With the growing labour demand in Finland, certain regions of the country are looking at recruiting skilled migrants from Asian countries such as China. Certain municipalities, such as the southern province of Uusimaa in Finland, are planning to recruit Chinese professionals to work in the country. They are specifically looking at hiring metalworkers and nurses from the said Asian country.
Today, Finland faces a shortage of labour especially in the field of healthcare and the metal industry. According to one of the country’s largest academic centres, Adulta, Finland’s turning to China for help will surely address the shortage of labour in the country. Furthermore, Erkki Leppänen from Adulta has stated that, “The Chinese are known as diligent and happy people”. This was based from his personal experience when he visited the north-eastern part of China. He was able to visit the cities of Shenhang and Dalian during his participation in a Finnish delegation. The educational centre Adulta, has more than 11,000 students that participate in the organization’s programs and apprenticeship trainings especially designed for the Finnish immigrants.
Leppänen has already made contact with organizations in China who were already sending skilled professionals to various countries such as New Zealand and Japan. This is where Leppänen’s idea of bringing Chinese workers to Finland came from. The plan will also include sending the Chinese recruits to study the Finnish language before coming to Finland to work. At the same time, Chinese workers will be attending apprenticeship programs while in Finland.
The shortage in labour is said to have been the result of people leaving the work force or the country each year. There are approximately 25,000 people leaving the Finnish labour force annually.