A study examined different ways how immigrants in Finland find work. Here are the results.
Immigrants most often find employment by asking the employer directly.
This is the result of a study by the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), which examined the different ways in which immigrants found employment in Finland in 2018–2019.
“The conditions for immigrants to find employment are good, as studies show that immigrants are highly educated, language-skilled, able and willing to work. There is a need for broad cooperation to improve attitudes in the world of work, networking among job seekers and the provision of services,” Sanna Nykänen, a designer at THL, said in a statement.
Employment through acquaintances is also quite common. By contrast, few immigrants find employment through the TE Office or private employment agencies.
“The majority of immigrants of working age,” according to THL, “have a high self-assessed ability to work and willingness to participate in Finnish working life, but their position in working life is lower than that of people of Finnish origin.”
Therefore, THL notes that it would be important to pay attention to issues such as the identification of immigrants’ skills, the retention and attractiveness of Finnish working life and the elimination of discriminatory practices in working life.
“Achieving equality in job search regardless of background is essential,” said Manu Jalonen, a visiting researcher at THL.
Different methods between regions and genders
The survey found differences between regions and genders. For example, in Kymenlaakso employment through the TE Office was very rare, while in North Karelia and Satakunta, employment through the TE Office was the most common, although even there only about one in ten had been employed through the TE Office.
Women often find employment by submitting an application to a job advertisement, especially in Southwest Finland. But in North Karelia, for example, almost one in four women had been employed through a work placement.
Those who moved to Finland from Africa (excluding North Africa) found employment most often by asking the employer directly, while those who moved from Estonia very often did so through acquaintances.
In contrast, women in the Middle East and North Africa groups were relatively often employed through the TE Office.
Employment by application is common for women in the EU, EFTA and North America groups, among others, while men in the same group often find employment by contacting an employer.
The survey is based on the THL’s Welfare Survey of Foreign-born (FinMonik) survey data. The survey was funded by the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF).
