The share of working age population with higher education is higher in Finland than in other Member States, with the exception of Ireland, even though not as high as in the US. In 2000, 32%, of the total workforce in Finland had achieved tertiary education, while the EU15 average was 24%. Educated labour force has fostered innovation and increased the innovation absorption capacity.
Supply of science and technology graduates has helped to maintain the salaries of researchers and engineers in the ITC-cluster moderate, in spite of strong demand. Strong current account and international diversification of investment portfolios The growth of the ICT industry is reflected in the current account, which has been in surplus since 1994.