The University’s staff will continue to shrink until the end of 2017 also due to retirements and resignations. More than 200 positions will be left unfilled after their holders retire. Of this number, 60 are teaching and research positions and 170 are non-academic positions. Moreover, the number of fixed-term staff will continue to gradually decrease.
All in all, the number of University staff is estimated to shrink by 1,000 employees by the end of 2017.
The staff reductions will amount to annual savings of 47 million euros, of which terminations will account for 17 million.
The University is seeking significant long-term reductions in costs by decreasing its facilities by 80,000 m2, among other things. It has also launched a new extensive fundraising programme targeting both Finnish and international funding sources.
Due to cuts in government funding, the University’s income in 2016 will be 50 million euros less than in 2015. The University is prepared to use its surpluses from previous years to balance its finances.
To meet the challenge of dwindling government funding, the Board of the University of Helsinki decided in September 2015 to launch a change programme that includes both cost-cutting measures and reforms. As part of the programme, the University conducted cooperation negotiations in autumn 2015.