Hiring immigrants boosts workplace inclusion and customer service in Finland

Seventeen percent of Finnish businesses have hired immigrants, a move credited with fostering tolerance and enhancing customer service. Among companies with ten or more employees, half have employed immigrants, while a third of those with 5–9 employe

By: helsinkitimes.fi

Dec 28 2024
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Hiring immigrants boosts workp

Seventeen percent of Finnish businesses have hired immigrants, a move credited with fostering tolerance and enhancing customer service. Among companies with ten or more employees, half have employed immigrants, while a third of those with 5–9 employees have done so, according to a Yrittäjägallup survey.

“Employing immigrants has helped businesses grow. For example, staff attitudes have become more inclusive,” said Sonja Antosalo, an expert at the Federation of Finnish Enterprises.

The survey revealed that hiring immigrants improved businesses' ability to serve diverse customers, enhanced workplace atmosphere, fostered innovation among employees, and helped companies find the talent they need.

“This shows that the role of immigrants in the workforce is under-discussed in Finland. Pitting Finnish and foreign workers against each other is counterproductive,” said Harri Jaskari, Director at the Federation of Finnish Enterprises.

“It's inspiring to see how positive the experiences have been across Finland and in various sectors. Companies of all kinds have embraced international talent,” Jaskari added.

Young and middle-aged entrepreneurs were the most likely to have hired immigrants.

The most positive experiences were reported in Eastern and Northern Finland, where 75% of respondents expressed satisfaction with hiring immigrants. Geographically, most immigrant hires occurred in the Helsinki metropolitan area (22%), followed by Western Finland (18%) and Southern Finland (17%).

“There is too much focus on metropolitan areas and high-skilled immigrants in discussions about immigration. This research shows a significant need for foreign workers in rural areas and low-skilled roles. For some rural businesses, foreign workers have been crucial for continued operations,” Jaskari said.

By sector, industry employed the most immigrants (44%), followed by trade (18%), construction (17%), and other services (16%).

The survey identified language barriers, understanding workplace rules, and adapting to the work community as the most common challenges in hiring immigrants.

“Language challenges are likely linked to difficulties in grasping workplace rules and integrating into the work community. It's important to ensure that instructions are clear and language barriers are addressed,” Antosalo said.

The industrial sector reported the fewest challenges in hiring immigrants, while construction faced the most difficulties, with nearly half (46%) of businesses experiencing issues.

The survey, commissioned by Yrittäjien Verianilla, included responses from 1,054 representatives of small and medium-sized enterprises between 7–13 November 2024. The results have a margin of error of 2.9 percentage points in either direction.