Finland's education system ranks consistently among the best in the OECD, but inefficiencies in employment and social policies are hampering a smooth transition into the labour market for a considerable share of the youth population. The youth employment rate is slightly above the OECD average but markedly below those in other Nordic countries, while youth unemployment is only slowly recovering from a series of economic shocks that affected Finland in the past decade. With a strong demand for high-skilled workers and persistent shortages in high-skilled jobs, low-skilled youth encounter particular difficulties in the Finnish labour market. Those who failed to complete upper secondary education account for nearly half of all youth who are not in employment, education or training (the so-called NEETs).