Finnish businesses concerned over the immigration plans of the country’s right-wing government

By

• Gerard O’Dwyer

Published: 07 Dec 2023 11:15

Finland’s technology sector has responded with deep unease to the conservative government’s immigration-based labour market proposals that threaten to curb the ability of companies to freely recruit foreign skills and talent.

Industry chiefs are openly expressing fears that the far-reaching anti-immigration policies emanating from prime minister Petteri Orpo’s right-wing administration have the potential to deter foreign talent from pursuing career opportunities in Finland. IT companies are concerned that the government’s restrictive labour market policies will also reduce their ability to hire top international talent across all continents.

Formed in June 2023, Orpo’s coalition government includes the Finns Party, an ultra-right-wing anti-immigration organisation that also opposes Finland’s membership of the European Union (EU). The Finns Party secured the second highest popular vote in the country’s April 2023 parliamentary elections, trailing just behind Orpo’s national coalition (Kansallinen Kokoomus).

The Finns agreed to join an Orpo-led coalition on the condition that it embraced the party’s core immigration and labour market policies. The Finns were rewarded with key ministries, including finance, international development cooperation, and foreign trade, economic affairs, interior, justice, social affairs, health, transportation and communications. As a result, the ultra-right-wing party enjoys a significant grip on government policy formation in the fundamental areas of immigration legislation and labour market operations.

Labour concerns

For critical export sectors of the Finnish economy, including technology and engineering, the principal concern among industry leaders is that the restrictive labour market policies and new immigration-linked legislation that is set to be introduced by the Orpo government in 2024 could negatively curtail the capacity of companies in Finland to recruit the foreign talent needed to grow their domestic and international business operations.

The Orpo government has signalled its intent to adopt strict quota-based immigration rules and impose more rigid residency regulations. These initiatives, which are promised for 2024, would limit the scope for issuing work visas to skilled and semi- skilled international and non-EU persons interested in applying for skilled jobs in Finland.

Moreover, the Finnish government is considering the attachment of proficiency tests in the Finnish and Swedish languages to work visa applications. Rather than “import” talent, the Orpo government is looking to provide capital funding to achieve “domestic solutions” that can deliver the specialist skills needed by companies from an enlarged pool of home-grown IT talent.

The Orpo government’s immigration and labour market policies are also designed to make Finland a less attractive country for migrants. Finland’s budget for 2024 will cut direct spending on immigration support programmes by €250m. This is in line with reform initiatives that will halve the refugee quota and implement stricter criteria for residence permits.

“Unfortunately, we have ministers in our government undoing all the great work achieved through the decades to elevate Finland’s global image. » …
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