Vocational rehabilitation services for people with mental health problems provided by the labour authorities are limited. It has been estimated that only one in ten people in need of vocational rehabilitation due to mental health problems is provided with the necessary services. In addition to services provided by the SII and the labour authorities, the occupational health care services are responsible for rehabilitative measures aimed at maintaining work ability in the workplace. Often people, in particular young people, with mental health problems lack vocational qualifications. This can be a major barrier to employment. Therefore people with mental health problems often face a cumulative risk of marginalisation.¹⁹

A report by the Rehabilitation Foundation makes it clear that Finland needs to develop an effective rehabilitation system for people with mental health problems, with an emphasis on vocational rehabilitation.²⁰ Too often, early retirement is the only option for persons with mental health disorders who have problems maintaining their work ability and keeping their jobs. Existing rehabilitation services mainly target people diagnosed with schizophrenia, and there is a lack of rehabilitation programmes for people with depressive disorders.²¹ Rehabilitative measures should be provided earlier and involve the social and physical environments in which clients live their daily lives. Making services more flexible and accessible would reduce the stigma surrounding their use.²²,²³

The need for rehabilitation of employees with severe job exhaustion and burnout challenges the traditional philosophy of rehabilitation, which is often diagnosis-based and focuses more on clinical and curative aspects.²⁴ Work ability is not just an absence of symptoms or illness and a personal attribute, but involves work motivation, possibilities for learning and development, and feelings of usefulness and participation. Effective maintenance of work ability cannot focus solely on the employees, but should involve the work environment. The workplace would be a natural place to provide rehabilitation and help employees to manage their daily lives, maintain their jobs, and minimise work-related stressors. This, however, does not underestimate the importance of medical and curative services, which are often required to address the symptoms.