SKILLED MIGRANTS IN FINLAND:
ISSUES WITH ADAPTATION
Kaisu Koskela, University of Helsinki
WS121 Competition for skilled immigrants: Choice
of countries and successful adaptation
13th Sept, 2011; 16th International Metropolis
Conference, University of Azores
Migration to Finland
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New country of immigration (since 1990’s)
2010: 170 000 immigrants (people of foreign
nationalities), less than 3% of the population
Mainly humanitarian reasons: marriage-migrants,
family reunifications, ethnic return migration
Labour migration estimated at only 10% (Forsander
et al, 2008)
Skilled migrants in Finland
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Early 1990’s: rapid development of internet and
communication technologies
1995: Finland joins EU opening borders for
workers from other EU nations
Actually suffers from brain drain
Worries for labour shortages and the support ratio
Government criticised for restrictive labour policies
and lack of effort in attracting skilled migrants
Very little research on skilled migrants, especially
when it comes to integration/adaptation
Finland in the global field of choices

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Considered distant (geographically and culturally),
expensive, unfamiliar and cold
Restrictive and late migration and labour policies
little known even as a viable option
Little attraction at managerial level (1,3% of nonnationals) (Auriol and Sexton, 2002).
Reasons for coming to Finland: ’Global nomads’,
’quality-of-life migrants’, and migrating for social
reasons
The good

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
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relaxed, non-hierarchical
work culture (that
respects the individual)
family orientation (both
of society and the work
place)
well-functioning, hightech society
trust-worthy and secure
society, officials, and
people
small town environment
Raunio, 2003
The bad



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low level of salaries and
high level of taxes
limited career
advancement for oneself
and poor employment
opportunities for spouses
difficulty in forming social
relationships (both at work
and free time)
Climate and distance
Small size of the country/
cities
Issues with adaptation
Finland as:
‘humane alternative to Silicon Valley‘
or
’Arctic tax-hell’?
Although decisions to come to Finland are often made
according to economic and career related
considerations, the decision to stay is largely influenced
by social factors  Finland becomes a transitional
place due to unsuccesful social adaptation  research
and policies needed specifically for the social side of
skilled migrants’ experiences in Finland
Further issues from my own data
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Skilled migrants feel well-regarded in Finland, but
categorised as one homogenous group of foreigners
(better than other migrants, but never at par with
Finns)
Cannot integrate, even if they wanted to (expected
to retain their own ’positive’ cultural traits)
Being a skilled migrant, and all the positive things
associated with it, can be overshadowed by having
an ethnicity lower down in the (Finns’) ethnic
hierarchy
References
Auriol, Laudeline & J.Sexton (2002): Human resources in science and technology: Measurement issues and international mobility,
International mobility of highly skilled, OECD proceedings, Paris
Forsander, Annika (2003): Insiders or outsiders within? Immigrants in the Finnish labour market, in Söderling, Ismo (ed.) Yearbook of
population research in Finland, Helsinki, The population research institute
Forsander, Annika [et al] (2008): Economy, Ethnicity and International Migration. The Comparison of Finland, Hungary and Russia, in
Söderling, Ismo (ed.) Yearbook of population research in Finland, Helsinki, The population research institute
Kepsu, Kaisa [et al] (2009): Helsinki: An attractive metropolitan region for creative knowledge workers? The view of transnational
migrants, Amsterdam, Amsterdam institute for Metropolitan and International Development Studies, (ACRE report WP7.5),
http://acre.socsci.uva.nl/results/documents/7.5helsinki_FINAL.pdf
Koskela, Kaisu (2010): ‘New explorations in Finnish migration studies: the emerging case of the skilled migrants', e-Migrinter
5/2010, www.mshs.univ-poitiers.fr/migrinter/index.php?text=e-migrinter/05sommaire2010&lang=frMIGRINTER
Raunio, Mika (2003): Should I Stay or Should I Go?, The images and realities of foreign top professionals in Finnish working and
urban environment: English Summary, Sente–working papers 6, www.sjoki.uta.fi/sente/linkkikirjasto
Raunio, Mika ; Sotarauta, Markku (2005): Highly Skilled Labor Force in the Global Field of Choices: Case Finland,
http://www.uta.fi/~atmaso/verkkokirjasto/Raunio%20&%20Sotarauta_Highly%20Skilled%20Finland.pdf
Trux, Marja-Liisa (2002): Diversity under the Northern Star, in Forsander, Annika (ed.) Immigration and Economy in the
Globalization Process: The Case of Finland, Helsinki, Sitra (Reports series, n°20)
Events/associations for social integration of skilled migrants:
http://www.welcomeweeks.fi/
http://www.eva.fi/en/tapahtumat/eva-expat-forum-2/679/
http://www.jollydragon.net/
Thank you for your attention!
Kaisu Koskela
M.Sc. Doctoral candidate
University of Helsinki, Department of Sociology
kaisu.koskela@helsinki.fi
http://helsinki.academia.edu/KaisuKoskela