The Union of Professional Engineers in Finland and Academic Engineers and Architects in Finland (TEK) have expressed concern over new research results regarding the position of international experts. According to the unions, immediate measures are needed to improve employment opportunities for these professionals and to encourage them to remain in Finland.
The International Technology Experts 2025 study, conducted by the two unions, reveals that international experts in the field of technology hold increasingly negative views of Finland. Fewer than half of foreign-background specialists would recommend Finland as a place to live, and an ever smaller proportion plan to stay in the country permanently.
Last year, 54 percent of respondents indicated they were planning to remain in Finland. This year, that number has dropped to just 47 percent. The main reasons for wanting to leave are unemployment, stricter immigration laws, and the deteriorating overall economic situation. The greatest barriers to integration are seen as the Finnish language as well as the lack of jobs and professional networks. Deficient language skills were cited most often as an obstacle to finding suitable work, and also as the most frequently mentioned factor reducing Finland’s appeal. On the other hand, personal networks were considered the most important aid for employment.
International professionals’ perceptions of their own work situation have further weakened compared to last year, when they were already low. Only two out of three experts from outside Europe are in permanent employment. Less than one-third of respondents reported having been unemployed at some point during the past three years.
Unions Call for Swift Action
TEK and the Union of Professional Engineers urge Finland to act quickly to improve the situation and to curb the so-called brain drain.
“The role of international experts in Finland’s story must be acknowledged. Job-seeking needs to be made more equal. Integration into Finnish society must be facilitated. Instead of punishing unemployment, we must provide support for re-employment. Language and cultural training should be significantly increased,” says Juhani Nokela, Director of Public Affairs at TEK.
According to Nokela, everyone has a role to play in stopping the brain drain. The government, municipalities, employers, and trade unions all have the opportunity to make an impact. He argues that the government should abolish the law requiring a foreign worker to leave Finland once their employment ends if no new contract is signed within a few months. He also calls for easing the Finnish language proficiency requirements.
Nokela believes municipalities could provide special services for international experts, since foreign applicants are not on an equal footing with native Finns in the job market due to their lack of networks and language skills.
Petteri Oksa, Director of Advocacy at the Union of Professional Engineers, emphasizes the responsibility of employers. Companies can, if they choose, take effective and rapid measures to make life easier for foreign employees. Such measures could include providing translation technology, offering Finnish language study during working hours, assisting with bureaucratic hurdles, setting up mentoring systems, and strengthening social networks in the workplace. Trade unions, for their part, could help guide international experts into Finnish working life and explain workplace practices and rules.
“Together with employers, trade unions could also implement practical measures such as Finnish language courses,” Oksa suggests.