Hallitusohjelma 2023. So the new Finnish government has released their plan for a better Finland. How will these changes affect me as an immigrant in Finland?

As I sit nursing my cup of tea this lovely Saturday morning, I ponder on the newly released 244 pages of the new government plan I just read last night and how it affects me as an immigrant in Finland. My heart had skipped when I saw the notification yesterday. So the new government has released their plan for a better Finland. “Vahva ja välittävä Suomi”. Get comfortable, this is going to be a long one. ☕️

Being an advocate of fairness, there are quite a number of things I agree with.
Example;

“Osaavan ja koulutetun työvoiman vajeeseen puututaan tehokkailla keinoilla muun muassa sujuvoittamalla ulkomaisten tutkintojen tunnustamista…”

This means that they will  tackle the shortage of labour with effective measures, and one of those measures will be the streamlining the recognition of foreign qualifications.

This was one of the major reasons International Professionals Finland was founded. Our Degree AMPLIFY project offers recognition of previous qualifications personalised guidance to international professionals and has been recognised and awarded on EU level as a good innovative practice in inclusion, yet all our funding applications in Finland to run the project were rejected. I truly hope we get resources/funding to do the work we do since all can now see that this is an important measure in solving the current workforce shortage.

Another thing I liked in the plan;

“Hallitus säilyttää nykymuotoisen saatavuusharkintajärjestelmän ja pyrkii siihen, että ensijaisesti huolehditaan Suomessa jo olevien työttömien työnhakijoiden työllistymisestä.”

This means that the government will strive to ensure that jobseekers who are already unemployed in Finland are primarily taken care of.

That is definitely something to look forward to.

One thing that I do think is worthy of readdressing is the plan that the focus will now be on the immigrants own responsibilities in their own integration. Note: not planning, but responsibility. Meaning be more active in your integration. Oh you think you have been doing a lot already? Do more! That plan isn’t bad per se, but same emphasis should also be put on companies and recruiters if we are ever going to solve this workforce problem. Integration is completely a two way process.

Yes the plan talked about reducing non-discrimination in recruitment and setting punishment for offenders, but no concrete plans have been laid out to ensure companies DO MORE. An immigrant job seeker’s applications will not be immediately tossed into the waste basket if recruiters understand that they also have a role to play in successful integration.

And if you have been following me for a while on LinkedIn you may remember that I have said it several times that one sure way to solve this shortage of workforce is to take a look at the regulated professions list on the website of the Finnish board of education and the requirements for recognition set by the regulatory authorities. Let’s hope this will be done someday…

Also they said in the plan that the Alien’s Act will be updated, but that is mostly for work based migration. Some months ago, myself and Dr. Theresia Bilola once wrote an article on the Alien Act and its impact on the shortage of Labour in Finland. You cna check it out later: Strict Finnish Language Fluency In The Labour Market: Smoke Screen Or Barrier? 

Living in Finland, some of the things I enjoy are the nature, peace and safety. These are feelings I cherish and I’m grateful for.
But this morning, as I sip my tea, a huge part of that feeling was replaced with worry and uncertainty.

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