How about getting a job in Finland? Vacancies in healthcare, service sector and more
Finland has woken up to the fact that when the post-war baby-boom age groups retire, it will face a labour shortage that its own younger generation will be unable to fill.
If all the jobs that will be vacated in healthcare services over the next few decades had to be filled by Finns only, then one in four of Finland's young people would have to train to be nurses. Since that situation is obviously a non-starter, there is a clear need to recruit people from abroad in the coming years, especially in the service and healthcare sectors.
The idea of taking either a short-term or a permanent job in Finland, or actually settling here, is not as extraordinary as it was a mere ten or twenty years ago. The attractions of working in Finland include good working conditions and high employment security. Even the intriguing Finnish language poses no barrier to newcomers willing to make an effort, although admittedly it may slow them down a bit.
Labour mobility on the rise
Labour mobility has in fact sped up considerably with enlargement of the European Union. In 2008 more people moved to Finland than ever before since the nation achieved independence in 1917. The numbers totalled 29,100, topping the previous year by 3,000 and exceeding the number of people who emigrated in 2008 by a good 15,000.
Healthcare professionals needed
Photo: Plugi
Mobility is currently encouraged, especially within Europe. When European citizens wish to move abroad to work, they are assisted by EURES, the European Employment Services network. More than 800 advisers in public employment services in the EU Member States are involved in EURES. In Finland there are 31 of them at Centres for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment in major towns. These experts help companies looking for workers from outside Finland and people in Finland seeking jobs abroad to find the necessary contacts and channels.
"Those who come to talk to potential Finnish employers at fair stands include young people in particular, who may have studied in Finland through programmes such as the Erasmus exchange programme. They have pleasant memories of Finland and often speak some Finnish, too," says ministerial adviser Tiina Oinonen of the Ministry of Employment and the Economy, who has been involved in EURES for a number of years.
Article by Sanna Korpela, journalist
To read the whole article How about getting a job in Finland?(Link to another website.) (Opens New Window)
More information
Ministry of Labour(Link to another website.) (Opens New Window)
Info Bank(Link to another website.) (Opens New Window)
Finnish Immigration Service(Link to another website.) (Opens New Window)
Information and public services(Link to another website.) (Opens New Window)