CHAIRMAN’S REVIEW Tampereen kauppakamarin TOIMINTA 2021
18
JUHANI LEHTI
Chairman
Tampere Chamber of Commerce
The years are not brothers
to each other
We have a saying here in Finland, that the years are not brothers to each other. Last year
we received a new family member, that was definitely something new to us.
The media flooded us with stories throughout the year about what was happening in dif-ferent
places around the world and spiced up the stories with appropriate background
information. As the initial concerns and uncertainty about the great unknown faded over
the summer, things largely returned to their right proportions. For the first time ever,
we had such a pandemic at hand, that we tried to manage by using various exceptional
measures, without finding out in advance what the effects or the costs of those measures
might be.
The Finnish Government provided a generous stimulus plan to municipalities. And not
surprisingly, as the year was closing to an end, municipalities were basking in the glory
of positive financial statements. The State added a record amount of debt on its balance
sheet, but many companies did not benefit from this. Quite the opposite. Many business-es
were facing a dire situation in which the costs kept running but no income could be
made due to restrictions. The year was especially difficult for small businesses in tourism,
restaurant, culture, events and transport sectors. Industry got some relief in the form of
temporary changes in legislation but in the bigger picture once again small businesses
and private-sector employees took the biggest hits.
The Tampere Chamber of Commerce also had to rethink its operations in the midst of all
the changes last spring. Traditional training, committee work, and HHJ (Certified Board
Member courses) had to quickly be transformed into remote implementations. Active
participation, peer support and all the discussions had at various meetings throughout
the year make me believe that even difficult times like these can be overcome by working
together and supporting each other.
My experience is that the community around the Chamber of Commerce has become
closer during the year. What is lost in physical distance, has been replaced by emotion-al
closeness.
The world did not stop, even though the movement stopped. Various remote working
models have taken a light-year’s leap forward. While there is still a lot of uncertainty
about how we will recover from this, one thing is certain: an even greater share of remote
work will remain even after this is all over. It is shaping our real estate market, and even
the geographical distribution of population as people start to seriously consider alterna-tives
to living in busy growth centers.
Megatrends still continue to exist, but they are challenged with new sideflows.
I am also glad to see brave new investments for the future, made by the Tampere city and
the surrounding region. Although the times are difficult in times like these it is good to
build the future and to invest in growth that will start sooner and faster than we think.
At the COVID-19 recovery the world will be full of money looking to be spent in growth
and in investments, and which can also be spent in the globally competitive services and
products offered by the Pirkanmaa region businesses.
I would like to thank everyone who participated in the activities and in the work of the
Tampere Chamber of Commerce, and the extensive stakeholder and cooperation net-work
that has given its contribution in supporting the efforts of our community. The
sun rises higher every day and the summer is approaching. Next autumn we will be ever
stronger to welcome a new family member into the pearl necklace of our years.•