Finland wants to take thousands of foreign workers

In 2023, the Finnish government launched a project called ‘Talent Boost’. They are four specific countries in addition to EU, EEA; Actively looking to hire workers from India, Brazil, Vietnam and the Philippines. A five-year program called ‘Talent Boost’ has been launched for this recruitment.

The Finnish city of Lapland is located in the equator, which is very different from the sunny climate of the Philippines. But 14 Filipinos living in Lapland think of their workplace as home.

Local Finnish public service broadcaster YLE said in a report on Wednesday that Filipino workers working in the retail sector in Lapland give an indication of what the country’s labor force may look like in the future. These workers are all young and foreign.

Arina, a local retail company in Lapland, had an agreement with Barona, a recruitment agency in the Philippines. Because of that agreement, Filipinos came to work in Lapland.

This recruitment process started one year ago. The scheme helps secure a five-month language course and the required hygiene certificate. As a result, the possibility of moving to Finland is relatively faster. The project will help new foreign workers integrate into Finland. This helps to settle in the new country and understand the bureaucratic complexities of taxes.

Minna Salonen, human resources manager at Ariana, told YLE that even if they want to hire talented young people who are already living in Finland, it is difficult. In his words, “In some places there is not the least enthusiasm for jobs in the retail sector.”

The number of elderly people in this country is very high. As young Finnish citizens leave to study or work elsewhere, local talent cannot be recruited. According to the WALE report, the ‘talent boost’ is seen as positive for both employers and employees.

“Finland is my dream country,” said Zev Fernandez, a Filipino who works at Pelo Ace Market in Lapland. I want to build a career here.

Pelo store manager Yana Yarvenpa praised the work ethic and behavior of the Filipino workers. He said, “They are hardworking, happy, cheerful. Customers love them. From my point of view, they are perfect for the job.”

Inadequacy of labor

Like many European countries, Finland needs large numbers of workers to sustain essential services such as the retail sector and healthcare. According to official statistics, at the end of 2021, approximately 196,000 personal care workers were employed in Finland. Of which about 8.4 percent ie 16 thousand 500 foreigners. Foreigners were more among the cleaners and support workers.

Talent Boost Programme

In order to tackle the labor shortage and boost economic growth, the Finnish government launched the ‘Talent Boost’ programme. It takes five years (2023 to 2027) of work and education-based programs to attract people from the EU and EEA as well as four countries. The target countries are Philippines, Brazil, India and Vietnam.

Despite the high level of skills, Finland’s labor market has a significant shortage of skilled workers. To address this, Prime Minister Arpo’s government is emphasizing employment through immigration and recruitment of unemployed job seekers living in Finland. The revised Talent Boost program prioritized recruitment from EU and EEA countries. Also promoting international recruitment from non-EU countries.

The various initiatives of the program have adopted strategies that will not only help people to come to Finland, but also encourage them to stay in the country.

Streamlined immigration processes include plans to shorten residence permit processing times. Permit processing is targeted in one week for specialists and 30 days for other staff. Measures to prevent misuse of the system and ensure compliance with government regulations are also being implemented.

The government is considering factors that influence the decision of foreign workers to stay in Finland. Such as accessible banking services, English-language education, as well as support for learning Finnish and Swedish, etc.

There will be no work without foreign workers

Corporate giant S Group is Finland’s largest retail group. They are supporting foreign workers. Cultural exchange is also being considered. The summer edition of the organization’s quarterly magazine features a special mention of foreign workers. The cover copy read, “Service may not always be available in Finland. You have to get used to it. Finland cannot function without foreign workers.”

The magazine is said to have a circulation of over two lakhs. YLE reports that the company plans to hire more foreign workers. The company wants customers to get used to the concept. The company’s human resources director, Lehtovuri, told YLE that the magazine’s message for customers is to make them understand the issue.

The survey shows that many foreign workers have positive experiences in Finland and want to stay in the country. 40 percent of workers surveyed said they face discrimination at work, mostly because of language. Infomigrants.