In the photo, from left, are Business Ombudsman Mari Raukola, Finance and Administration Secretary Anneli Hakola, Economic Development Director Marko Rajamäki, CEO of Satakunta Entrepreneurs Markku Kivinen, and City Mayor Mika Hatanpää.
Entrepreneurs in Kankaanpää believe that the most important aspects of business policy are the business orientation of municipal decision-making, the position of business policy in the municipality, and the municipality's procurement policy. The importance of education and skills is also emphasized. This is evident from the Entrepreneurs' Municipal Barometer commissioned by the Finnish Federation of Entrepreneurs.
Entrepreneurs in Kankaanpää estimate that the city performs moderately in these areas. Compared to other municipalities, Kankaanpää performs best in managing infrastructure.
Every two years, the Municipal Barometer survey surveys the cooperation between municipalities and entrepreneurs and the state of economic policy nationally, regionally and by municipality. The ninth Municipal Barometer survey (formerly the Economic Policy Indicator Survey) of the Federation of Finnish Enterprises was carried out from 16.2 February to 13.5.2020 May 10. 404 entrepreneurs responded to the survey nationwide, 771 entrepreneurs in Satakunta and 30 entrepreneurs in Kankaanpää.
Digital support is needed in Kankaanpää – attractiveness must be increased
The most important business services are services for starting entrepreneurs, financing and investment advice, and networking. Developing entrepreneurs' digital capabilities is seen as exceptionally important in Kankaanpää compared to regional and national results.
– The Entrepreneurs' Municipal Barometer is a good tool for interaction between the city and entrepreneurs, says the Director of Economic Affairs Marko Rajamäki. – Based on the results, the city is able to assess the effectiveness of business services and develop them in the direction desired by entrepreneurs. The established model of the Municipal Barometer and the nationwide nature of the study also give us the opportunity to compare the results with previous years and other municipalities of similar size.
Compared to the previous year, entrepreneurs' views on the added value of business services and the functionality of telecommunications connections had improved. The survey results showed a drop in entrepreneurs' belief that the municipality is an attractive place to do business and live.
– Our common challenge is to increase the city's awareness and attractiveness, also in terms of entrepreneurship and jobs, Rajamäki states.
Satakunta above the national average
Satakunta was ranked second as a region in the Entrepreneurs' Municipal Barometer, only surpassed by South Ostrobothnia. Staying at the top shows that Satakunta's municipalities have made many improvements to the operating conditions for entrepreneurs since the previous measurement.
At the provincial level, the importance of services for starting entrepreneurs was particularly highlighted in the responses. As many as 58 percent of respondents considered advice for starting entrepreneurs to be the most important business service, and the figure was also high nationwide – 52 percent. The second most important area highlighted in the responses was the importance of networking and financial and investment advice.
In the order of importance of the areas of economic policy in the Satakunta region, the business orientation of municipal decision-making came first, followed by the position of economic policy in the municipality. In principle, these areas function well in Satakunta.
More information
- The results for Kankaanpää can be seen in the following document: Municipal Barometer 2020 Kankaanpää (PDF)
- The regional results can be found on the Satakunnan Yrittäjä website: Municipal Barometer 2020 Satakunta
- National results can be found at the following link: Municipal Barometer 2020
Marko Rajamäki, Director of Economic Affairs, City of Kankaanpää
040 717 7578, [email protected]