Recruitment from abroad at the City of Helsinki is premised on economic and social sustainability. Helsinki treats all its employees equally and fairly, respecting the fundamental principles and rights at work of the International Labour Organisation, as well as human rights.
The ethical principles for recruitment from abroad are linked to the city’s ethical principles and the minimum obligations for procurement (Code of Conduct). The City of Helsinki actively monitors international recruitment trends and risks, constantly developing the related know-how.
Settling in Finland and the related support cover all the things that an employee moving to Finland from abroad will need immediately upon arrival, such as interactions with various authorities, housing issues and learning the language. Integration refers to a series of events taking place over time, as a result of which the person who has come to Finland feels that they are an equal part of society. This integration takes place in tandem with society.
The City of Helsinki recruits responsibly from abroad
We want to ensure a transparent recruitment process
The rights of the person being recruited by the City of Helsinki are at the core of the process.We are aware of the fact that recruitment from abroad may sometimes involve labour exploitation or trafficking in human beings. We want to prevent unlawful, inappropriate or coercive treatment of employees at all stages of the recruitment process, as well as the collection of recruitment fees from recruited employees. We assess the ethics of the recruitment process to prevent such abuse. We require a written description of the recruitment process to be implemented by the service provider.
We recruit from abroad according to the principle of fairness
We take into account the labour situation in the country of origin. We follow the principle of sustainable recruitment to ensure that our operations will not harm basic services in the country of origin.
When selecting the recruitment partner, as well as during contract management, we comply with all procurement laws, regulations and guidelines
We require our selected recruitment partner and its subcontractors to act in accordance with these ethical principles, legislation, the contractual terms and our other guidelines, and monitor and supervise their compliance.
Employees are welcomed to work for the City of Helsinki
We provide employees who are starting work for the city with precise and accurate information
We make sure that individuals arriving in the country to work for the City of Helsinki receive information about the Finnish terms of employment and working life practices, as well as the city as an employer, already in their country of origin. We make sure that the information we provide is exhaustive and correct.
Employees have the right qualify for a job corresponding to their level of education or training, and to receive wages in accordance with the relevant collective agreement
An employee recruited from abroad to work for the City of Helsinki has the right to do work corresponding to their education or training, or to become qualified for the job. We ensure that the wages comply with the relevant collective agreement and the employee’s education or training. All employee benefits are also available for those recruited from abroad.
Employees have the right to equal treatment in their work communities
An employee recruited from abroad has the right to integrate into Finland and receive the same services as other members of society. As the employer, we ensure that the employee will receive an appropriate, equal and impartial onboarding when starting their work. We also enable further training and career advancement.
We know our responsibilities as an employer and support integration
We take care of our statutory employer obligations
We comply with all legislation binding on the employer and take care of our employer obligations by ensuring that the employee has the required right of residence and right to work, as well as the necessary qualifications and professional skills. We also take care of the other employer obligations required by legislation.
As the employer, we help newcomers to settle down and integrate
Once the employee has arrived in Finland, we will assist them in settling in. We understand the processes involved in the settling in of an individual moving to Finland from abroad, and we will advise the employee to contact all the proper authorities as necessary. We will agree on the specific content of any services needed for settling in, learning the language and obtaining advice if the services are acquired from an external service provider. We support the integration of employees coming from abroad by utilising the city’s internal and external networks.
We promote and support unity in work communities that hire migrant employees
We boost the preparedness of supervisors and work communities that are hiring employeesfrom abroad to work as a team. We commit to supporting migrant employees as they learn Finnish and Swedish.
We promote family reunification
When recruiting employees from abroad, the City of Helsinki works from the premise that we will promote the employee’s ability to bring their family to Finland, should the family members so desire. We are aware of the conditions related to family reunification, such as income requirements. We want to make it a priority to promote services offered to the spouses of migrant employees (for example via International House Helsinki).