The number of basic social assistance recipients decreased from the COVID-19 era and is now lower than before the outbreak
In October to December, the number of persons receiving basic social assistance in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area was 2 per cent lower than in the previous year. The average number of people receiving monthly basic social assistance was 33,300 in Helsinki (-2% compared with the previous year), 13,100 in Espoo (-3%) and 15,000 in Vantaa (-2%).
In the Helsinki Metropolitan Area, the number of basic social assistance recipients was clearly higher in late spring 2020 to early summer 2021 than in the corresponding period before the COVID-19 outbreak in 2019. During the COVID-19 epidemic, the need for basic social assistance increased mainly due to the weakened employment situation. At the moment, the employment situation is good and the number of basic social assistance recipients is also lower than before the outbreak. Furthermore, it looks like the increase in food and energy prices caused by the war in Ukraine has not increased the number of recipients of basic social assistance.