In accordance with the Government Programme, Finland is seeking to promote international labour recruitment from the countries of Vietnam, the Philippines, India and Brazil. Helsinki is one of many cities worldwide that is competing to attract a skilled international workforce. There is competition for employees not only between countries, but also between cities, so it is important for Helsinki to build cooperation networks with partner countries.
Employees recruited to Finland from the Philippines have traditionally worked in health and social services jobs, as well as in the restaurant, service and industrial sectors. Vietnamese employees have for the most part worked in primary production, in addition to the restaurant and service sectors.
“Finland and Helsinki cannot succeed without international employees in various fields. Cities around the world are now fiercely competing for skilled workers, and we must do our utmost to demonstrate our competitiveness as a place that can offer many employment opportunities and a good life. It is important to show that Helsinki offers people recruited to work for the city a decent and fair path to Finland from abroad, and that we provide the necessary support for work, language studies, and settling in,” said Helsinki Mayor Juhana Vartiainen.
Finland’s Minister of Employment is accompanied on the visit by the City of Helsinki, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Work in Finland, the City of Tampere and the Finnish Immigration Service. Joining this group is a broad delegation of stakeholders representing businesses, educational institutions, employer organisations and chambers of commerce.
The overall goal of international recruitment efforts is to increase the share of labour migration to Finland from the target countries, and for Finland to be a good partner with the countries and a good place for skilled workers to come and work. International recruitment must also be ethical. Helsinki has drafted ethical principles for recruitment from abroad that guide the processes and practices of the City of Helsinki’s international recruitment.
