Immigrants are an important source of workforce and productivity for Finland. They also bring new expertise and networks to Finland. In a good economic situation, the employment situation of immigrant men is almost at the same level as with the rest of the population, but the employment of women lags significantly behind. It is important to identify the reasons behind the weaker employment situation of women and to propose ways to improve the situation.
In its programme, Petteri Orpo’s Government outlined an action programme to support the participation of under-represented groups, including immigrant women, in work. In STTK’s opinion, it would be essential to take into account women’s own view of barriers and promoters of employment in the programme. We have put together a number of different actions and considerations in this document. They are based on an interview and survey study conducted by E2 Research in 2024–2025. The respondents are trained immigrant women who are employed or looking for work, as well as experts working in employment and integration services.
Achieving a good employment situation of immigrants requires the efforts of the state and labour market parties. The processes and services for entry into the country and integration need to be improved, together with the identification and recognition of competences. Discriminatory practices at workplaces must be dismantled. 47% of the respondents had experienced discrimination related to work.
Further restrictions to entering and staying in the country weaken immigrants’ willingness to come to Finland and commit themselves to working in Finland. 52% of the respondents felt that the social climate had deteriorated from the point of view of immigrants over the past few years. If immigration based on work and education is to be the solution to Finland’s decline in population, attention must also be paid to how welcoming the society is and how well the work environment can retain people.
- Significant restrictions have been imposed on the processes for entering and staying in the country in recent years. This creates an image of a country where people born abroad are not welcome.
- Finland must consistently see immigration as a strength that can be used to respond to the skills shortage in workplaces and create new opportunities for growth. A common political vision is needed to attract and retain talent.
- More resources are needed to monitor the terms and conditions of employment and to prevent labour exploitation or discrimination. The reception of foreign workers in the labour market and at workplaces requires a national programme to which the government and labour market parties commit themselves.
- Immigrants arriving for work through international recruitment and their spouses must be offered comprehensive services for the recognition of competences and qualifications, as well as the opportunity to improve their competences.
- Women are often guided to care and nursing sectors suffering from labour shortages, regardless of their education or interests. The strong division in the Finnish world of work into female and male sectors slows down the employment of educated immigrant women.
- The goal must be for foreigners who are completing a degree in Finland to find employment in the Finnish labour market. Currently 55% of foreigners who have completed a higher education degree in Finland find employment in Finland.
- The government has cut resources from municipal employment and integration services. Immigrant women need individual support in finding employment more often than others. Recruiting workplaces may also need support and advice.
- Services related to language skills and social orientation must also be offered to those who have been granted a work-based residence permit or who have arrived in Finland through their spouse’s work or family reunification. Successful integration would speed up entry into the labour market.
- Employers must be obligated to contribute to the costs of language training and social orientation for employees.
- 47% of the women who participated in the study had encountered discrimination in the Finnish world of work. The readiness to receive a foreign employee is supported through training, orientation, multilingual instructions and investments in equality planning. STTK proposes that an equality plan would be mandatory for all workplaces with at least ten employees.
- The trade union movement must invest more in multilingual member acquisition, services and networking of immigrant members.
- Networks and peer support promote the employment of immigrant women. Third-sector operators provide mentoring programmes and networking opportunities, for example. Cuts to the funding of social and healthcare organisations also threaten these services.