and labor into the area is the sum of many things.

– The basics must be in order. Are office space available, whether employees are available, what kind of transport links, these types of things. If, on the other hand, the availability of employees elsewhere, then you have to think about the issue of the whole family, that is, schools, kindergartens, whether there is work for the spouse and so on. It also plays a big role in whether you are welcome to the community, says Vanhala.

In January 2025, a total of 2,515 business executives from all over Finland responded to the Municipal Rack survey.

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