Finnish Firms and the Employment of Foreign Workers

Abstract

Developed countries have vastly depleted workforces because of their ageing populations. Finland is one of the countries suffering from labour shortages in all areas. At the same time, existing immigrants cannot find suitable work in Finnish firms due to language and integration barriers. This paper aims to explore the importance of the Finnish language in recruiting workers with foreign backgrounds, the need for a foreign workforce and the openness of Finnish firms to cooperation in solving these issues. The focus is on the recruitment barriers and the shortage of the workforce side of the data. The data have been collected from 36 firms from Finland in an interview form between 2020 and 2021 and qualitatively analysed and interpreted. The study explains the level of need for foreign workforces in Finnish firms and their willingness to cooperate with facilitating projects and funding bodies. It also connects the project findings to Finland’s official strategic focus for 2030.