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:

  1. Finland becoming an internationally attractive place to work, study, carry out re-search, and invest.
  2. Employers willing and able to recruit international talent.
  3. 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 is coordinated by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment and the Ministry of Education and Culture. 

 

Learn more:

The Talent Boost Programme