GOAL
Finland needs the immigration of skilled labour to ensure a functioning labour market and society, and to ensure wellbeing. International talent improves Finland’s employment rate and economic dependency ratio, the internationalisation of higher education institutions, and the growth, internationalisation and renewal of businesses.
Talent Boost strengthens Finland’s ability to attract and retain talent
Finland needs talent. Skilled professionals are becoming increasingly significant in promoting competitiveness, and there is intense global competition for them. The measures taken under the Talent Boost programme aim to improve awareness of Finland around the world and attract international talent to Finland.
There are also many international specialists who already reside in Finland and face challenges in finding jobs that correspond to their skills. Talent Boost aims to enhance the integration and employment of international specialists who already reside in Finland, and the use of international talent in the business sector.
The objectives of Talent Boost are as follows:
- Finland becoming an internationally attractive place to work, study, carry out re-search, and invest.
- Employers willing and able to recruit international talent.
- The expertise of international specialists driving the internationalisation and renewal of Finnish companies and organisations.
Talent Boost also aims to stimulate discussion about the openness of the Finnish labour market. Workplace attitudes, non-discrimination and diversity affect the willingness of international specialists to stay and find employment in Finland, and they also affect the general attractiveness of Finland in their eyes.
Talent Boost is, first and foremost, a development programme that responds to the need to create and strengthen models and services for attracting international talent and promoting their immigration and retention. The objective of the programme is to permanently incorporate the immigration of international talent into the promotion of vitality at all administrative levels. Talent Boost participants across Finland play a key role in this development effort.
Talent Boost supports the employment-related objectives of the Government Programme
With an ageing population, Finland needs a higher employment rate and more talent. Finland’s economic dependency ratio is declining and the sustainability gap presents a threat to the financing of public services and pension security, for example.
Labour shortages can be addressed by improving labour market matching and through education and training, but these measures need to be complemented by the immigration of international talent. The immigration of skilled labour is one of the partial solutions to this challenge, which is characterised by different problems in different areas and sectors.
The Talent Boost programme focuses on attracting talent that is instrumental for the growth and internationalisation of Finnish companies and for RDI in the leading growth sectors. It also targets sectors suffering from labour shortages. The programme aims to raise Finland to a new level in terms of its attractiveness to specialists and their families. The programme supports the Government’s 75% employment rate target. The programme is coordinated by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment and the Ministry of Education and Culture.
Long-term objectives for the immigration of international talent
Education-based and work-based immigration as a phenomenon requires long-term assessment and target-setting. To address this need, a roadmap for education-based and work-based immigration has been drawn up through broad cooperation to compile the long-term objectives and measures related to promoting the immigration of international talent. The implementation of the roadmap is part of the Talent Boost programme.
The roadmap defines focus areas, frameworks and measures for education-based and work-based immigration spanning consecutive governments. An action plan will be drawn up for the roadmap and updated on an annual basis.
The roadmap includes a plan extending to 2035, and to be updated regularly, on how to promote the immigration of skilled labour:
- Clarifying and digitalising residence permit processes and other public services makes entering the country easy.
- Service portals for employers and employees and regional Talent Hub networks will match workers with suitable work.
- International recruitment services for companies will facilitate the hiring of foreign experts.
- English-language schools and daycare centres and programmes for spouses will help the families settle in Finland.
- High-quality education programmes focusing on working life and mentoring programmes offered by higher education institutions will help foreign researchers and students to establish themselves in Finland and will open doors to Finnish networks for them.
- The needs for education-based and work-based immigration in regions and sectors will be better identified by developing knowledge-based management and foresight.
Learn more:
Roadmap for Education-based and Work-based Immigration 2035