Finland’s Ilmarinen makes work ability management key part of sustainability work

Finnish earnings-related pension provider Ilmarinen is making work ability management one of the key areas of its sustainability work.

The pension company provides pension security for approximately 1.1 million people, with pension liabilities backed by assets under management of €67.5bn.

One of Ilmarinen’s strategic goals is to promote the management of work ability risks in its client companies and the work ability of employees insured by Ilmarinen.

Ilmarinen work ability manager, Kristiina Halonen, said: “Work ability risk can be managed through work ability management. This involves anticipating, supporting, and strengthening employees' work ability throughout their careers. Good work ability management helps you act as a responsible employer.”

In 2025, client companies were extremely satisfied with the effectiveness of Ilmarinen’s work ability management services: in a customer survey, clients gave the services a rating of 4.7 (on a scale of 1–5).

In its update on its sustainability work, Ilmarinen detailed how it also focuses on the personal development of its employees.

Ilmarinen director of human resources and communications, Sami Ärilä, said: “By developing our staff’s skills, we improve both their well-being at work and our competitiveness. In expert work, the greatest risk to work ability is related to skills and having to constantly operate at the limits of one’s abilities. Everyone benefits when we offer opportunities for training.”

The pension company also said it has made “significant progress” in regard to climate action within its investments. Climate change and biodiversity loss, it said, are part of the diverse risk management that a long-term pension investor must take into account.

“One of our most significant climate achievements in 2025 was that the carbon intensity of our direct listed equity and corporate bond investments fell by 68 per cent from 2020 levels, while our target was a 30 per cent reduction,” Ilmarinen chief investment officer, Annika Ekman, said.

“We achieved all of our emission reduction targets for 2021–2025, which was a great achievement,” she added.



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