The Union of Professional Engineers is the most reputable employee organization—citizens expect organizations to demonstrate openness, transparency, and responsible conduct
In our “ Reputation&Trust 2026” survey of labor market organizations, the Union of Professional Engineers was ranked as Finland’s most reputable trade union. The survey also revealed that, today, the public expects organizations, above all else, to demonstrate openness, transparency, integrity, and accountability.
In the “ Reputation&Trust 2026” survey by labor market organizations, which was aimed at the general public, we assessed the reputation of the central organizations, the largest employee organizations, and the unemployment insurance funds.
This year, Akava member organizations topped the annual survey: the public rated the Union of Professional Engineers as having the best reputation, followed by the Finnish Business School Graduates in second place and the Academic Engineers and Architects in Finland (TEK) in third. Akava, for its part, was rated the most reputable umbrella organization.
Among STTK's member unions, SuPer—which represents nursing assistants—had the best reputation, while among the unions affiliated with SAK, the Union of Public and Welfare Sectors (JHL) emerged as the one with the best reputation.
Advocacy ratings are at a good level
Reputation&TrustThe survey measures reputation across eight areas that influence the level of trust in an organization. The survey also measures trust; in this year’s survey, TEK received the highest trust rating.
The study also shows that, among the components of reputation, the areas of governance and accountability correlate most strongly with trust.
“Trust and commitment to an organization are therefore most strongly influenced by perceptions of openness, transparency, and integrity, as well as by how responsibly the organization operates,” says our expert Susanna Saarenpää.
“It is interesting that these aspects of reputation carry even more weight in building trust than the aspect of advocacy. Of course, expertise in advocacy still matters, but the ratings for it are already at a good level on average—on par with those for financial perceptions,” Saarenpää continues.
OAJ was rated the most responsible
In the “ Reputation&Trust ” survey, the Finnish Association of Engineers received the highest reputation score in the “administration” category and also earned the highest score in “advocacy.” The OAJ was viewed as the most responsible organization.
“Expectations regarding unions’ openness, transparency, and accountability are certainly also linked to the fact that, in the current tight economic climate, people are thinking more than ever about what they get in return for their union dues,” Saarenpää notes.
“Trade unions therefore have the most work to do today in the area of administrative transparency—and, on the other hand, also in the aspect of reputation related to reform, which was, on average, the weakest area for all organizations surveyed. One organization, Tradenomit, however, managed to boost its reputation in the area of innovation by as much as 0.15 units, which is a noteworthy improvement,” Saarenpää notes.
Journalists hold the SAK, Millariikka Rytkönen, and their bold statements in high regard
This year, we also measured the reputation of employee organizations among journalists in our "Labor Market Organizations Media Barometer 2026" survey.
Respondents were asked to spontaneously name the organization and the organizational leader they considered most successful in their communications and media relations. Among organizations, SAK received the most mentions; among leaders, Tehy Chair Millariikka Rytkönen.
“More than half of the respondents mentioned Rytkönen, which put him in a class of his own. The next most frequently mentioned person was SAK President Jarkko Eloranta, ”says Susanna Saarenpää.
The Mediabarometer interviews also asked what journalists expect from trade unions' communications.
“The responses show that the media expects, above all else, active participation, a clear stance, and bold statements from the leaders of these organizations. Stronger branding was also called for, as the organizational landscape can easily appear somewhat amorphous to the outside world,” Saarenpää explains.
This is how we conducted the study
The goal of the “ Reputation&Trust 2026” survey conducted by labor market organizations was to assess the reputation among the public of labor market organizations and a few other advocacy groups operating in Finland.
Data for the study was collected via an online survey from August 14 to September 8, 2026.
A total of 4,831 Finns participated in the study.
The study’s target group consisted of Finns aged 15–65 nationwide (excluding the Åland Islands). The sample was weighted to be representative of the population by gender, age, and region of residence.
The survey sample was drawn from Norstat Oy's survey panel.
The "Mediabarometer 2026 " survey conducted by labor market organizations examined journalists' views on these organizations.
The survey was conducted via telephone interviews from April 23 to June 18, 2026. A total of 86 journalists responded to the survey.
